If you’re struggling to get your head around the global phenomenon that is BTS, or if you’re a fan and you are just looking for some light reading, this might be the place for you. Maybe you’re just standing at the edge of the hole, and you are looking for a little push – these next two posts might be for you. I thought before I move onto discussing other kpop groups, I would do a quick profile of my favourites!
I fell into the hole myself about 6 months ago, I had originally noticed them 8 months ago on Graham Norton’s shows but you will all have to forgive me, I wasn’t paying enough attention and it took me another 2 months to completely fall.
BTS acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan which is Bullet proof Boy Scouts in Korean. Often in a English it is also said to be Beyond the Scene.
The name often gets some funny looks and eye rolls, and perhaps they have outgrown the full name but BTS as an acronym is now worldwide famous and carries quite a lot of weight. The name has been with them since debut and although it is not often the full name that is used, they should be proud to carry the name, and the reason behind it is still as important now as it was back when at their debut. Even more so considering everything they have been through to get to where they are today. JHope explained once what he felt the name meant:
“The name signifies the groups desire to ‘block out stereotypes, criticisms and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets.’ ”
BTS are a 7 member South Korean kpop/hip hop/boyband and so much more than all of these labels imply. I think a lot of what is exciting about music today is that it doesn’t have to fit into a prescribed role, and music can change and grow as the members do, and BTS are a prime example of this.
Starting out as unknown group from a small entertainment management company compared to the big three South Korean entertainment companies, BTS have found themselves as a global phenomenon, and “the biggest boy band that no one knows”. Many kpop groups before them have toured America, and made a huge impact on the global charts and created the Korean Wave (Hallyu) – but BTS with their sharp style, singing, dancing, social media use and most impressively of all; genuine sincerity and innate adorable qualities have garnered attention the world over.
Big Hit is the management company behind BTS, like with most companies, they wanted to find worldwide fame but the CEO affectionately known as Hitman Bang had much more humbler ideas behind what he wanted from the boys, as well as worldwide fame.
“I didn’t want them to be false idols, I wanted to create a BTS that could become close friends”
I think they have managed both of those goals amazingly well. Hitman originally wanted a group that would feel like they were friends with their fans not just some huge superstars, and the savvy way they use social media to interact with fans has hugely contributed to this and being a part of the growing fandom, you do get the feeling that we are all a part of this journey together. Social media has been an amazing tool for the group but I feel the reason we all fall for them is there sincerity, humbleness and genuine talent that shines through all of that. BTS might share a lot of their “personas” through social media but it is through their music, the messages they promote and their sincerity that truly makes the audience, us as fans, feel close to them.
From the very first tweet as seen above to securing three spots on the top most retweets of all time, including this very cute tweet of JHope joining in on the #inmyfeelings challenge.
http://pic.twitter.com/Bm8bxtKsFq
So I think BTS and Hitman Bang have been very successful there. In terms of global success, if you have followed anything of their latest tour, I think – even if you don’t believe they have conquered the world yet – they are surely on their way to it.
Widely known for their self-produced music (they co-write and produce much of their songs) amazing performances, fan interaction, global success, positive vibes and attitude towards speaking out on a huge range of topics; it is not surprising they are doing as well as they are. More surprising is that is hasn’t always been this way and since their debut in June 2013 they have had to face strong criticism, negative press and numerous other setbacks, but they have made it through relatively unscathed, still very positive and as humble as ever.
BTS have evolved from a hip hop / kpop band to encompass all genres; and for a group mainly singing in Korean with the odd smattering of English, they are truly a force to be reckoned with. Not always liked or appreciated because of the fact that they sing in Korean, the band have stated they will not change themselves to gain more fans or score more points or wins in the charts, they are a Korean group who love what they do, and are equally as talented as any mainstream pop group that sings in English. Anyone who cannot see past the language and see the potential these men show, are possibly being blinded by prejudice. I am not saying everyone has to like them, but we should be able to see past somethings and give things a try, otherwise we would never discover new things to love or appreciate. I wouldn’t want BTS or any band to change the way they perform or sing because this is what makes they unique and them. Music is different to everybody and means different things to different people, but music transcends language and prejudices. We all see beauty in different things and we all gain a sense of something beautiful when we listen to music we like. I am not saying we all have to like the same things, but we should all appreciate the talent and hard work musicians put into their work regardless of whether we like it or not. Listening and loving BTS taught me this and I hope I remember this for ever.
Article in USA today by a fellow ARMY – music transcending language. Click on to go have a read.The lyrics are often personal/social commentary, with themes on mental health, loss, hopes & dreams, social norms, politics, school aged troubles and the journey into adulthood, and although the fans are often depicted as teens to young adults, their music transcends language, age and race and appears to speak to people from all the world, and breaks out of the moulds and labels prescribed to them.
Not only do they speak out on serious matters, they also don’t take themselves too seriously and know how to entertain an audience. From their group twitter page to their own lively videos on vlive – these boys have a lot to offer a fan.
VLive is a video streaming / fan service / online chat group / social media machine. All the latest and well known kpop artists have a channel and they all post lots of videos from general chat to quirky tv entertainment quiz shows, and everything in between.
Run BTS is one of these such videos, ranging from 8 minutes to 30 minutes, the guys are challenged to various games/challenges/quizzes and have to perform well or face the consequences. It is just another fun look into their lives. Obviously it is a game show style, so it’s still not true to life, reality tv of the members. But they almost always look like they are having fun and enjoying themselves, and that’s really all we want to see. A happy And fun loving BTS are the best kind of BTS.
Each member will also often, do Vlives whilst eating, writing music, chatting to each other and generally just giving an insight into their busy lives. Often one or more will pop up after concerts, around album releases and at other random times with small insights into their wacky, crazy behaviour or into their more serious moments when discussing what the albums/ songs mean to them.
BTS offer a lot of content to fans the world over, it must be a hard, tiring and sometimes frustrating position to be in, but from all accounts, these men seem genuinely happy to be doing something they love. I Imagine they get tired, stressed and sometimes want a break but the hard work, dedication and passion is evident in everything they do and they always seem so genuinely thankful for the fans, and the chance they have to perform and to be doing something they love.
Over the last 6 years, they have topped charts, broke records, been compared to some great artists, are known the world over, have won prestigious awards in their home of Korea, topped the American Billboard charts and have broken into the UK charts which is quite hard all on its own. They are a positive influence in today’s often negative world, they have created charity works alongside UNICEF with their Love Yourself campaign, speaking up in the fight against violence on children. Last year they were invited to and spoke at the UN global conference. They are teaching their fans and the world over to Love Yourself and now to Speak Yourself.
The group debut was back in June 2013 with the hip hop heavy – but cute to watch now – No More Dream. The boys were very young and new to the kpop scene, from the heavy eyeliner to the black outfits, it is an adorable video to watch and the song is very catchy. Just ask my son, who dances around our living room flashing his ‘abs’ a la Jimin. The song was from their single album 2 cool 4 Skool, it wasn’t their most successful song to date but it set them off on their journey. I won’t go through their discography in today’s post, as I will eventually get through all the songs in other posts.
Most of the eras or albums have a running theme or alternative universe, which is part of what makes them so intriguing and exciting.
2 cool 4 Skool was part of the wider School Trilogy, and significant as they were all very young and were speaking to their dominant audience, school age fans, hence the term for their fan base being A.R.M.Y or Adorable Representation M.C for Youth.
The most beautiful moment in life followed the school trilogy and with it came the lead single “I Need U”. With a more grown up, edgier theme and content than their previous work, this song really started to show what BTS could achieve. Upon its release, it’s mv reached one million views in 16 hours – the fastest record at that time for any BTS music video. ‘I need u’ topped the trending boards, and gave BTS their first win since debut on MTV’s The Show, and in total won 5 awards. It also charted at 4 in the Billboard World Digital Songs chart.
Wings followed The Most Beautiful moment in life, and was originally released in October 2016 with Blood, sweat and tears as the lead track, although it was later repackaged as You never walk alone with three new songs and Spring Day and Not today as the lead tracks. The album was influenced by Herman Hesse’s coming of age novel, Demian – dealing with temptation and growth.
In the press conference for the album release, RM said this about the upcoming album theme:
“The harder a temptation is to resist, the more you think about it and vacillate. That uncertainty is part of the process of growing.”
Blood, sweat and tears is an epic song which shows the guys talents, in singing, rapping and dancing amazingly. The music video is a work of art all on its own.
Spring Day is a truly perfect song, for so many situations and will always bring tears to my eyes when I listen to, but I can never put my finger on why. It is a track that I believe will never be forgotten and with every other song that gets released, Spring Day will often pop it’s head up again to remind you it is still there. But I have to give a shout out to JHope who leads the albums with his teaser track intro:Boy meets Evil, from the lyrics to his mesmerising dance, this intro has it all. I think it is often over-shadowed by the other amazing tracks on the album but honestly, it is beautiful and awe inspiring.
A special shout out should also be mentioned here to 2!3; the first ever fan dedicated song appeared on this album. BTS never fail to thank and acknowledge their huge fan base, which in self is a wonderful thing. A group needs fans and much as fans need someone to follow. Kpop not just BTS inspires its fans to feel close to the groups. It’s not something you necessarily come across too much in western music. Obviously, everyone has fans and artists need fans to buy their products, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like an exchange of friendship/ trust or promote the same level of social interaction.
Love Yourself is the fourth era all about the concept of self love. To find true genuine love, the journey starts with loving yourself. It has inspired many fans and there are so many wonderful stories of how BTS have been a positive influence in peoples lives and helped to make people realise their worth and to love themselves. All the concepts from each album are linked in a fictional BTS Universe. Separated into a trilogy of Love Yourself: Her, Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer.
In between these full albums have been mini albums, singles and they have also released Japanese albums including the latest and beautiful album Face Yourself.
This brings us practically up to date with their discography, I haven’t provided a full list as I am going to go back over their songs in another post. So it just leaves us with their latest mini album released in April of this year, Map of the Soul: Persona. Heavily influenced by The book Jung’s Map of the Soul, and theories of psychology by Carl Jung. Released just in time for us all to get know the newest songs well enough to join in singing them on their latest world tour, Love Yourself, Speak Yourself, which they have just wrapped up their European stint in London and Paris, after America and South America. They are currently heading back home to Korea to celebrate their debut at the end of Festa with their 5th Muster, Magic Shop. Before some more tour dates in Japan next month.
I hope this has shared a little insight into the world of BTS and if you’re new to the fandom, go google them, learn their names, watch episodes of Run BTS – fall into the kpop hole. It’s a little chaotic but always fun. If you’re an old salt and stumbled upon this wondering if it would add anything new to you’re repertoire of knowledge of the guys, I hope you have found it interesting, and even if it’s nothing new to you, I hope you liked the trip down memory lane at least. I know there is so much more information out there to digest, I am relatively new to the fandom, but I just wanted to share my insights into this wonderful new group I am growing to love. I hope you have enjoyed it.
A final note before I go if you are new and want some song / music video recommendations, I will leave a couple now to get you started.
If you want a good exciting song to wake you up in the morning or you enjoy watching groups have fun – Anpanman or go go. (But you want Go Go dance practice, in my opinion one of the best dance practices, it chaos but fun).
If you like your songs on the romantic, lyrical, good vocal side of things, Spring Day or any of the individual solo songs; Serendipity, Singularity, Ephinany or Euphoria.
If you like hip hop and a good beat, rapping and an edgier video, Mic Drop or any of the Cyphers might be your idea of a good time. But seriously they have such a wide range if songs, and all have good vocals, rapping and dance choreography you cannot go wrong just YouTubing any BTS.
If you struggle with the J members, or you get your V mixed up with your Jungkook, stay tuned for my next blog which will have member profiles and lots of images to hopefully help you remember the names of the members. After all that is step one on the ” I just wanted to know their name… ” train that leads straight into Bangtan Wonderland.
Heart and Seoul 