Our story began in 2018 when we moved away, over 1,000 miles, from all our family and friends. That point was one of the loneliest times of our lives. We lost all our support system and felt like we had no one.

It was then when we stumbled across BTS on YouTubes trending page, recommended to watch it from Uthman’s sister and online comments. We decided to check out the Idol MV for fun and were instantly impressed with their amazing skill set, flashy style, and incomparable visuals. We continued to watch more MVs and performances and became even more impressed with their skillset.

It was not until we learned their story where we felt very emotionally attached. We discovered their struggles and hardships, moving away from their families at an even younger age. Sacrificing their youth and everything they had for a chance to achieve their goals. Nothing was promised though.

It inspired us seeing their sacrifice and how hard they worked. And then we discovered RM’s UNICEF speech to the United Nations and their message of Loving Yourself. True love begins with loving oneself. This was something we related to so much. It touched home with how we felt.

It felt like we discovered seven new friends and mentors. They inspired us, they motivated us, and they pushed us to be our best selves.

In the meanwhile, they also connected us with over 220,000 new people who thought just like us; whom we now call our familia. And everyday we wake up so inspired by BTS and by our familia to continue to keep promoting positivity and the message of Loving Yourself. We feel we are an extension of their message, and try to use our platform to promote that love and care.

However, so much negativity came with this decision. Friends and family speaking negatively of us just because of our liking for BTS and their message. We decided not to listen to that noise, and listened to BTS, choosing to put ourselves and our voice first. We put even more pride in supporting our seven boys and continued to fight against oppression by society.

Till this day, our goal is to continue using our platform to promote this beautiful message, and to inspire as many people as possible who also felt as lonely and helpless as us. It is all thanks to BTS and ARMY. They are our new best friends and our new family; hence the name familia.