BTS Reveals It Was Not Easy Deciding To Perform In Saudi Arabia

BTS has received backlash after announcing that they would be holding a concert in Saudi Arabia.

.@BTS_twt add Saudi Arabia concert to 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour' https://t.co/dJtnUrzkTQ #Love_Yourself #Speak_Yourself pic.twitter.com/7Od2zyqkLy

— billboard (@billboard) July 15, 2019

BTS’s leader RM revealed to The Hollywood Reporter during an interview that,

We were officially invited and it’s been awhile since we’ve performed in the Middle East.

Jimin also added,

To put it simply, if there’s a place where people want to see us, we’ll go there. That’s how we really feel.

After the group’s initial announcement for their concert in Riyadh on October 11, they received criticism due to the tour message “Love Yourself” being a contradiction to Saudi Arabia’s criminalization of same-sex relationships.

Nicki Minaj also cancelled her concert in Saudi Arabia as she wanted to support the rights for women and the LGBTQ community.

BTS have been much more open regarding topics such as LGBTQ compared to other K-Pop groups.

The concert will take place at the King Fahd International Stadium and will be broadcast live exclusively through the Naver Live Online Broadscasting app.

They will also be the first K-Pop group to perform at this stadium.

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