BTS Burns The Stage!

Do you know K-pop? Has it annoyed you in anyway?

Well, sorry to say, I’m one of those crazy fangirls of K-pop.

Actually, my interest goes out to one particular group; BTS. Why? Well, the reasons are interesting.

Now, K-pop, in general, is music made in South Korea. And there are a whole lot of groups and soloists. These groups and soloists belong to certain agencies in the K-pop industry, with the famous ones being JYP, SM, YG, aka the big 3. Why do people like K-pop?

1. Rebellion against the status quo: Now, we, youngsters, are the type which likes to explore and gladly do, things that the previous generations haven’t and things outside the mainstream. Listening to K-pop is one of them. So, it gives a feeling of uniqueness to the young person and makes it even more special to enjoy.

2. Group feeling: When someone says singers, usually, what’s the picture? Soloists. Yes, there are groups but what’s the majority? Exactly. But the young generation of today has a sense that people have a need of belonging and friendship, so they are more appealed by a group, with their group chemistry, more than solo artists.

3. A new kind of male: Yes, Korean men look more feminine and groomed than the average man. But then, for a female living where we see the threatening masculinity of the world, these different and soft looking boys provide a refreshing change and a safe space for desirable projections (Again, don’t judge).

4.Korean work ethics: I’ll say it in short; while we see western artists many times in media scandals once they reach the top, these groups keep working harder than ever, no matter what.

So now you know about K-pop in general. But BTS is the real deal. Known as ‘bulletproof boy scouts’ in Korean or ‘beyond the scene’ in English, they are the first ever K-pop group, to win the ‘top social artist’ award at the Billboards Music awards, twice in a row and collaborate with famous artists like the Chain smokers, Nicki Minaj, Desiigner and Steve Aoki. So how are they different and more successful than the others?

1.Socially critical content: To be honest, most of the K-pop songs have superficial topics or no topic at all. I mean, do you remember Gangnam style? These songs, which have a good beat we can dance to, are called Bops, but those songs don’t go beyond that most of the time. Deep and questioning content was hard to find.

Then we have BTS. This is the first K-pop group to produce songs related to critical topics, where they touch difficult issues like social injustice, the pressures a young person has to deal with, etc.

Well, here’s the thing; K-pop labels like the big 3 don’t let the artists participate in any of the song-writing. They have some strict rules to follow. BIGHIT, the BTS agency, is, well, was, smaller, but they tried the method of giving the boys some creative freedom. So music was made, partly, by the members themselves, which makes them more approachable and real.

2. High social media presence: All I have to say is … go on their Twitter account. I bet they post more than you do.

K-pop idols have either limited or no permission in using social media. Again, strict rules. But BTS are all over the internet, posting anything, anywhere, anytime. This way they get even closer to the fans and the fans feel more involved. In short, we create a family-like relationship among them and us ARMYs (Adorable Representative MC for Youth, the BTS fandom), and we tend to worry about their achievements and losses. (If you want to know how involved, you should check out the activities and projects we ARMYs do to promote and influence their success.)

3. Hidden storyline: There are hidden storylines in almost all the BTS songs. This keeps the fans engaged in researching and creating theories about the underlying storyline and symbolism. The best part is when the storyline turns out to be related to deep philosophical ideas and world literature and folklore. Yes, they refer world literature, especially the works of Hermann Hesse, like Damian or The Ones who walk away from Omelas. This is how they use their role model position; engaging us in searching for knowledge. 

      How about I give you an example of their work? Look below. Please don’t mind the minor glitches in their voices. I mean, why don’t you try singing while dancing? Plus the first, fourth and sixth are rappers.

Oh, right, you don’t understand. Well, let me make it easy for you.

Just dance- Jhope: This little segment shows the beginning of a happiness that comes first in making friends. Like, that feeling where you want to… just dance.

Euphoria- Jungkook: (My personal favorite.) This part shows the introduction of a feeling, never felt before, a happiness never felt before, that too because of a certain someone.

Serendipity- Jimin: Recognizing the mentioned feeling as love and devoting oneself towards the other.

Love- RM (Leader): Confirming that the feeling is love and developing it.  

Singularity- V: A feeling of unfamiliarity. Feeling that one’s voice is buried and has lost oneself in another is portrayed here. The mask says it all.

Seesaw- Suga: An endless game of seesaw. Lots and lots of ups and downs in the relationship, but then one realizes that the other person had not even been on this seesaw. (Don’t worry at the stopping part. Just a glitch by the KBS channel which they apologized to.)

Epiphany- Jin: Finally it dawns. Leaving oneself to be with another only brings sadness and regret. If one, faced, accepted and loved oneself first, it would be easier. So, “I’m the one I should love in this world”

Fake love: The title itself implies. The song really means that one had to change who he/she was to please the other, but it had led to losing oneself and… you remember my story, right? That’s what this song means, that I became a fake person in order for you to accept me, who is devoted to you.
Well, I know you might be thinking that they must be high above the clouds and cocky. Hoping you don't get bored, here's a video when they received the 'Artist of the year award for the second time in a row.

(They have a habit of shouting out to us ARMYs first whenever they gain an award. It melts my heart 😭)

So there you have it. and as you can see, BTS members are very talented and stylish, humble and hard-working, they speak about topics that move hearts, they speak in a different language than English, which makes them more unique. They are constantly on social media and fast in their comebacks, which creates a strong bond between them and us ARMYs. They write some of the lyrics themselves, which creates a feeling of realness. All in all, they are amazing and fun blokes and if you don’t know them, you are missing out on a lot.