[with ARMY ㉗] "Sometimes the Language Speaks to You": One ARMY on 11 Years of Growing With BTS

CHICAGO — Sade Thomas remembers when being a K-POP fan in the United States felt far less common than it does today. She had already been listening to the genre for years when BTS debuted, but something about the seven-member group immediately felt different.

Thomas, 35, is originally from Michigan and now lives in Columbus, Ohio. She has followed BTS since their debut, watching their career unfold while growing up alongside them in her own way.

"I used to do dance covers with my friends all the time," Thomas told K-POPIT ahead of BTS' "ARIRANG" World Tour concert at Soldier Field. "One thing we learned very quickly is the boys can dance. They're really talented."

Thomas first discovered K-POP in 2008 through girl group KARA, followed by 2PM and other acts including SHINee and INFINITE. When BTS arrived several years later, their early music and image stood apart from what she had been listening to.

"BTS had something different," she said. Songs including "N.O" caught her attention, but Thomas remembers "Danger" as the point when casual interest became something more permanent.

"That was the song that made me go, 'I think I'm locked in. I think I'm locked in for life,'" she said.

She later found her bias in Jimin during the "Save Me" era. The music video's simplicity, with the members dancing outdoors without an elaborate set, allowed her to focus on their performance in a way that stayed with her.

"I think that's when I really saw them," she said. "Just them being them, doing what they do and dancing."

Following BTS from their early years to stadium tours also changed the way Thomas thought about music across languages and cultures. She said she learned that understanding every word was not necessary to connect with a song, particularly if listeners were willing to look further into what the artists were trying to express.

"Even if you don't speak the language, sometimes the language speaks to you," she said. "If you enjoy the music, don't let anybody discourage you. You can look up the lyrics if you really want to know, and when you do, that makes you even more interested."

For Thomas, that openness eventually extended beyond her own listening habits. She began encouraging others to share the music that mattered to them, regardless of genre, because she had seen how deeply the right song could reach someone at the right time.

She saw that firsthand through a friend who had been going through a difficult period. After being encouraged to approach BTS with an open mind, the group's "Love Yourself" message became particularly meaningful to her friend. While walking toward Soldier Field, Thomas said her friend heard a song that brought those emotions back and began to cry before they had even entered the stadium.

"We were like, 'Don't cry yet. You're not even inside,'" Thomas recalled with a laugh. But underneath the joke was something she took seriously.

"Music is a gift," she said. "Every single one of the songs they're going to play tonight means something different for each person."

Thomas brought that same mix of sincerity and humor to Soldier Field. Dressed in white with a veil in a playful take on a wedding dress, she carried a handmade sign addressed to her bias: "Jimin, why did you invite so many people to our wedding?"

While marriage signs have long been part of K-POP concert humor, Thomas said hers had a simple goal: she wanted to make Jimin laugh.

"I just think he's so special," she said, describing how she has enjoyed watching Jimin retain his playful personality while becoming more mature over the years. "Out of all the crazy signs that they're going to see today, I think I just wanted to make him laugh."

The outfit and sign were also Thomas' way of keeping fandom lighthearted. She acknowledged that K-POP fandom can sometimes have a more negative side, but said she would rather return the positive energy she has received from BTS over the years.

"If we're all here to just give back that energy that they gave to us, I think signs like this can be refreshing," she said. "I just did it for fun."

More than a decade after first deciding BTS was worth listening to, Thomas was standing outside Soldier Field surrounded by fans who had traveled from across the country and beyond. For someone who remembers when K-POP had yet to find a large audience in the United States, the scene itself reflected just how much had changed.

Yet the reason she remained there was much simpler. For Thomas, music did not need to come from the same country, culture or language to become personal.

"What does this song mean to me?" she said. "What does it mean for you? You just keep that going, spread that love, keep that going."