Listening to BTS’s music — a guide
It would take extreme measures to be active on the internet and not hear about BTS. You would have to go even further if you choose to avoid the “hype for BTS” that, according to you, might not last very long. However, despite these extreme measures, if you, even by accident, have stumbled upon a video of BTS being interviewed or one of their performances, and you want to know what the fuss is all about, this article is the right place for you.
You might have read a lot about how wonderful their music is, and about its extraordinary qualities, but what no one tells you to be ready for, is the fact that BTS don’t just make music, they handcraft immersive journeys based on their personal experiences.
The fully-immersive BTS experience comes in various parts — from the intricate choreographies to the storytelling explained through the sequencing of the songs and the albums. To take a deep dive into it and come out listening to excellent music on the other side, here’s a tiny plan you can try to follow.
Step 1: Listen to their discography.
So, congratulations! You stumbled upon a certain video and now you’re overly interested in knowing who these guys are, what they sing about, and what makes them so special, and what they hype is about.
The answers to these questions lie in their songs — all of them, not just the new ones.
It’s been eight years to BTS’s inception, and their identity, though ever-evolving, always shines through their music and the messages they give through each song and album.
To begin, why not read a bit about BTS on Wikipedia? Following that, open their discography on Spotify, and start listening, album-by-album, then head over to their YouTube channel, and experience cinematographic excellence with their music videos and their well executed performances.
A little self-promotion I’m afraid, but once, overwhelmed by the diversity of BTS’s music, I decided to make some basic playlists based on moods, carefully picked with BTS songs. If you’d like a place to begin, you can start here as well.
Here comes another obstacle — you might not be Korean, you might not know the language and you have no idea what they’re singing.
This problem is easily fixable — some of the most famous blogs over at the fandom focus on the nuances that each line and word of each BTS song hide (quite intelligently too). Here are some ways you can read about the meanings behind their songs —
- Doolset — This easy-to-navigate WordPress site has the translations of all songs that BTS has created or featured in, along with their solo projects. Along with that, Doolset explains the cultural context of the lyrics, without which the meanings of most songs cannot be grasped completely.
- Muish — Similar to Doolset, Muish’s directory of ramblings, quite true to its name, focuses on songs line-by-line, piecing together the various nuances hidden in the language to highlight the messages hidden in the music.
- Words By Bangtan — If you’re on Twitter, head over to the ARMY (that’s what you’re going to be calling yourself soon enough) side of twitter on the 25th of every month, and you’ll witness a movement of art, editing and think-pieces on the beauty of BTS’s music, with each month carrying a different theme to explore each aspect that BTS’s music offers.
Armed with these tools, you’re going to be more than ready to explore exactly what BTS offers that’s so different from the rest of the industry.
Step 2: Don’t forget these!
BTS offers music in Japanese, which can be found on Spotify. Many translators online, and on Twitter offer translations and explore their nuances as well.
BTS also offer music for free — most of their anniversary projects and their solo projects can be found on their SoundCloud profile. These songs are just as good as their official releases, and their translations can be explored in the sites mentioned above.
Step 3: Non-musical content
A unique selling point of BTS, apart from their music, is how committed they are to staying connected with their fans.
When it comes to social media, you can connect with BTS on most platforms (though, personally they are the most active on Twitter).
Another platform exclusive to BTS and the artists under the same label is Weverse, where BTS share posts and exclusive content (if you’re lucky, you can also have BTS interacting with you!) which includes these free-to-watch shows—
- Run BTS : A 100-episodes-and-more reality show where you can watch the members (quite hilariously) participate in games and challenges. From a skit in the police station to the art of making flower bouquets, the show offers BTS in their natural habitat, having fun with each other.
- Bangtan Gayo : An underrated gem. This fifteen-episode show has BTS competing under games and challenges focused on Korean music. Absolutely hilarious, and personally recommended.
Head over to Bangtan TV on YouTube, and you can catch snippets of their lives and their choreography videos as well. On Youtube, a plethora of interviews await you as well. You can start with BuzzFeed’s interview of them (and puppies).
Apart from these, Weverse offers exclusive paid content which includes some of their best concerts, Bon Voyage (a reality show/travelogue) and their documentaries (Break the Silence, Bring the Soul), which have been shot throughout their world tours.
Step 4: Keeping up with the Bangtan Boys
After being in this fandom for five years, here’s a fact I can guarantee — you will never be bored with BTS.
From music releases to brand endorsements to active communication on Twitter and Weverse, stay up to date with everything they do through their official account and the account of their label, Hybe, on Twitter.
The easiest way to stay in sync with what BTS do, is to head over to ARMY (that’s Adorable Representative MC for Youth. Don’t worry, the name grows on you; you’ll love it in no time) Twitter, set up an account, and dive into the fandom head-on.
While you can follow these steps in any order you like, if you’re someone looking for an excellent musical experience, it would be best for you to explore their entire discography before you head over to the fandom.
And that’s it! The only reason I have written this out, is because when I started out as a fan, I had no one to guide me, and I was the only one in my surroundings who listened to BTS. I stumbled around for half-a-year, before the existence and the music of BTS finally started making sense to me.
Having read this, I hope you can stumble around lesser than I did, and find me over on Twitter, having finally understood what all the hype over BTS was about.
