Lea Salonga Has Fallen Down The BTS Rabbit Hole, And She Wants To Stay There
“I’ve fallen into a BTS rabbit hole, and no, I don’t need saving.” So begins the story of how singing legend Lea Salonga became an ARMY.
Lea Salonga has acted in over a dozen musicals over the course of her 42-year-long career, but Disney fans might know her best for her voice acting roles as Princess Jasmine (singing voice) and Mulan.
Like many, Lea Salonga has fallen in love with BTS’s cheer-up track “Dynamite”, one of the few bright spots in 2020. “You can’t help but smile and dance,” she wrote. “And it could not have come at a better time.”
Lea Salonga sums up 2020 as a time of “hate, ignorance, sadness, heartbreak, raging anger, anxiety and fear”, especially for many Asians and Pacific Islanders who have experienced racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of her own friends was spat on while traveling to the post office.
In the middle of all this, BTS released a song that is bringing people together and reminding us that all hope is not lost. There is still beauty, love, and goodness in the world, even in these frightening times.
All over, there is hate, ignorance, sadness, heartbreak, raging anger, anxiety and fear. And what does BTS do? Release a single whose seemingly sole intent is to make people happy.
Maybe unintentionally, “Dynamite” is a response to everyone spewing hatred and bile in this terrible environment. BTS through this one song is lighting up the sky with positivity and love, comforting and cheering us on during this frightening time, and reminding us that there’s still beauty and goodness left in the world.
— Lea Salonga
Fans of both Lea Salonga and BTS are thrilled that she is acknowledging BTS, and they’re welcoming her into the fandom. There’s nothing like legends stanning legends!
