Korean pop boy group BTS left me as a proud Army as they finally held their American TV debut performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday.

Seeing the seven-member group transition from walking out of a school bus in their debut music video, “No More Dreams,” to seeing them walk onto the AMA stage, made me truly see how far they’ve grown as a group.

They are the first K-pop group to ever perform at the AMAs; and also received an award at the 2107 Billboard Music Awards, beating artists such as Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.

As a K-pop fan, this gives me hope — hope that Korean artists will be able to get recognized outside of Asia. Yes, artists such as Big Bang, PSY, and BlackPink have been recognized in the American market, however, it is refreshing to see a group, not signed to YG Entertainment, in the spotlight.

This performance gave what the K-pop industry and BTS both need — exposure and appreciation.

K-pop groups train for years to improve their vocals, dance skills and acting before debuting. The fact that one K-pop group was recognized Sunday night, means the world to a K-pop fan like me.

There is not much I can say about this performance because all I’m thinking about is how proud I am of BTS, how great is it for K-pop to get exposure, and how others may now appreciate K-pop, even if it’s a tad bit more.

How did you feel about BTS performing on AMAs?