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Hello to our lovely readers. Finally, we’re an issue away from our last this year. As the content writing team, we feel a great responsibility to deliver high-quality themes and topics to our readers. Alongside our small but growing departments, we're working hard, driven by our determination to deliver facts and alleviate prejudice towards BTS. Prejudice comes when someone isn’t capable of understanding something, so we hope this issue would bring that understanding. The last few months have been challenging. Accusations were thrown from all sides, questioning BTS’ music, their place in the chart and award categories, and if they're already past their peak of success. As the listener varies from K-pop fans to your average Joe, we will take you to what is music in South Korea, starting from its history. Is K-Pop the only music genre available? To which category does BTS belong? As BTS has stepped into the global spotlight, attending several interviews and stages overseas, they are being faced with double standards. A huge difference of expectation between Korean and Western artists has become one of their main obstacles. Through this issue, we hope to plant some understanding as to why the ARMY power, especially through social media, plays a huge part in helping BTS break into the global market. We also provide a background on how ARMY has been represented in the past and present. An unbiased investigation will further discuss where these images of ARMY come from, how ARMY has been fighting all the misinterpretation, and if there is a better way to handle such a situation. This issue has reminded us of how precious BTS’ intention is to the world and how great ARMY influence is to help them break into a wider audience. We hope this issue will be a reminder for you as well. Thank you for trusting us this far. We sincerely hope you will enjoy the ride Thank you, and 보라해요!
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BTS Success: NOT Just Social Media
1
Great Expectations: K-Pop vs. The West
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Redefining Our Space
13
ARMY: Beyond K-Pop: History of Korean Music
19
Images courtesy of HYBE Labels
The Butter Album: Transitioning Across Musical Eras
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Fun Zone
29
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BTS SUCCESS: NOT Just Social Media Written By: Yatri - Edited By: Esma - Checked By: Aury - Designed by Inglydy
The internet has revolutionized almost everything we do. We are able to communicate and work remotely amid the global pandemic, as well as enjoy things from all over the world. The internet still continues to revolutionize just about everything we do including the music industry. Social media platforms are the new way for artists to develop and connect with their fans. Over the years, we have seen artists utilize platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, and Facebook in their careers. Social media continues to give musicians the opportunities they previously could only have through record companies. Although social media has made it easier for the artists to connect with fans and distribute music, it is not the main contributor in their success. Content continues to play the role of the king, even in 2021. BTS have achieved many remarkable achievements from being the first Korean artist to be No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 to all-sold-out global stadium tours they acquired the prefix of “Korea’s first.” Today BTS has over 38 million followers on twitter alone. BTS has been winning the BBMAs Top Social Artist Award for five consecutive years since 2017. This led to many people thinking about the reason behind the group’s popularity, and the one thing that everyone pointed towards was their huge, loyal fanbase, known as ARMY.
1 | BTS Success: NOT Just Social Media
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Let’s talk about the history of BTS. BTS officially debuted in South Korea in 2013 with the lead single No More Dream from the mini-album 2 Cool 4 Skool. The name “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” meaning a group of boys that can resist the penetration of bullets, reflects BTS’ artistic vision of exuding positive energy to consumers of their albums. This vision includes sharing their music in a way that delivers the group’s messages of hope for protecting young people from troubles, social prejudice, and oppression.
Photo: Facebook BTS
BTS achieved commercial success in 2015 and international recognition from around 2017-2018. Big Hit, which was a small company with few resources at the time of BTS’ debut, understood the value of social media and used it to the best of their ability. The members regularly uploaded content such as vlogs, selfies, dance and song covers, and more onto various platforms like Fancafe, Vapp, Facebook, Instagram, the BTS and Big Hit YouTube channels, as well as Twitter for both BTS and Big Hit Entertainment. Even though they had content pre-debut, they still didn’t have as many fans to make them this big and successful. One of the questions which arises here is, what was different? Why were BTS the only k-pop idol group able to gain so much popularity while other artists were also using social media?
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Let us talk briefly about the history of K-pop and the use of social media by them. In the late 1990s, the term “idol” emerged along with the debut of the first generation of idol groups, including H.O.T, Shinhwa, S.E.S, Fin.K.L., and Baby V.O.X. In the early 2000s, the second generation of idol groups emerged with groups such as Big Bang, Super Junior, Wonder Girls, and Girl’s Generation, which were organised to target overseas markets of popular songs more than the first generation. At this point, the term K-pop (abbreviation of “Korean pop”) became popularised, displacing the term Gayo (refering to Korean domestic pop music). In the 2010s, the third generation appeared with groups such as EXO, BTS, TWICE, and Red Velvet, characterised by an active use of digital social media such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Naver VLive. In K-pop’s history, BTS is emblematic of idol groups growing into a fan-oriented use of social media. In fact, almost all Korean idol groups promote themselves by broadcasting live performances and posting group-related information on social media. However, BTS’ social media use is different from that of other groups. BTS’ social media acts as a means of interaction with fans and allows fans to get a glimpse of the honest and real personalities of members. Those accounts are the means for the members to strengthen their relation with their fans by sharing their honest and raw thoughts. While on the other hand, many artist’s social media is highly curated and rarely voice their own and honest opinions. In other words, the growth of BTS as artists has run in parallel with the trajectory of ARMY’s identity development on social media. Photo: Facebook BTS
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Although BTS was born into K-pop culture, BTS’ music has become its own genre, which articulates the porous boundary between stereotyped K-pop and BTS. According to Kim Youna as mentioned in The Korean Wave: Korean Media Go Global, “the Korean Wave ambivalently leads to a new version of Orientalism, which can be a unifying cultural signifier for many, if not all, Asians, despite their attempt to defy and decentralise Western hegemony.” For example, in Youna’s terms, visual images of Psy in the “Gangnam Style” music video standardise Asian men as humorous and silly. The androgynous appearance of K-pop boy bands, and Girls’ Generation looks depict typical Asian women as submissive, sweet, and sexy. A common impression of K-pop stems from the assumption that Korean idols are stereotypically produced under the idol system of entertainment companies and are limited to light love songs and musicallike presentations designed to appeal to the global audience. Nevertheless, BTS has shattered the image of typical K-pop bands as heavily manufactured by entertainment companies. They are taking over the world with their music, with lyrics that speak of contemporary issues and with their authenticity. This suggests that BTS’ distinction in the history of K-pop lies in its members’ artistic initiatives toward writing their songs and producing their albums by themselves, while dealing with themes such as contemporary educational problems, generational issues, depression, and self discovery. This distinct thought and ideas are not just seen in BTS’ music but also in their speeches, fan interactions, and social media.
Photo: Facebook BTS
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In one of the recent episodes on The Music Industry Podcast, Anya Du Sauzay, who has worked with artists like Coldplay during her career in music marketing, was invited to talk about music marketing trends. In the podcast she mentions, “... ultimately the selling point is the artist themselves.” She also talks about how audiences are preferring the raw nature of the artists who share their thoughts and opinions freely. This is very true for BTS who have voiced their thoughts about sensitive issues during their career. On top of all that, it’s the music, which has touched the hearts of a lot of people across gender, identity, and age. During an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, RM said, “People pay attention only to the fact that we have communicated well with our fans on social media. But more important is that since we’re singers the quality of our music and performance should be unconditionally good. On top of this, there were our true hearts and messages that we wanted to show and tell, and the frequency of our communication (with fans).” RM also mentioned that Bang Si-hyuk, chief executive officer and producer of the group’s agency Big Hit Entertainment, gave full support to whatever the group did. “I think we started from thoughts such as, ‘Preferences should be respected’ and ‘Why is there nobody who talks about school and the society?’ at that time. The most regrettable thing is when people analyze us and say we achieved our success solely based on our SNS (social networking service) prowess,” Suga said.
5 | BTS Success: NOT Just Social Media
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Although constant fan interaction helps keep fans engaged with artists, one of the major reasons why ARMYs want to keep interacting with BTS is their sincerity and quality which is the same on all platforms, no matter where you interact with them. In the same interview, RM said, “Our chemistry (that fans can feel from performance and behind the scene videos), sincerity, music, and high-quality performance are all mixed into a powerful weapon. It destroys the language barrier and makes them request our songs to radio stations.” Although social media has brought the world closer and opened the door which we didn’t even know existed before, it is just a medium to share stories and content. In this age of excessive information access, it is both easier than ever and harder than ever to get one’s message out. Hence, in order to get one’s message out, it is very important to be sincere and believe in what is being presented to the world. BTS believe in what they say and make, but their music, hard work, and sincerity are still the main factors behind their success, not simply their social media following.
Photo: Facebook BTS
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Non-Western artists fight an uphill battle to find success in the West, regardless of their field. When it comes to K-pop artists, stereotypes are plentiful and have been well documented through the years; moreover, they face an unspoken rule that they must reach exceptional levels of excellence to even get the chance to sit at the same table as their Western counterparts. Expectations are always higher for outsiders. This becomes evident when discussing the subject of military enlistment. For years now, the media, fans, politicians, and everyone in between have been talking about the BTS members reaching the age to serve. It is often framed as a career-ending moment, the big hiatus that will make everyone forget about them. But the South Korean military service lasts 18 months, which hardly strays from the length of the hiatuses many Western artists take between albums. Then, why is it perceived as such a big deal when it comes to Korean artists? Where are these and all the other asymmetrical expectations that we place on non-Western artists coming from? Let’s take a look at a possible origin, how they differ from those set on Western artists, and the additional ones BTS are facing.
Ethnocentrism There isn’t one simple, all encompassing answer to where these expectations are coming from; however, it is likely
that ethnocentrism is playing a key role in the matter. The term describes the idea and consequent attitudes of those who believe that their group, mostly defined by ethnicity and culture, is superior to others. Their ways are presumed to be the correct or more developed ones, and everyone else is measured against their standards to prove their worth. In the context of popular music, it frames Western music as superior in the minds of Western people. Their formats, sounds, and sensibilities are seen as more valuable —the standard.
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Some might be very aware of these attitudes, while others might question if it is still happening; after all, in the current globalized world, these ideas seem backwards. Unfortunately, this mindset is still alive and well. Take this quote from one of the members of the band Forever in Your Mind during an interview with Zach Sang back in 2018 as an example: “I agree that they are a boy band, but at the same time I feel like they belong on a different genre of their own. Because I feel there still needs to be a European or American boy band to be at the top and BTS can just live on their own; they are BTS.” Most people would not say the quiet part out loud, but he did. He believed, at least at that moment, that there should be a Western group on top. This sentiment isn’t rare in Western society, which often sees itself as a guide for
the rest of the world. Ethnocentrism is present in the way we teach history or report the news, in which languages we perceive as worth learning, or how we represent ethnicities and cultures in the media. Inadvertently, we feed into the idea that Western ideals, aesthetics, and values are the better ones, and that everyone else has to adopt them or prove the worth of something different to Western society.
Expectations Let’s proceed to the consequences of that mindset. Promoting their work in Western countries, like the United States, is a difficult endeavor for K-pop idols, because stereotypes are present from day one. The industry is assumed to be more toxic, the artists manufactured, and their art less authentic, and therefore, they aren’t taken seriously.
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These ideas are commonly accompanied by some sort of virtue signaling; the Western music industry is believed to have better practices, the artists to be more authentic, and their success to be more organic. But, is this actually true? Both industries have issues, some more similar than they want to admit, some unique to their culture, but one industry is demonized, while the other one is revered. These prejudices create a set of expectations required to validate artists’ worth or to keep their success. One of them is the expectation to produce content in English, since Americans have a tendency to be monolingual and often uninterested in media that isn’t in their native language. Although a bit contradictory, there is also the expectation to remain true to their cultural roots, something that is questioned when artists choose to sing in English. Is there a way to win? Aside from extraordinary levels of excellence, non-Western artists face lower levels of tolerance when it comes to mistakes. It isn’t true for everyone, because ethnocentrism isn’t the only piece at play, but some Western artists remain successful after breaking the law or committing immoral actions. What would happen if a non-Western
artist did the same things? Would they be as easily forgiven? Finally, K-pop artists are expected to release music yearly, sometimes multiple times a year, and long breaks are assumed to be fatal —this is why military enlistment is so feared. There is some truth to this within the Korean music industry; however, it is not the norm in the Western one. Justin Bieber has had up to a five-year gap between albums, and hiatuses of 1 or 2 years are not strange for others. These are understood as periods of rest and search for inspiration. Why is it any different for a globally successful group like BTS? Great Expectations: K-Pop vs. The West | 10
BTS This all brings us to the case of BTS. They’ve been subjected to all of these prejudices and expectations, but thanks to their unique position in the music industry, socially conscious reputation, and values associated with them, an additional set of expectations has been created. They are often expected to be aware of global issues, and many wish for them to offer their opinion on them. This is a very delicate position to be in when you’re in the spotlight, as your words are scrutinized publicly, and it has brought them backlash even when doing something thoughtful. Back in October, 2017, they tweeted about a shooting that occured in Las Vegas, sending love and using #prayforvegas. Unfortunately, the gesture was met with questioning about why they weren’t speaking up about a plethora of other issues happening around the world. Similarly, as artists that are considered role models who sing about positive messages, give speeches at the UN, or partner with UNICEF to protect children —there is another unspoken expectation to be
pristine and make no mistakes. While the BTS members are good people, they are also young men in their 20s, so this expectation of moral perfection must be a difficult one to carry. Nonetheless, they always take that responsibility seriously. They spoke about it in an interview for Variety Magazine back in 2020, conducted by Rebecca Davis. In it, RM said that they understand the impact and influence that they have and are always careful of what they say and do. All these without mentioning the ever present expectations to be record breakers, have massive amounts of views and sales, and keep up their level of success. The pressure to live up to these expectations is no small deal.
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Awareness There is no fast and easy solution to this matter, but creating awareness about the unbalanced expectations that non-Western artists, such as BTS, face is the first step to achieve change. It’s important to explore whether we have internalized ethnocentrism, and wonder in what ways it’s affecting the way we think about art, people, and about the world as a whole. When possible, it’s also great to be able to call out these issues, even if people refuse to listen.
Changing old ways is difficult, and it may take time, but it is worth the effort. Not only for BTS or nonWestern artists, but also for everyone else that is struggling with greater expectations to receive the same treatment and recognition as their Western counterparts. Like that, little by little, we’ll start moving in the right direction.
13 | ARMY: Redefining Our Space
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ARMY: Redefining Our Space | 16
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Written by: Skylar Edited by: Aury Checked by: Vera Designed by: Kels
BEYOND K-POP: HISTORY OF KOREAN MUSIC Hailing from South Korea, Korean Pop
prefer music that is more traditional, such
music, more widely known as K-pop, has
as trot, ballad, R&B, or Hip-Hop.
found a foothold in the popular culture of many countries outside of its country
When looking into the traditional music
of origin. With bright colors, elaborate
of South Korea, it is obvious to see their
choreographies, and high energy songs,
love for lyrical art. Korean is an expressive
they’ve crossed seas to gather fans from
language, and we see this crossover even
all over the globe. However, when one
in K-pop itself. The history of music in
takes a look at South Korea itself, it has
Korea began with shaman and religious
been said people there don’t tend to favor
music and evolved during different
the flash of K-pop as much as one might
periods of foreign occupation/rule. Due
think, despite the sheer number of artists
to cultural ties with China, Korea was able
and groups. K-pop was a part of what
to save some of its traditions during times
could be considered a cultural revolution:
of foriegn rule. Often, Korean musical
“Hallyu,” where South Korea saw a global
instruments were derivations of Chinese
shift in their economy. Following this was a
instruments. The country even supports
changing of popular culture as well, music
national institutes, which teach artists
included. This music, K-pop, has been
to play traditional instruments. A popular
prominent for over a decade, but many
Korean musical instrument is the kayagum
residents of South Korea have been said to 19 | Beyond K-Pop: History of Korean Music
(or gayageum), which is a zither featuring
Borasaek Vision 12 silk strings that are plucked and pressed.
and we can even see this in K-pop. While
Some other traditional Korean instruments
K-pop artists dominate awards shows,
are the ajaeng, another zither-like, bowed
often there are outfits, or dance ensembles
instrument that features seven strings, and
that are reminders of the culture. To a
the p’iri, a small type of oboe that creates
larger crowd, K-pop could be seen as over-
a sound very similar to a saxophone. The
the-top or flashy, and the preference for
p’iri, although having many relatives in terms
more relaxed or traditional music could be
of instruments, creates a sound unlike any
an easy go-to.
of them. Influences from these traditional instruments fall into genres of music today,
Another popular genre of music in Korea is
most visible through trot and ballad.
Hip-Hop, the popularity of which has grown largely due to mainstream media. Reality
Trot is a popular genre of music in South
television shows, such as Show me the
Korea, characterised by vocal inflections
Money, put Hip-Hop in a more popularized
paired with rhythmic beats that came
setting for audience’s enjoyment. A scene
about during the time of Japanese colonial
that was once largely underground is now
occupation. After the mid 1950s it gained
one of the more popular genres of music in
new popularity with the rise of artists, such
the nation. Many K-pop groups have songs
as Lee Mi-Ja and Choi Sook-Ja to name a
that could potentially fall under a Hip-Hop
few. Recently, there has been a turn back to
umbrella; BTS themselves even originally
this style of music as a younger generation
debuted as a Hip-Hop group. Some artists
seeks out more traditional folk-style music. Even some artists of the younger generation have made mention of Trot music, which is leading to a renaissance in its popularity.
P’IRI
This music is a connection for many to their South Korean roots, as folk music and pansori was sung by the commoner class, distinguished from the Jongmyo Jeryeak that was listened to by the royal family. Pansori music is arguably one of the many parts that makes Korean music as a whole more popular today; that is its ability to tell an elaborate story. Ballad music is also popular in Korea, and many can be found easily within Korean dramas, either accompanying the mood of a scene or the end credits of a show. Korean culture in general plays a large role in Korean music,
Image credit: korea.net
Beyond K-Pop: History of Korean Music | 20
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music itself, can be found within the lyrics. The
have since moved into more specific
lyrics tell narratives, or as is common in most
genres, as they pursue solo careers, such
cultures, they provide social commentary; this is
as Block B’s Zico. Zico is well known for
often seen in rap or Hip-Hop music.
several solo songs, the most popular as of recent being, “Any Song,” which has
The music landscape in Korea today is, as in
gained traction amongst many western
most places, heavily influenced by mass media.
listeners. In relation, and often crossing
The large contender in this is reality television
over with Hip-Hop, is R&B. Featuring slower
in the form of competition shows, such as
or softer rhythms, and having the same
previously-mentioned Show Me the Money, as
lyrical storytelling ability, we can see how
well as K-Dramas. K-Pop has noticed this and
this genre became popular in the country.
taken similar steps; whether it is to draw more
Other artists, such as Dean and Crush,
national popularity of the genre is unknown.
sit between both genres of rap/Hip-
Shows such as last year’s I-Land, saw trainees
Hop and R&B, often sliding between the
from all over come together to compete to be
genres. Dean, Crush, and Zico are all part
in a debuting group, and similarly this year’s
of a Hip-Hop group called Fanxy Child,
Kingdom: Legendary War, saw six K-pop
while Dean and Zico are both artists who
groups compete against one another in
starred in Show Me the Money 6 together.
various performances.
Dean is known for his song “Instagram’’ in both Korea and the U.S., as he has often
Globalization of music is rapidly increasing,
collaborated with artists in both countries.
similarly to the way in which the nation entered the Hallyu era. Popular culture and media will
Musicians and artists in the Korean music
continue to influence music around the world,
scene do not shy away from collaborations
and Korea is no exception. The country will
with other artists either, whether it is
evolve in its taste in music as times change
with western artists or with other Korean
and as eras come and go, but there is care
artists, on a first release or on a remix.
being taken to preserve the musical culture
The lines for genres become blurred, as
that has been present for decades so that new
artists tend to dabble about in the musical
generations can learn and find comfort in the
realm. This could be a reasoning as to why
music of their country. As more Korean artists
they could be more popular to a larger
continue to grow more popular globally, and
crowd of casual listeners. But the common
as their reach is spread, it is certain we will
denominator for the artists tends to be
continue to see a change in the music space in
their lyrical style, and not so much the
Korea. However, what will always remain is the
music they produce, which varies from
art behind the lyricism and the culture that lie
what we might commonly see with western
at the heart of the music.
artists. The influences traditional music has on Korean music today, if not found in the 21 | Beyond K-Pop: History of Korean Music
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LEE JI-MA Image credit: Korea Herald
ZICO Image credit: Lens Nine
Beyond K-Pop: History of Korean Music | 22
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The Butter Album: In August, 2020, BTS released their first English single, “Dynamite,” and little did the world know that this new direction would create momentous change in the global music industry. The track evolved into one of the most significant pop music releases by an Asian artist, breaking multiple
records on US music charts, global charts, and even attaining a Grammy nomination – something unheard of for Asian pop artists. Approximately one year later, “Dynamite” remains embedded into history as a rare, global hit that transcends language, identity, and industry.
23 | The Butter Album: Transitioning Across Musical Eras
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Written by Alapadma Edited by Aury Checked by Vera Designed by Zai
Transitioning Across Musical Eras But “Dynamite’s” accomplishments were not met without question. Many fans expressed a bittersweet reaction to the track, stating that the light-heartedness of the music didn’t correspond with the socially conscious, meaningful BTS music that they had grown familiar with over the years. All this confirmed that BTS’ new direction was something different and unique –
something that may not have been expected of a group rooted in hip hop, social commentary, and dense concepts. However, was “Dynamite” that different from BTS’ past music? Other than the choice of language, the song reflected an uplifting style that had always been present in many BTS songs. Within the group’s first album, 2 Cool 4 Skool, the track “I
Like it” served a purpose of bridging the two personas of BTS – the outwardly frustrated and rebellious side and the softer, dreamy side – acting as a transitional point that both diversified and connected the different elements of BTS’ musical presence. Similarly, their first fulllength album, Dark and Wild, had a number of these transitional songs that served to unite BTS’
The Butter Album: Transitioning Across Musical Eras | 24
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bold image with the honest, humble side. Songs like “Let me Know” and “Look Here” took a slight departure from the societal angst expressed throughout the album and added a quality of romantic expression, bringing in an aspect of BTS that was more gentle and inviting to new audiences. These transitional songs are present throughout the now almost decade’s worth of BTS’ discography. Scattered throughout BTS albums, these
songs manage to broaden the scope of emotions, sounds, and styles that BTS present in their works. And in the process of diversifying their musical presence, these songs also manage to make
BTS more accessible to new audiences. They act as invitations to join as casual listeners or dedicated fans – and they assure listeners that there’s no specific starting point to explore the BTS phenomenon, as that point of connection can exist in any album. “Dynamite,” therefore, was not so much a new direction for BTS as an artist, but rather it was a new approach to
BTS’ use of transitional songs. Like many of their previous “connection” tracks, it acted as an invitation for new audiences to join BTS. It was also reflective of the current situation of society, allowing for the
25 | The Butter Album: Transitioning Across Musical Eras
appropriate space and time to explore this new style of BTS’ connectivity. The song worked in a multitude of ways, bringing in enormous recognition and listeners, and it signified the power of how effective transitional songs can be when helping artists navigate new directions in their careers. After “Dynamite,” BTS released two other English tracks: “Butter”
and “Permission to Dance.” Both were highly anticipated songs that fans believed would rival “Dynamite” in their successes. This was indeed what happened, as “Butter” retained a #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for longer than “Dynamite” and managed to generate the same global conversation around BTS’ creative and artistic direction. And like “Dynamite,” both these tracks served to expand BTS’ transitional music repertoire – they act as bridges that connect one era of BTS to the next,
that evolve BTS’ musical persona and initiate the process by which BTS explores new styles and sounds. These songs act as hooks that not only draw in new audiences, but also draw in new elements, which BTS can now use throughout their future musical endeavors. One example of this hook is the ability for the rappers in BTS – RM, Suga, and J-hope – to sing and utilize
their vocal abilities more in BTS songs. This new element was first included in “Dynamite,” developed in some of their live music performances, such as “Fix You,” and then further expanded in “Permission to Dance.” Similarly, another hook that BTS incorporated throughout these transitional songs was the more casual, natural performance style. They attained the ability to use stage presence and individuality to their maximum, allowing
those innate skills to override the strict, tight choreography fans are used to seeing BTS perform. This new performative style was perfected throughout each phase from “Dynamite,” to “Butter,” to “Permission to Dance.” Overall, these new techniques that BTS have explored and developed throughout this transitional period have added to BTS’ “toolkit” of skills they can use in their future music. It is likely that these very elements may
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play a role in how BTS approach their new album, which may include more stylistic group performative pieces and heavy vocal tracks from rap members. Interestingly, BTS’ delivery of these songs was also rather different from their norm. While fans are used to BTS releasing elaborate albums with cinematic storylines and philosophical content, their recent release was a more modest album with only two songs – “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.” Each song came with an accompanying instrumental version, leading to a total of four tracks on the album. This was a rather unconventional method for a BTS
album release, but it solidified the transition that the group had developed. By releasing a separate album with only “Butter” and “Permission to Dance,” BTS created a clear contrast between these transitional experiments and their more conceptual, developed works. This format can also be contrasted to BTS’ initial attempt to contextualize “Dynamite” in an album. “Dynamite” was eventually placed in BE, an album that reflected BTS’ emotions and state of being during the pandemic. The album was not
conceptual in the same way the Map Of The Soul or Love Yourself series were, giving it the ability to act as a home for “Dynamite.” But “Butter” and “Permission to Dance” do not seem to have separate homes of their own and had to be compartmentalized together. What this suggests is that a new BTS project is in the works – something conceptually driven and divergent from the current BTS era. Something that might seem at odds with songs like “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.” BTS put significant energy and intention into how their music is presented, shared, and distributed across audiences, and the separation of “Butter” and
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“Permission to Dance” into their own album signifies both the closure of one musical experiment and the onset of a new one. The Butter Album, however, is more than just a transitional piece in BTS’ discography. BTS’ past three English singles – “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “Permission to Dance” – have assured the audience that the group is willing to explore any and all styles, genres, languages, and industries that may come their way. And the lightheartedness of these tracks indicate that BTS has distanced themselves from any musical elitism that may exist in the
world of popular music. Any unnecessary hierarchies of genre, content, and style that the music community creates do not seem to impact BTS anymore, as they simply continue to delve into the music they wish to present. This version of BTS– an increasingly comfortable,
accessible, and global BTS – is now moving forward into a new musical era. One that will reflect the successes of “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “Permission to Dance,” but will use that newfound attention to lead the global music world into another unexpected, unique era.
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Like Lights Purple
Heart Youth
1. Van 2. Ribbon on table 3. Pile of books 4. Coffee
Design By: Connie
5. Golden Retriever 6. Namjoon’s cowboy hat 7. Flower on Seokjin’s shirt
8. Blue window 9.Green tile 10. Shelf
Photos Courtesy: HYBE Labels YouTube CHannel & UNSPLASH.COM
SPOT T HE DIFFERENCE Borasaek Vision
CONTRIBUTORS
MANAGERS Design, Alex Planning, Anna Copy Editor, Aury Design, Euni Design, Kels Research & Social Media, Miranda Writing, Shelley Assistant Copy Editor & Design Support, Mheer Assistant Writing, RAM
S TA F F
Writing, Alapadma Writing, Ananya Writing, Antonella Design, Aralika Editing, Ash Writing, Basabdatta Design, Bella Design, Chubs Editing, Clare Design, Connie Design, Deens Writing, Endang Editing, Esma Social Media, Inglydy Writing, jia Design, Lau Writing, LP Writing, Mei Design, Nessa Writing, Rebeca Writing, Rufflyn Writing, Skylar Writing, Tobing Research, Trina Editing, Vera Research, Vy Writing, Yatri Design, Zai Design, Zircon
DISCLAIMER
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Design By: Connie Photos Courtesy: HYBE Labels YouTube CHannel & UNSPLASH.COM
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