#Army

A few years ago I blogged about the Korean group BTS and how I was introduced to them by my niece. These days, however, I have shifted from being an admirer from afar to a fan. Now I would like to think of myself as part of the BTS Army. I have gone a long way from not knowing who was who to become a fan of each member of the group. When my niece said that her bias is all of them because it changes every time, I have to agree because I have learned to love all of them too. 

However as I mentioned in another post, I may not always admit to it but I do have my favorites: Taehyung/V for his vocals, Jimin for his charm and talent (and for making me feel he was my son in a past life), and Suga because of his personality and talent as a rapper. He is someone I find very interesting. Seeing him work as a producer and listening to his work is so appealing. . I admire his work and I find him so attractive (or dare I say it, so hot) when I see him in producer mode.

I feel like a parent who says she loves all her kids equally but deep inside she has her favorites. I can’t help it. But I promise, I love everyone else too. It’s just that those three have a special place in my heart.

Because of this "favoritism", I realized that I have been listening to Suga nonstop on Spotify. I have only started to listen to his mixtapes/albums recently but Spotify has already recorded his song Daechwita as my most played song. OF. ALL. TIME. But V has not come out with his mixtape yet, so we'll see who gets more streams from me when that happens. I swear the voice on that one just has a calming effect on me. His song Sweet Night from the OST of Itaewon Class is a big favorite!

\

I loved seeing their humble beginnings from their earlier videos. It shows how far they have come and how hard they worked to be where they are today. It gave me an appreciation of what they have been through and how well deserved their success is right now. I have so much respect for what they have done and continue to do because of it.

I enjoyed learning about how they were involved with a lot of the aspects of their work from the music, to the choreography and production of their shows. They all take their jobs seriously and the passion that they have for what they do is very obvious. There is passion and joy in what they do that is evident in all of them. I believe it is that combination that has propelled them to where they are today.

Another thing that I love about them is that they are nice guys. I have read so much about instances where people have mentioned how polite they are to people behind the scenes, sometimes to the point of helping crew members clean up/do their work. They all seem very humble and grounded despite the fame. Who can forget how during a recent unboxing J-Hope said "We look like celebrities" while looking at their photos? Definitely very humble.

I love watching their videos online -- it is like a black hole (in a good way): once you're in, you can never get out. I think RM said as much during a recent interview. There is so much material to go through and enjoy -- and they keep coming up with more every day. The videos/content available online help me to learn more about them and give me an even bigger appreciation for their work. Their online content has helped me to see their work ethic and the effort that they put out into everything that they do. It's like everything is "go big or go home" for them. You can see how disappointed they are when they believe they could have done better. Given that the production value of their music, videos, and performances have all improved over time, I don't think they have anything to worry about. 

One thing that I think is noteworthy about the group is that while they have a leader in the group, main vocalist, main dancer, etc., each one is allowed to be at the center of every performance. I love how their dancing shifts so that they could each have their time at the center and how this matches how they are all given parts that highlight their talent in their songs, which is very different from the boy bands I have been used to. Another thing that is different? The theme of their songs. There is much more substance to their music than the typical songs that boy bands produce. I love that. One song in particular that I love was one about their journey as a group called Born Singer (unfortunately not on Spotify but it is on YouTube). I was so moved by that one. Is there any chance of an updated, maybe English version of this? I hope so.

I am grateful that we have social media these days to help us keep in touch with the group, especially during this pandemic. As happy as I am with it and how it has helped to catapult BTS into the global stage, it saddens me to see all the hate that they also get from people who do not understand them (or think they are being cool by doing so). Sometimes the hate comes from fans themselves when they feel that they have been disappointed. I think they do not deserve the hate. They are such a hardworking group of nice guys. They deserve the success they are experiencing today.

Burn The Stage (a documentary on YouTube about their Wings Tour) made me admire the band even more: I felt a lot of respect for when it was shown that they were grounded enough to admit that this will not last forever. As a fan, I would love for it to but we all know that it happens. I just hope that when it does that they will not disappear from our lives completely. 

As South Koreans, they need to enlist in the military before they turn 30. There are speculations of them going a few people at the time, while others are saying that they may all enlist together. Some people would like to have them exempted from it because of their contributions to putting South Korea on the map because of their popularity. I would love it if they were exempted, but if not, it just would not be the same with a couple of people away every time (maybe go at the same time then?).

I promised my niece that we would go to see them in concert the next time that they are in the country. But given the pandemic and their possible enlistment sometime soon, I am wondering if that will ever happen. 

As happy as I am with their English songs, I find that I am currently listening more to their Korean songs and enjoying them a lot. I love how music truly is a language in itself. They even have this song in Japanese called Film Out that I fell in love with completely the first time I heard it. My heart ached to hear the sadness of the song. I did not know what it meant with the words, but the way they were singing it told me the story all the same. Once I read the translation to it online, I was surprised to know I was right! They were that good at interpreting the song that I was able to understand it without the words!

BTS has also given me something to bond with at work. We all used to be quiet and listening to our own music while working at our desks, but there was one break where someone unplugged her earphones and I suddenly heard a BTS song. I asked who it was and all of a sudden I realized how many at the office were fans. We keep each other updated now on whatever is happening with the group and it has been great to have something to make me look forward to going to work in the morning!

During these trying times, BTS has been one of the things that have helped to lift me up when I am feeling down. I appreciate the positivity that they bring into my life. It would be a shame if this all had to end abruptly because of their military enlistment, but I respect the fact that they will do so. Still hoping for an exemption, but I am not holding my breath about that. 

Are any readers out there also part of the BTS Army? Please leave a comment and share how you feel about the guys!