BTS joins Obamas, Lady Gaga in YouTube virtual commencement next month

BTS Twitter via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

SEOUL — K-pop band BTS will join ex-US President Barack Obama, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and American pop icon Lady Gaga in giving speeches during a virtual commencement event by YouTube next month, the band’s agency said Wednesday.

The streaming event, “Dear Class of 2020” set for June 6 (US time), is a virtual commencement celebration, bringing together inspirational leaders, celebrities and YouTube creators to celebrate graduates and their families online, according to YouTube.

The list of commencement speakers include former first lady Michelle Obama; former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google LLC; and Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

BTS will also give a performance in an after-party following the online ceremony, along with other artists, according to Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of BTS.

YouTube said special appearances for the event include singers Alicia Keys, Zendaya and actor Kelly Rowland, as well as many other entertainers. Yonhap