October 3rd is a public holiday in Korea to celebrate the legendary foundation of Koreas oldest and first state Gojoseon. Similar to other national holidays, fireworks are set off in celebration.
Althougo modern Republic of Korea is young, ancient Korean history stretches back more than 4000 years and legend says it’s starts with a story about founding father Emperor Dangun. However, it really begins with Hwanung, son of Hwanin, a god who lived in the heavens. You can find my short summary of the myth below.
During the pandemic I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Kpop Academy as it was offered online due to quarantine, I would never have been able to attend an in real life academy so I am very honoured to she been able to attend online. One of the weeks lessons was all about the history of Korea and we learnt about Dangun and the bear and tiger. For my homework, I made a presentation on the history with my own little artworks and story telling and you can see it below. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy National Foundation Day to all Koreans around the world 😍
Just a little hello from me! I know I have been absent the last year or so! Covid took its toll on me mentally, physically and creatively.
But I am back and ready to explore more of the things I love! So basically all things Kpop and kdrama!
Train to London for Eric Nam
However, I’ve decided I want to do a whole rebrand to really showcase what I want my blog to be about – so I am going to close my blog for a short while whilst I prepare my brand new blog dedicated to my journey of discovery (self and all things Korean 😍) – but please do pop back and check it out when I relaunch!
A little sneak preview of my new logo!
I cannot wait to relaunch because we all have a very exciting few months ahead of us! In fact my fun times already started with my first post covid concert (Eric Nam in London) which as soon as the blog relaunches I will be telling you all about!
Please stick around and bear with me and hopefully see you soon! 😍
Tina T (aka Sopey, aka butterfly child)
This is my last post on wordpress and I hope you will join me over on my all new shiny blog – HEART AND SEOUL (https://www.heartsandseoul.co.uk)
Welcome to this weeks music video Monday! I have to talk about this video as it is one of my favourites. I cannot really out into words how it makes me feel, from the beautiful imagery, the Jimins silky smooth vocals, everything about it is just pure heaven.
“The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” How beautiful is this description for the word serendipity before you even get into the visually stunning video or soulful and beautiful vocals?
Destiny is the idea that people’s lives are predetermined to go a certain way. This song has used the contrasting views throughout of both serendipity and destiny but is reflected in the most beautiful way.
Throughout the song, references are made to moments of real life serendipity. A Calico cat is mentioned in the lyrics and Jimin is seen holding one. A calico is a very rare trait in a male cat, bearing true-colours and is super rare, this video uses this to basically say Jimin is rare. A one of a kind. Which if you are a BTS fan or you know, breathing. You will know this anyway.
Another honourable mention is that of Penicillin, which was discovered by chance and yet is helpful and life changing, but in reality was a happy accident.
For me the song is about finding a true love, feeling worried about the trials and pain that can go with love but accepting it and going forward anyway. Feeling like it was serendipity, a beautiful chance encounter that got them to where they are but not knowing if the universe could have made it their destiny. These ideas are scary but beautiful just like the love they feel.
Love can be something that brews and moulds and shapes over time and feels almost like destiny that got you there. Or it can appear out of nowhere like some kind of happy accident. A random sequence of events that got you to the point you have. And it doesn’t have to be romantic love and this is one of the best parts of this song. There is no defined gender or specifics to romantic love, soul mates, true loves, relationships, friendships all come in all different shapes and sizes and this song is just telling the beauty of this serendipitous destiny we all can feel. It’s beautiful and sweet but can be scary and painful sometimes but having faith and seeing love (friendships / relationships) whilst recognising this can lead you to be happier in those relationships.
Contrast between the world with the yellow, the balloon, the cat and the moon, stars and night.
Zooming into Jimins eye, we the audience get to see his world and his love and feelings, throughout the song we are seeing what everyone at some point might feel in their life. Jimin literally fall for his love at one point, (falling off the ledge with the stars behind him).
The feelings of love gets so big he doesn’t know if he can bear it (the yellow ball grows bigger in size and eventually he cannot reach it) but note the ball is still this beautiful share of yellow, symbolising happiness, the beautiful cactus that will be stunning when flowering but can still prick you with its thorns, effectively reminding us that love us beautiful but can still be painful. The video is visually one of the most stunning music videos I have ever seen, and all the little details put into it to bring in line with the musicality of the lyrics, is just beautiful.
Towards the end of the video, the screen is shaking as he was initially scared of this love, but eventually comes to accept his love and the universes role within it. All things end up calm at the end and Jimin looks happy.
I love the different scenes, and the contrast between everything. From Jimins initial world to the night where he falls for his love and eventually accepts it. Lots of yellow is used to represent happiness and acceptance. White for pure love and innocence, possibly a little bit of naivety alongside the touching of the cactus. Colours, themes, and objects are all used in this video to create this truly remarkable video.
The song is one of the most easy listening and beautiful songs I have ever heard. The melody is instantly recognisable and is truly beautiful, and the lyrics are a little cryptic and yet so simple at the same time. So many layers and everyone interprets them differently and that is what makes it special. Love is different to everyone and moments of serendipity can be different for everyone but we all still feel these and cherish them.
Jimins vocals are beyond beautiful, deliciously sweet and soulful. Even if you haven’t googled the lyrics, I would find it hard to believe anyone wouldn’t be moved especially by his iconic line “just let me love, let me love you.” Serendipity isn’t a typical love song for many reasons but it still leaves you with a feeling of love, beauty and adoration. It oozes sweet, sentimentalities of all things beautiful in the world and is a gentle reminder that many things happen for reasons that are out of your control, doesn’t have to mean they are scary, it may come with moments of pain or worry but sometimes they can be beautiful.
Serendipity holds true in a lot of ARMY’s hearts because it feels almost like Serendipity that we have found ourselves in this wonderful wonderland of kpop adventures. I once read that you find BTS when you need to find them. I have made some amazing friends, had some amazing experiences and as much as my life was amazing before, it is incredible now. Finding BTS has inspired me, given me new friends and confidence and continues to do everyday, so yes I agree…. all of this is no coincidence.
I have always loved art and craft but I haven’t shared much of what I do because I am a bit of a jack of all arts and crafts and master of none, and there are so many more talented people out there, that I felt like I wasn’t worthy enough to share my work. However, this video inspired me so much, I had to make something out of it, and my new friends gave me the confidence to share it. And not only that, but I’ve also put some of my work on Redbubble. Check it out here:
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.
BTS very first tweet back in 2012 – pre debut
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.
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.
Debut 2013 to Festa 2019 – my now they’ve grown
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.
Wembley is over and done now and wow it was incredible!
I will be adding more content on other kpop and kdrama now I have more time but before I do, I really wanted to share my Wembley experience.
I don’t even know where to start really though or how to express what an absolutely wonderful weekend I had! Going to London with my amazing family to see BTS in concert is absolutely in my top amazing memories now! ****SORRY SOME OF THE PHOTOS ARE NOT THE BEST QUALITY MY PHONE HAD A RIGHT HISSY FIT!****
The kids had an awesome time! They sang, they danced, they screamed and waved their army bombs! They saw the waves of lights from all the other fans which was an amazing sight!
We met so many other Army’s from my online group of friends! I have made so many new friends online which is incredible as I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with social media but it’s definitely leaning more towards loving at the minute!!
My online group I am a part of is full of wonderful ARMY all over the age of 25 and all beautiful people! I cannot tell you how nice it is to be able to just have a quick look and be cheered up or cheer someone up. And living in the countryside where there aren’t many fans around it is so nice to know that actually you aren’t alone! My group is a wonderful group and I am thankful I met them! I 💜 you BTS UK Senior Army!
We also met so many wonderful new Army’s we didn’t know but were so friendly! It was so nice walking around wembley seeing so many fans (we don’t see many in Somerset), talking to them and oh the amount of people giving free little gifts away was just beautiful.
The kids saw kindness and beauty and it made my weekend!!!
I love the messages BTS try to spread, you only have to look up lyrics to their songs, see interviews or watch the speech they gave at the UN to see they are spreading not only wonderful music that transcends language but also a beautiful message! I really enjoy other kpop music as all music transcends language but BTS are quite special!
Sometimes having a huge fan base, it can be hard to connect to each other as we are so diverse and different but we were all at Wembley to enjoy the concert and this feeling/energy was incredible. Lots stopped to say hi or ask the kids about the weekend and who their favourites were, they were pointed at with ahhs and oohs because let’s be honest they are adorable and beautiful children!!
I was lucky to have tickets for both nights!! The first night was special because it was my first concert at Wembley and BTS said it was special for them being at Wembley and Namjoon (RM) said we had broken a wall together being at Wembley and live streaming which was amazing!
Seeing RM, Jin, Suga, Jimin, V, Jungkook and especially JHope in person was amazing! We didn’t have front row seats, we were in the Gods but it was still awesome! The atmosphere was something else!!
I need to add something here as within all my gushing I have something more to add. I absolutely love all members and it wouldn’t be BTS without each and everyone. They are all so ridiculously talented and excel in everything! I can’t help but watch them when they are performing, or feel soothed/excited when they sing. I even enjoy watching Run BTS episodes and Vlives where they are most of the time acting like crazy children!!! I think I like them because they are young but also young at heart and I can connect with that!
But let’s be honest they are also all very attractive young men and so some of the appeal is watching and listening to 7 very talented but very attractive men. When I watched the solo songs sung by each member, it was exciting, moving and beautiful. Each got to showcase what they are good at or enjoy and the best part is you can tell they love what they do and are enjoying themselves and that’s what makes it a good show. It helps that each member also know how to play to a camera and can really put on a sexy, awe inspiring, jaw dropping performance. That helps!
But as much as I like every member I do have a favourite (or bias as they say – as in I’m slightly more biased to one than another!) I have two but this is a special mention for JHope because he is just incredible. He is a talented rapper, but he also sings beautifully and I could listen to him all day but mostly I am in awe of his dancing! The video below shows all of them dancing and lets be honest they could beat anyone I know on the dance floor but seeing JHope dance to Baepsae is a whole other level of excitement!
All of the men should be appreciated but JHope and Suga (who named themselves Sope when together) are my faves! I think I see myself in them sometimes and I love that they are funny, silly and don’t take them selves too seriously and are both amazingly talented and let’s be honest, talent is sexy!
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The main reason Saturday was special because I got to be with my family and I enjoyed it immensely! I have to talk about my Nick because he has been so supportive and wonderful, coming all the way to London with us, queuing in all the merch stands with us and going to the concert even though he isn’t a fan! He didn’t moan and he joined in cheering and he helped make the weekend amazing and I love him even more than I thought possible! 😍😍😍
I won a ticket for the second night and was happy to go on my own! But I put out a plea to be adopted for during the day so I didn’t have to spend the whole day on my own and my friends came through and whilst I was asking for some company I was offered the chance to accompany someone else and have their spare ticket so they wouldn’t have to be alone too!
I was happy too and I had a wonderful night and I gave my ticket to a really deserving person who also got to enjoy the concert so all in all it was an incredible start to the concert and being there a second time and witnessing it again was incredible and beautiful! I laughed, screamed, cheered, joined the fan chants and I cried! Like a baby!!!!
I feel so lucky to have been a part of this concert and I am walking around in this permanent happy and confident bubble and I’m loving it!!!
It’s crazy how quickly and hard I fell down the Kpop but specifically BTS hole! But I don’t regret it! Finding something I enjoy and can follow and support, especially a group that has motivation, passion and that have this wonderful view of the world has opened up the world for me and has given me back my confidence, strength and passion. I appreciate my family and friends so much and love them all! I am finding new ways to love myself which comes with the new found confidence! BTS messages and music really inspire people! I have new friends, I am living life as I want to and I am showing my children this exciting new, happy, confident me and I love it!!
I hope if you get the chance to do something you love- go for it!! Just do it! It’s worth it!!!😍😍😍💜💜💜
Follow me for more adventures down the hole and into this new wonderland!
Heart and Seoul 