With the looming mandatory enlistment of BTS members, entertainment pundits are asking netizens whom they believe will be the global Kpop phenomenon's successors in their reign. While junior idols TXT and ATEEZ were thrown in contention, fans were resistant to the idea of handing down BTS' legacy.
According to a report by All Kpop, a reporter issued the informal poll entitled "Who is BTS' successor? TXT or ATEEZ?" citing the junior idol groups' strong potential to draw an international market to their music. TXT or Tomorrow X Together is also signed under BTS' label Big Hit Entertainment while ATEEZ is managed by KQ Entertainment.
ARMYs were quick to debunk the claims that the two idol groups were ready to take on the reigns from BTS and compared the legacy created by the third generation idol group as similar to the impact of The Beatles during their heyday. Other fans commented that it would hard for any group to fill the shoes of BTS after they have become a household name all over the world.
"BTS is so famous and achieved so much. I don't think anyone can be the successor to BTS. I heard that there aren't any kids in the US that don't know about BTS," another fan said.
"The answer to who can succeed BTS is no one. When BTS calls it quits, that will be the saddest day," another fan lamented.
BTS is currently two weeks away from releasing their comeback album Map of the Soul: 7. The album has broken pre-selling record sales after receiving 3.42 million orders within the first week of sales alone, according to Big Hit Entertainment.
As part of the activities for the album's release, BTS has already released two teaser tracks from the album. The first is centered around Suga entitled Interlude: Shadow, an evocative rap song that talks about the glory and pain of success. It also talks about idol's challenge of being watched and observed all the time which causes them to lose themselves in the process.
J-Hope's upbeat track Ego, on the other hand, talks about the challenges he experienced while he was just starting and the choices he made in seven years to reach success in his career.Black Swan, the title track of the album, debuted on the US television through BTS' performance on the Late Late Show with James Corben and generated even more excitement for the comeback's release.
