Many fans often recognize Nicole Kim as BTS’s interpreter at numerous international events and collaborative projects with global artists. However, her actual role at Big Hit Music from 2017 to 2022 was Director of A&R and Creative Director at HYBE, as well as Head of Creative for BTS. In December 2022, she left HYBE and began a new role at Columbia Records as Vice President.
By June of last year, when BTS members completed their military service, Nicole’s career also took a new turn—returning to Big Hit Music as Vice President and continuing to work alongside the K-pop superstars in producing their fifth studio album ARIRANG, a project involving numerous international artists and producers.
There is no denying Nicole’s contributions to ARIRANG; however, she has recently faced significant criticism from fans after parts of the album’s behind-the-scenes production process were revealed. The wave of anger stems from a report by Vulture stating: “In one meeting, SUGA and RM express a desire to add more кσяєαn lyrics, particularly in the rap verses. “Authenticity matters,” RM says. But Big Hit Music vice-president Nicole Kim pushes back, suggesting they need to try if they want the album to go global."
Moreover, Vulture described: “The members are worried about having enough time to get the pronunciations right. “No matter how hard we try, what sucks will suck,” Jimin says. Even RM — who acknowledges on the album track “Aliens” that he’s the group’s most fluent English speaker — questions whether his lyrics sounds awkward because he’s not a native speaker during a session with songwriter A.Chic."
Based on this report, fans and netizens interpreted that Nicole Kim was responsible for the lack of кσяєαn lyrics in ARIRANG—soмєтнing many felt disappointed about, especially given expectations that the album would mark a return to their кσяєαn roots. Fans grew even more frustrated upon learning that she opposed the members’ opinions despite their concerns, leading to harsh criticism on social media and even calls for HYBE to dismiss her.
In response to the backlash, Nicole Kim offered her perspective on the album’s production: “Arirang is the identity and the root of BTS,” Kim said. “In order to deliver this message, we used both кσяєαn and English together so that as many people as possible could understand it.”
This explanation aligns with what Dispatch reported from an internal source, suggesting that the increased use of English lyrics in ARIRANG was intended to expand global reach and align with current music industry trends. English lyrics are considered helpful in reaching a wider au∂ιєnce, and the group’s current global status was also reported to have significantly influenced this decision. As a result, the direction shifted toward a combination of the two languages, with the title track being performed entirely in English.
Nevertheless, Nicole’s explanation has not satisfied a large portion of fans. They argue that she is viewing the album from a business perspective, which they believe is not BTS’s primary goal. On the other hand, ARMYs point out that she seems to have overlooked the success of fully кσяєαn-language songs like the Billboard No.1 нιт Life Goes On, emphasizing that BTS does not need to erase a key part of their identity to succeed globally.
Even the BTS members themselves expressed similar sentiments in the documentary BTS: The Return. RM was heard saying, “‘How far do you want to go, how far do you want to change?’ It’s scary to have a plate,” while Jimin added, “I don’t want to hear people say ‘Bangtan went.’ BTS is different—that’s what I want to hear.”
Ultimately, criticism from fans has continued, with many even petitioning for HYBE to dismiss her: "I’m so done and feel annoyed with this Nicole", "She’s underestimating the power and global impact of BTS", "They started out singing in korean, staying connected to their roots..that’s what made them bts. Why erase the part that defines them?", "I get it, it's part of her job, but she's overdoing it with the global status", "i need nicole kim to stop thinking she knows better than the boys", "She will slowly Erode BTS values. Fire her immediately HYBE",...
