MTV Unplugged Presents BTS: "Telepathy," "Blue & Grey," "Fix You" (Coldplay Cover), "Life Goes On," and "Dynamite"

I've watched some legendary performances on Unplugged over the last three decades, from Nirvana and The Cranberries to Paramore and Silversun Pickups. But tonight, my favourite artists in the world — a humble septet from South Korea who turned into the biggest pop group in the world — slayed one of the most iconic American music shows in the world. Truly, this will go down as one of BTS' most acclaimed live performances. And not because of their signature big budget, flashy stages or their intense choreographies that could rival competitive dance groups.

As Unplugged is known for, this performance focused on BTS' unadulterated vocal talent. Voices clear and pure and gorgeous, filling songs with beautiful harmonies and soaring notes; truly, they sound even better live than in their recordings. They performed their first ever live stages for "Telepathy" and "Blue & Grey," as well as acoustic versions of "Life Goes On" and "Dynamite." And in a surprising turn of events, they treated us to an absolutely stunning cover of Coldplay's "Fix You," which literally brought me to tears. (It is now, hands down, my favourite cover to date. Chris Martin is weeping.) This whole episode of Unplugged is like a big middle finger up to haters and critics who have ever doubted BTS' abilities, or chalked them up to just another boy band or music trend. BTS has played a huge part in modern music history and is a global phenomenon for a reason. BTS isn't K-pop. They're in their own genre altogether.

(You can watch the whole performance here.)