BTS: Brilliant, Talented Stars
On June 13, 2013, seven wide-eyed boys took the stage, singing their debut song, “No More Dream” in front of a crowd of about 200 people. Seven years later, those same boys take a bow after performing all their hit songs in a sold out concert.
If you haven’t already guessed, I’m talking about BTS, the K-pop sensation that is currently taking the world by storm. Just a month ago, they achieved their first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with their single “Dynamite.” Prior to that, their 4 recent albums, Love Yourself: Tear (2018), Love Yourself: Answer (2018), Map of the Soul: Persona (2019) and Map of the Soul: 7 (2020) all ranked #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. They have also won many awards in both Korea and America, including Artist of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and Best Duo/Group at the Billboard Music Awards.
BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan which means “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in English. They later adopted Beyond The Scene as their English name in 2017. The band consists of 7 members: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Jin, Jimin, V, and Jungkook are the vocalists and Suga, J-Hope, and RM are the rappers. BTS’s fans are known as ARMY (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth). The meaning of a military army is implied as well, tying in with the concept of BTS as a bulletproof armor. They are known to be one of the largest and most diverse fanbases in the world.
I first discovered BTS back in 2017 through their song “DNA.” The song was upbeat and the music video was colorful, but it didn’t really amaze me at first. I still continued to listen to their music, but I did not consider myself a dedicated fan until a year later when they released “Fake Love”, the title track of their album Love Yourself: Tear. This song says that love is not real if it requires a person to pretend to be something they’re not. In the first few lines, the members sing, “For you, I could pretend like I was happy when I was sad. For you, I could pretend like I was strong when I was hurt” and in the chorus they reject having to act like that, singing, “I’m so sick of this fake love.” Probably my favorite lines in the song come in RM’s first rap where he says, “I changed everything, just for you. But I don’t know me.” I believe this was the song where I completely fell in love with their music. Each song I listened to after that never failed to impress me, and BTS soon firmly established themselves as my favorite music artists of all time.
BTS are known for their deep and meaningful lyrics, and the members themselves are often the ones who write and compose their own music. This is one of the many reasons why I love them so much. There is always so much heart and meaning packed into almost every one of their songs. Their music covers a wide range of topics from self love to social criticisms. Two of my favorite songs lyrically are “Tomorrow” and “Black Swan.” “Tomorrow” talks about wanting to achieve your dreams, but feeling like you’re getting nowhere. I think this is a relatable experience that many people have felt at one point in their life. The little hook before the pre chorus is my favorite part with the lyrics, “I have a long way to go but why am I running in place? I scream out of frustration but the empty air echoes. I hope tomorrow will be different from today.” “Black Swan” on the other hand deals with the members’ fear of losing their passion for

music. Personally, I relate to this song a lot because music is one of my passions and likely the most important one for me. Lines like, “If this can no longer resonate, no longer make my heart vibrate, then like this may be how I die my first death” really resonate with me as someone who deeply cares about music just like them.
Aside from the music, the members of BTS themselves are lovable people who care deeply about each other and all share a strong passion about making music. Through multiple platforms such as YouTube and Vlive, they always take time to chat with ARMY and thank them for their support. Even though they live across the world and don’t even speak English, people like myself love them because they always appear relatable and genuine through their words and actions. In addition, the bonds between all the members are so sweet. They always cheer each other on or comfort those who may feel down. They are extremely humble and always make sure to mention that they got to where they are by working as a team. Their most recent album (and one of my personal favorites), Map of the Soul: 7, focuses on their unity and how each of the 7 members bring something unique to the group.
BTS’s next album, simply titled BE, will be released on November 20. The members played a major part in the production and composition of this album and I can’t wait to see what they have in store.