Britain's Got Talent's fans surprised by K-pop band's fame in South Korea
Blitzers have already won awards in their native country.
What did you miss?
Britain's Got Talent's fans were shocked that K-pop band Blitzers are already famous in South Korea. However, it's something that the band didn't shy away from mentioning while on stage.
Consisting of six members - Jinhwa, Juhan, Sya, Chris, Lutan and Wooju - the K-pop group was originally formed three years ago by Wuzo Entertainment. To date, Blitzers have released a trio of extended plays titled Check-In, Seat-Belt and Win-Dow, plus five singles.
They won the 'Focus Award – Music' category at the Asia Artist Awards in 2021.
It raises the question: does previous experience give you an unfair advantage on Britain's Got Talent?
A TV insider told Yahoo: "The big dream for the band is to perform at Wembley Stadium and whilst they have had some degree of success in South Korea, they want to be known in the UK, and have chosen BGT as the platform to showcase their talents. As mentioned on stage during the audition, they do have fans in South Korea but are not well known here in the UK."
What, how and why?
Alesha Dixon asked Blitzers what their "big dream" was as they took to the stage.
"Well, we're the first K-pop band to be in Britain's Got Talent," replied one member to applause from the crowd. "We're honoured to be here. From here we really have a dream to go to Wembley Stadium. We have a lot of fans in South Korea, so we would love to be famous in the UK."
They proceeded to execute a tightly choreographed cover of 'There's Nothing Holding Me Back' by Shawn Mendes, with panelist Bruno Tonioli later claiming the presentation was "as good as anything I've seen around the world in the last 50 years".
Suffice it to say, Blitzers were rewarded with four 'yes' votes.
What was the response over on social media?
As the six Blitzers did a victory lap on screen, BGT fans shared their surprise at the K-pop band's fame elsewhere in the world.
"That K-Pop group have nearly half a million followers on Instagram. They're hardly unknown, are they?" was one reaction.
Another user echoed: "K-pop band with 464,000 Instagram followers. Why do they need #bgt when they’re already famous? Slick but still."
Someone else asked: "Why is a K-Pop professional boy band from South Korea allowed to compete?"
Does previous experience give you an unfair advantage on Britain's Got Talent?
This season some acts on Britain's Got Talent have come under scrutiny before for their professional background, including singer Sydnie Christmas who hit back at West End claims.
Previously, a TV source told Yahoo: “Ultimately, it’s the public who decide their winner, irrespective of whether an act has some previous experience. There is no unfair advantage because the winner is crowned by the public vote.
“It’s fair game, as all acts are voted for by the public. The show has never hidden the fact that auditions are open to everybody, irrespective of previous experience, and everybody is given the same opportunity on the show.
“Regardless of whether they have some previous experience, these contestants are not household names, and are unknown to most of the public. The show offers contestants an opportunity to pursue their dreams and ambitions, and to perform to audiences on a global scale."
Yahoo has reached out to Britain's Got Talent's representatives for further comment.
Britain's Got Talent airs weekly on ITV1 and ITVX.
