{"id":2465090,"date":"2026-06-18T09:14:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2465090"},"modified":"2026-06-18T09:14:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:14:06","slug":"its-literally-meant-to-be-read-fans-defend-bts-after-hollywood-celebrities-singing-swim-receives-criticism-calling-it-an-unknown-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/its-literally-meant-to-be-read-fans-defend-bts-after-hollywood-celebrities-singing-swim-receives-criticism-calling-it-an-unknown-song\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;It&#8217;s literally meant to be read&#8221;- Fans defend BTS after Hollywood celebrities singing SWIM receives criticism, calling it an &#8220;unknown&#8221; song"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5180871\" data-slug-id=\"2796574\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>On June 17, 2026, a video featuring Hollywood celebrities singing lines from BTS song SWIM was shared widely on social media. The video is produced by W Magazine as part of their Lyrical Improv series and directed by Lynn Hirschberg. It showed actors performing parts of the track in a studio setting with a black backdrop.<\/p>\n<p>Participants included Chase Infiniti, Charles Melton, Jason Bateman, True Whitaker, Sarah Pidgeon, Lox Pratt, Sadie Soverall, Rachel Sennott, Rhea Seehorn, and others. Many of them held papers and appeared to read the lyrics while singing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/youtube\">\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chase Infiniti, Rachel Sennott, Rhea Seehorn &amp; More Do BTS\u2019s \u201cSWIM\u201d | W Magazine\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VF-yEzoKlFE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/youtube\" data-embed=\"VF-yEzoKlFE\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img height=\"370\" width=\"660\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/06\/9c1b0-17817701239000-1920.jpg\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/06\/9c1b0-17817701239000-1920.jpg\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The song SWIM is the lead single from BTS album <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/news-this-blatant-discrimination-bts-fans-slam-grammys-the-recording-academy-introduces-best-asian-pop-music-performance-category\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">ARIRANG<\/a>, released on March 20, 2026. It features production by Ryan Tedder, Diplo, Flume, Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), Mike WiLL Made-It, JPEGMAFIA, and El Guincho. It also includes a music video starring actress Lili Reinhart.<\/p>\n<p>Following the spread of the W Magazine video, criticism appeared in replies, quote posts, and comments, mainly because users said the celebrities looked unfamiliar with the song. They pointed out that the celebrities did not seem to know the melody and were just reading the lyrics from papers. Some users described the song as &#8220;unknown&#8221; outside BTS fandom circles.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;and they want a Grammy for every release lmaooo when the main track is unknown everywhere but among their fandom \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>and they want a Grammy for every release lmaooo when the main track is unknown everywhere but among their fandom \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Terms such as &#8220;payola&#8221; and &#8220;PR move&#8221; also came up in the reactions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>the hybe payola is insane, mind you no one knows the song<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>This is the most PR move ever \ud83d\udc80\ud83e\udd21\ud83d\ude02 Some BTS fans will say \u201cno one is forcing you to listen\u201d\u2026 so what is this then?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In response to the criticism, BTS fans pushed back on the claims. They described the celebrities reading the lyrics exactly as the words are meant to be read from the page.<\/p>\n<p>One fan said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;it\u2019s literally meant to be read like this literally, like a movie script reading&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>it\u2019s literally meant to be read like this literally, like a movie script reading<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>More fans came forward in defense of the group.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>Y&#8217;all will find a way to hate on BTS no matter what. They&#8217;re reading the lyrics exactly the way lyrics are meant to be read, but somehow that&#8217;s a problem now??? And you can literally see the woman&#8217;s enjoying reading the swim lyrics \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>This fandom invents absurd conspiracy theories and tries to invalidate BTS&#8217;s global impact in such a forced way that it becomes embarrassing because the video clearly shows major worldwide celebrities recognizing and paying attention to their work on one of the biggest stages of international entertainment and trying to look down on this level of legitimate reach by pretending nobody knows the group only serves to expose the frustration of those who live in a bubble of denial and cannot handle the undeniable relevance that BTS maintains at the top of the music industry.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>More fans shared their thoughts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>Trying to act tough by pretending that Hollywood actors &#8220;have no idea what they are reading&#8221; just to try and discredit BTS is the peak of desperation and pure ignorance. This W Magazine segment is literally focused on taking song lyrics from massive artists and having A-list<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sportskeeda-embed\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/twitter-embed\">\n<div class=\"profile-card\">\n<p><span><span>You\u2019re embarrassing \ud83d\ude05<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>BTS&#8217; SWIM crosses 600 million Spotify streams, ARIRANG best albums list, and more<\/h2>\n<p>On June 17, 2026, BTS track SWIM reached 600 million streams on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/news-soon-billion-fans-react-bts-swim-becomes-2026-fastest-song-hit-600m-spotify-streams-89-days-breaking-group-s-record\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Spotify<\/a>. The song achieved this in 89 days since its release. This made it the fastest song of 2026 to hit the mark.<\/p>\n<p>SWIM came out on March 20, 2026, as the lead single from the album ARIRANG. Within just a few months of its release, the album appeared on several mid-year best-album lists. Complex placed it at number 22 on its list published on June 11, 2026. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/news-congratulations-bts-fans-react-rolling-stone-nme-complex-name-arirang-one-best-albums-2026-so-far\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Rolling Stone<\/a> included it on June 15, 2026. NME added it on June 16, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, ARIRANG also became the first album to chart for 12 consecutive weeks on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. with all its songs.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, BTS will release the music video for the album track <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/k-pop\/news-we-are-being-spoiled-yet-again-fans-excited-bts-set-drop-merry-go-round-mv-exclusively-spotify\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Merry Go Round<\/a> on June 19, 2026. The video drops exclusively on Spotify through the K-Pop ON! Hub. It will be available only to Premium users in selected regions.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Fans are also expecting NORMAL music video after the tease on the FESTA exclusive vinyl. The group will perform at the Riyadh Metropolitan Stadium on June 26 and 27 for their ongoing world tour.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nCancel<br \/>\nSubmit\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<p><img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<p><img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Toshali Kritika<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.sportskeeda.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On June 17, 2026, a video featuring Hollywood celebrities singing lines from BTS song SWIM was shared widely on social media. The video is produced by W Magazine as part of their Lyrical Improv series and directed by Lynn Hirschberg. It showed actors performing parts of the track in a studio setting with a black [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2465091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2465090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Its-literally-meant-to-be-read-Fans-defend-BTS-after.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2465090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2465090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2465090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2465092,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2465090\/revisions\/2465092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2465091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2465090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2465090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2465090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}