Internet is Filled with BTS for Beginners

BTS for Beginners

For the people who view music as not just an auditory composition but as a holistic performance, BTS is a force to be reckoned with. This boy-band, hailing from the far reaches of South Korea, has taken the world by storm through their thematic lyrics, their quirky take on pop, their aesthetic choreography, their flashy personalities, and their fashion sense. All in all, they have succeeded in creating a space for the unspoken, non-Western agencies in the cultural consciousness of the Western generations. If you wish to know more about them or even better, join the ‘BTS army’, then stick with me and I will guide you through their kaleidoscopic scene.

Basics

BTS is an acronym that stands for ‘Bangtan Sonyeondan’ which when translated to English comes out as ‘Bulletproof Boy Scouts’. Since 2017, the group’s been rebranded as ‘Beyond the Scene’. The band itself consists of seven male-only members. There’s Kim Namjoon (Rap Monster)—the leader and the only English speaking member of the group, Kim Seokjin (Jin)—the oldest and ‘worldwide handsome’, Min Yoongi (Suga)—the tongue-twisting solo rapper, Jung Hoseok (J-Hope)—main hip hop dancer and rapper, Park Jimin—lead singer and dancer, Kim Taehyung (V)—caramel voiced singer, and Jeon Jungkook—the younger member of the group and a ball of energy.

A Journey of Struggle

The BTS boys did not get to acquire their international fame overnight. Represented by a mediocre organization, they worked their way up to the top, facing backlashes and criticisms many times in between. With sheer willpower and gradual refinement of their craft, they superseded their contemporaries, and saw their albums, like ‘Love Yourself’, hit the number one spot on Billboard and other popular chart markers. I urge you to catch their top songs on iTunes over your internet and if you get that internet from spectrum internet customer service then you will see their rising fame for yourself.

Boundary-Breaking Music

It would not be wrong to say that everything about BTS is iconoclastic. Music-wise, they create a mixture of Korean and Western sound influences and gel it all inside their own unique hip-hop aesthetic. Even if you don’t understand the foreign language part of the lyrics, you can decipher the meaning via a handful of flavorsome English words that are sprinkled here and there, plus the overall context. Message-wise, their music address non-conventional themes, like sexuality, mental illness, youth struggles, and the conservative society’s inhibitions to name a few. Non-conventional in the sense that they are acutely realistic given the strict Korean context, and is not something you find in other K-Pop scenes which touch a bubblegum pink gaudiness.

Liquid Choreography

A majority of themes in BTS’s music videos are relayed through complex dance routines that are dialed to perfection. Each move is sculpted and planned to ideally complement the lyrics and the beat. Like, for instance, the pumped-up dance number ‘Not Today’ shows the boys doing more legwork to signify a new-found force of determination, with a silvery ninja-like elegance to highlight the subtlety of it all. In addition to this energetic harmony, BTS likes to amplify the sensuality in their music videos through an interesting color-coordination of dresses, wigs, and personas—each distinct and standing out, yet corroborating the aura of the whole group.

Cinematic Storytelling

BTS knows how to tell a story through their music videos. However, these stories are described so artistically that they verge on the cinematic, taking the audience’s emotions on a proper roller coaster ride. Take ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ for instance. It starts with the boys strolling through a museum of antiquities when one of them loses himself in a, particularly intricate painting. That’s when the video starts taking a hypnotic turn, addressing themes of fate, fall from grace, life and death through visually appealing sequences, like in a movie.

With all of this and so much more, BTS promises a redefinition of the current music industry standards, taking the art to new horizons along the way. Stay tuned for more!

Sebastian

Sebastian was born and raised in the busy city of Abbottabad. As a journalist, Saad Mushtaq has contributed to many online publications including the PAK Today and the Huffing Post. In regards to academics, Saad Mushtaq earned a degree in business from the Abbottabad UST, Havelian. Saad Mushtaq follows the money and covers all aspects of emerging tech here at The Hear Up.Thanks