Most people in the Western world have no idea who BTS is and that’s a damn shame. So before this incredibly talented group you’re all missing out on starts their very first North American tour next week, I consider it my duty — nay, my pleasure to introduce you to one of the best kpop acts to come out of South Korea in recent memory. Yes, BTS is a kpop group, but don’t let the “pop” fool you. BTS is anything but bubblegum — unless you like your bubblegum spiked with snapbacks, slick flow, and some R&B jams for flavor.

What’s In A Name?

First of all, let’s get the name out of the way: BTS stands for BangTan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단), which is Korean for Bulletproof Boyscouts. That’s a bit of a mouthful (heh), though, so they’re more commonly referred to as Bangtan Boys or just Bangtan. Most fans simply refer to them as BTS.

Got it? Good. Because I’m about to lose my chill by slow degrees.

Who Are They?

BTS is a seven member male group (managed by the relatively small company, BigHit Entertainment) that has been going pretty much non-stop since they debuted in June 2013. And that seemingly endless hard work has paid off. But more on that later. The members are:

Name: Kim Namjoon (김남준)

Stage Name: Rap Monster (랩몬스터)

Position: Leader, Main Rapper

Age: 20; September 12, 1994

Nicknames: RapMon, Leader Mon, God of Destruction (so clumsy he destroys everything he touches)

Known for: His deep voice, his fluency in English (which he taught himself), his high intelligence (ranked top 1% in South Korea), his dimples, and his lack of dancing skills. Basically a giant, hot-ass nerd.

What you should know: RapMon was originally an underground rapper who signed with BigHit under the impression he would be part of a hip-hop duo. However, circumstances changed and BigHit ended up developing a hip-hop group in part to showcase RapMon’s talents. RapMon is now the leader of the group, writes a great deal of their songs, and recently dropped a mixtape that is straight fiyah. Highlight tracks include “Do You“, “Joke”, and “Rush” featuring LA-based rapper Krizz Kaliko.

Name: Kim Seokjin (김석진)

Stage Name: Jin (진)

Position: Vocalist, Visual, oldest member

Age: 22; December 4, 1992

Nicknames: Pink Princess, Princess Jin (both because he likes the color pink)

Known for: His cooking skills, his love of the color pink, his love of all things Super Mario-related, his self confidence (he’s sexy and he knows it), and his broad shoulders. Basically the guy your mom wants you to marry.

What you should know: Originally a film student, Jin was scouted as he was walking to school. Before becoming a trainee at BigHit, he had no formal vocal or dance training and has since come a long way in both skills.

Name: Min Yoongi (민윤기)

Stage Name: Suga (슈가)

Position: Main Rapper

Age: 22; March 9, 1993

Nicknames: Motionless Min (because he will sleep whenever and wherever he can), Grandpa

Known for: His pale skin (like sugar, get it?), his sharp tongue, his lovely shapely legs, and being salty as hell if his sleep is disturbed. Basically Snow White and the poison apple all in one deceptively cute package.

What you should know: Like RapMon, Suga was a part of the underground rap scene before auditioning for BigHit and earning a place in BTS. Also like RapMon, he writes and produces most of BTS’s songs and has his own mixtape in the works.

Name: Jung Hoseok (정호석)

Stage Name: J-Hope (제이홉)

Position: Rapper, Dancer

Age: 21; February 18, 1994

Nicknames: Hope, Hobi

Known for: His hopeful and cheerful disposition, being the group clown, his dance skills, his love of girl group dance routines, and flirting with Jimin. Basically the guy you date because he makes you laugh.

What you should know: J-Hope was originally part of a street dance crew and actually won competitions at local dance festivals before becoming a trainee at BigHit. Though he originally had no rapping skills, J-Hope took to it well and is now one of BTS’s three main rappers. He’s still primarily known for his dancing, though, and regularly kills it on stage.

Name: Park Jimin (박지민)

Stage Name: Jimin (지민)

Position: Lead Vocalist, Main Dancer

Age: 19; October 13, 1995

Nicknames: Jiminnie, ChimChim

Known for: His dancing skills, being cute, his fanboying Big Bang’s Taeyang, his abs, his flexibility, his ass and thighs that would make Jesus weep, and being pretty much every fan’s unofficial favorite member of BTS. Basically would hit it like the fist of an angry god and then make him breakfast in the morning.

What you should know: Even before being recruited by BigHit, Jimin was attending a performing arts high school with a focus on dance. He showed incredible talent even then so it was no wonder he was chosen to join BTS. Though he’s not BTS’s main vocalist, he hits most of the impressively high notes in their songs. He is also best friends with V.

Name: Kim Taehyung (김태형)

Stage Name: V (뷔)

Position: Vocalist

Age: 19

Nicknames: TaeTae

Known for: His wide smile, being sunshine personified, being unable to keep his tongue in his mouth, being weird, being good with children and animals, and annoying Jimin. Basically a sweet cinnamon roll too precious for this world. Protect at all costs.

What you should know: V is an entity unto himself. To say he’s a little out there is an understatement, but he’s got an incredibly kind heart and it’s obvious in pretty much everything he does. This is one of the reasons why he’s BFFLs with Jimin. Also, for his birthday last year, V released a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” as a gift to fans, showcasing his low, smooth vocals. It’s gained over a million views since December.

Name: Jeon Jungkook (전정국)

Stage Name: Jungkook (정국)

Position: Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Rapper

Age: 17; September 1, 1997

Nicknames: Kookie, Golden Maknae (golden because he’s crazy talented, maknae being the Korean term for the youngest in a group)

Know for: Being good at literally everything he does. Honestly, it makes you want to cliff yourself, he’s so talented. Basically do not even look at him until after September for your own sanity.

What you should know: Jungkook was scouted by BigHit while leaving auditions for basically the Korean answer to America’s Got Talent. They must have liked what they saw because Jungkook was still in middle school at the time. BigHit’s instincts paid off because Jungkook is often front and center when it comes to vocals and performances.

What About the Music?

Okay, no hyperbole here: BTS’s music is bangin’. It might not be for everyone, but when it’s getting the attention of people like Warren G (who recently did a collaboration with leader Rap Monster), you know you’ve got something special. With a heavy hip-hop sound and swathed in streetwear fashion, BTS burst onto the kpop scene in June 2013 with songs that were aimed at the youth of South Korea, tackling the pressures placed on young Koreans to study hard and conform while pushing aside their own desires and dreams. The songs off their initial EP album, 2 Cool 4 Skool, were a call to rebellion while still emphasizing the importance of hard work to make your dreams a reality. (Hit the captions button for lyrics.)

[Note: A re-cut rough demo of pre-debut track We Are Bulletproof Pt. 1 was recently released for fans on Soundcloud.]

While the messages in their music were pretty deep for a rookie group, it was initially hard for me to get past the try-hard swagged out image their company went for. I admit, I wanted nothing to do with BTS at first and it was only when their third EP album, Skool Luv Affair, came out in February 2014 that I started to pay attention. And it all started with their comeback trailer, which was unlike anything I’d seen from a kpop group to date. BTS’s hip-hop sound wasn’t just a concept and it was driven home by just how hard Rap Monster goes.

As expected by the title of the album, Skool Luv Affair was less about hard work and rebellion as it was about teenagers having absolutely no chill when it comes to affairs of the heart. It was also the first (but certainly not the last) of their albums to land on Billboard’s World Music chart. The first single off the EP, “Boy In Luv” (상남자, or “a man’s man” in Korean) is about a tough guy who doesn’t know how to deal with the squishy feelings the girl he likes gives him. And, thank the powers that be, they toned down the over-the-top swagfest so it was easier to focus on BTS’s sheer talent. (Hit the captions button for lyrics.)

On the flip side of that aggressive, er, courtship, BTS followed up “Boy In Luv” with the simple, and insanely sweet jam, “Just One Day”. Now this is how you woo. I dare you not to smile through this whole video. (Hit the captions button for lyrics.)

However, the two songs that are the real highlight of Skool Luv Affair have nothing to do with romance. The first is “Tomorrow“, a lamentation on the monotony of day-to day life as it gets hard to hold on to your dreams when heading into adulthood. The highlighted vocals are laid over a catchy hook and a beat made to crank up your subwoofer.

The second stand-out is “Cypher Part 2: Triptych,” featuring the rapper line of Rap Monster, J-Hope, and Suga, which is just a brutal take down of an underground rapper who insulted Rap Monster and Suga for “selling out” to become part of an idol group. Perhaps the most vicious line comes from the nimble-tongued Suga: ‘like your parents, my heart hurts when I see you.’ Hell, I still have scars from that burn.

And the rapper line tops themselves on the follow up, “Cypher Part 3: Killer”, a hype-to-death track off of their first full-length album, Dark & Wild. Again, Suga steals the show with his incredible line: whether it’s a guy or girl, my tongue will make you come. He ain’t wrong.

“Killer” certainly suits the more frank and honest tone of Dark & Wild that covers topics such as being annoyed when the person you’re with spends more time on their phone than with you, and the desperate anger felt when you’re more invested in your relationship than your partner in tracks “What Am I To You?” and “Danger”:

They also take a look into the inner workings of the average guy’s mind with the honest and amusing “War of Hormone” (or more accurately “Hormone War). Spoiler: guys are horny. Even Jimin’s high notes at the climax of the song allude to, well, a climax.

All this is just a sampling of BTS’s impressive discography. Many more unrelased demos and rough cuts of original songs and covers can be found on BTS’s Soundcloud. Their most recent EP, titled The Most Beautiful Moment In Life Pt.1 (화양연화 pt.1), has racked up impressive sales in both South Korea and abroad, and was included on Fuse’s list of “27 Best Albums of 2015 So Far.” Not only are they the only East Asian artists to be included on the list, they also share the honor with some big names such as Fall Out Boy, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake. Not bad for a two-year-old boy band out of South Korea.

And now they’re embarking on their first Us concert tour, almost unheard of for such a young group. They’re only hitting four cities – New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles – but all shows sold out within minutes. If this trend continues, BTS has a long and bright future ahead of them.

Of course the question still stands, are they any good live?

(start at the 9:21 mark)

That would be a HELL YES, and I can’t wait to see them here in New York next week. So watch this spot. Between my screaming and tears and possible fangirl-induced blackout, I’ll be back with a full report of BTS’s The Red Bullet in NYC.