Music Sin Fronteras July 25, 2026
On May 6, the K-Pop group BTS visited Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for 40 min and then stepped out onto the balcony of the National Palace. The word was out that they were there, and 50,000 people showed up in the Zocalo just to watch them wave – and wave back. The group didn’t sing, and they didn’t talk, but 50,000 people made the trek to downtown Mexico City to spend 10 min waving at them. The group kicked off their Arirang tour the next day with three sold-out concerts at the 65,000-seat Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City.
What is it with BTS and Mexico? Why is the land of mariachi loco over K-pop?
I think BTS and K-pop are so popular in Mexico because they combine emotional music, strong visual performance, and constant fan interaction that young Mexicans eat up. Many times when I walk by a local street taco stand, there is K-pop in the background. I have even heard BTS blaring from the speakers of the produce trucks that cruise the streets and let you know the fresh corn and berries are for sale.
Mexico is now one of the world’s biggest K-pop markets, with more than 14 million K-pop fans on Spotify (10% of the national population!)and streaming growth of more than 500% in recent years. A big reason I think is that BTS feels personal. The group uses platforms like Weverse (a mobile app and website created by HYBE, the company behind BTS) and social media to communicate directly, which makes supporters feel included rather than distant from the artists. Imagine living in Mexico and feeling up close and personal with a group based in South Korea. Apparently, they pull it off.
Most of their songs focus on love, friendship, struggle, and self-belief, which makes the music easy to connect with even when listeners do not speak Korean. This is especially true in Mexico, one of the 10 happiest countries and one of the most optimistic countries in the world. And they are not just Korean bubblegum; they have evolved from “Bulletproof” to “Normal” to show honesty, introspection, and growth. Spotify’s Mexico report says the universal themes of their lyrics and their honesty, plus BTS’s optimistic message, have helped create a sense of belonging among fans.
My take is that BTS’ timing also mattered. K-pop in Mexico accelerated after the pandemic, boosted by TikTok, fan-made translations, dance covers, and online communities that made the music easier to discover and share. BTS’s fan organization, ARMY, exploded in Mexico after COVID (and everywhere else!). In Mexico, ARMY numbers in the millions and it can mobilize tens of thousands of young people for concerts, charity drives, and even consumer-rights campaigns.
For many Mexican fans, K-pop is not just a genre but a whole identity built around style, performance, community, and participation. In the seven years I have been in Mexico, I have seen it become a lifestyle that spread from a niche subculture into the mainstream, like hip hop did when it surfaced in the 70’s and went national in the 80’s. To me, it is most visible in graffiti and mentions in murals, in clothes on young kids and teens, and of course in the ever-present music in Mexico.
I have my own sample data to answer the question. Sometimes kids from the local middle school hang out on my front step after school and talk and play music on their phones. Mixed in with the Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny, and Taylor Swift are the BTS songs “SWIM” and “Dynamite”. It’s not exactly 50,000 people in the Zocalo, but I think the kids on my front porch answer the question, ” What’s with BTS and Mexico: it’s catchy music, honest, relatable lyrics, and seven handsome guys everyone loves.
Banner: 50,000 people in the Mexico City Zocalo to see BTS wave. (Office of the Presidenta)
Patrick O’Heffernan
