I started listening to BTS albums from the beginning of their musical journey and this series will feature my thoughts on each of those albums. There are a lot of albums but there is also a lot of solo work that I’m interested in covering here on the blog so I decided to just name this feature, The BTS Listen because I’m an organization nerd and things need to be well organized for me or I get itchy.
I’m completely caught up on all of BTS’s albums so I’m moving on to their solo work. I’ll go in order of release date and go through their Soundcloud and just listen to all of them. I’m ready to listen to the music that shapes each member. They’re all so different as solo artists than who they are in the group.
This week, I’m featuring my guy Suga as Agust D. Suga’s solo rap name is DT Suga backward. DT stands for Daegu Town, which is where Suga is from.
Release Date: August 15, 2016 Track List: Intro ; Dt sugA (feat. DJ Friz), Agust D, Give it To Me, skit, 724148, 140503 at dawn, The Last, Tony Montana, Interlude; Dream & Reality, So Far Away (Suran) Favorite Song: Agust D, and So Far Away Favorite Line: A number of druggie rappers should be thankful that I’m an idol and
Agust D is the debut mixtape by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of boy-band BTS. It was released on August 15, 2016, by Big Hit Entertainment on SoundCloud.
Alright, this week I’ll be listening to Suga’s rap alter ego, Agust D’s first mixtape, Agust D. This mixtape was released back in 2016 and though I’ve heard some of the songs off this album already, I haven’t paid much attention to the songs or to Suga as Agust D so I’m changing that right now. There are 7 actual songs on here but the other two listed are an intro and a skit. I won’t be talking about those in this post.
The first song on this album is the song that has my favorite line on the album on. It’s the title track and it’s such a good one. I’ve heard this song and I know the history behind it so it was good to listen to it again. Suga is talking his shit and I am so here for it. Give It To Me is next and it’s another fantastic rap song. I hope these fuckers that keep messing with Suga learned their lessons because damn, Suga was mad mad back in the day and he was letting folks know it on this one.
Next up is 724418. So I guess this song is named after the two bus numbers that Suga used to take back in the day from Daegu to Seoul. This song reads like a journal entry and I thought it was interesting to hear Suga’s thoughts on moving up near Gangnam, which is supposed to be like the Beverly Hills of South Korea. This guy is very specific on actual dates and his thoughts about his life back then and again, I’m so here for it. 140503 at Dawn is a short song but it packs a punch because Suga is still speaking his truth about the stuff he went through back then. It’s another good one.
The Last is up next and man this song. This song sounds like Suga’s absolute truth. He talks about his depression, his therapy sessions with his parents, and man this entire song hit me right in my heart. Even if you’re not reading the lyrics, you can hear how raw his pain was and how much hurt he was drowning in. Yikes, it doesn’t feel right to say that I loved this song since this song is mostly about Suga’s pain but it’s a compelling song that speaks to Suga’s experiences and I hope having gotten all of that out in the open, made things better for him. My guy was in pain!!
Tony Montana is a song that I thought originally featured my guy Park Jimin but it’s not. He joined Suga on stage during the third Muster to sing that song with him and honestly, I prefer that version to the one that’s actually on the album though I did like the album version as well. Last up is, So Far Away and I like the melody of this song. It’s softer than the other songs on the album though it’s no less intense and raw than the other songs. All of the other songs are sad when you read the lyrics and hear the stories behind each song but those songs were more on the angry side of Suga’s pain. This song feels a lot more sad and shows a more vulnerable side to Suga and man it smacked me upside my head. I teared up listening to this song, it’s definitely a good one.
To me, Suga as Agust D is the artist that I think Suga would be if he wasn’t in BTS. He’s intense, he’s raw, and he reminds me so much of Eminem. He raps fast like Eminem. He kills his enemies with bars that make me so embarrassed for whoever pissed him off enough that he had to write multiple songs about them. Agust D is a lot different from Suga. He’s got this aggressive way of getting his message across and this album was more a reflection of how he became Suga. From the early days of his training to his debut with BTS, Suga holds nothing back. This album was very honest and it was deep and it made me feel for the Suga that he used to be, the struggles he went through, and for the hardships that continue to follow him now. He’s proven that he’s resilient and that he’s strong and I absolutely loved every moment of listening to this album.
I started listening to BTS albums from the beginning of their musical journey and this series will feature my thoughts on each of those albums. There are a lot of albums but there is also a lot of solo work that I’m interested in covering here on the blog so I decided to just name this feature, The BTS Listen because I’m an organization nerd and things need to be well organized for me or I get itchy.
I’m completely caught up on all of BTS’s albums so I’m moving on to their solo work. I’ll go in order of release date and go through their Soundcloud and just listen to all of them. I’m ready to listen to the music that shapes each member. They’re all so different as solo artists than who they are in the group.
This week, I’ll be featuring RM’s first solo mixtape album. Let’s go to it, shall we?
Release Date: March 20, 2015 Track List: Voice, Do You, Awakening, Monster, Throw Away, Joke, God Rap, Rush, Life, Adrift, I Believe Favorite Song: Do You Favorite Line: Yeah man i told you that im a monster, That why i be rappin non stop, I do want your hands at the concert, Want your fuckin damn erry hands at the concert,
Hit me
RM is the debut mixtape by RM. It was released on March 20, 2015, with “Awakening” serving as the mixtape’s title track.
There are eleven tracks on this debt mixtape that RM released back in 2015 and I’m ready to dig right in. My favorite rapper in the group is Suga but that’s more because his style of rapping is the style that I vibe with the most. I do really enjoy both RM and J Hope so I’m looking forward to working my way through their solo stuff. Starting with RM’s solo debut, RM.
This solo album kicks off with a track called Voice. While reading the lyrics and listening to the song, it sounds like a self-reflection song. RM is remorseful about some regrettable past actions and I felt it. I even cried a little listening to this one. I like it. Immediately following Voice, we get Do You and that song is fan-freaking-tastic. The beat, the lyrics, RM did his thing on this one and I also really enjoyed the music video.
Awakening is the next song and I think it was the perfect title for that song. The lyrics, the tone of the song, and the beat? Yeah, it all felt like we were witnessing RM’s awakening and I was here for it. Another fantastic song. Next up is Monster and oooohh RM is a mother fucking monster for this one. He is straight talking his shit and I love it. Listening to this song, reading the lyrics, and remembering his history makes me admire him all the more.
Throw Away is the next song and it’s got a rock feel to it. It’s very aggressive but still very good. It’s probably my least favorite song off the album but not because it’s bad, I just really like the other songs so far. Next up is Joke. Okayyyy RM. We get it, you are really good at what you do and to all of them haters out there who gave him shit when BTS was just getting started? Haha, I wonder how dumb they feel now? I’m glad that RM got to get all of the stuff off his chest because my guy was mad mad at everyone. I’m not mad though because he produced some great songs as a result.
God’s Rap is a hidden track that isn’t on Soundcloud so I didn’t listen to that one even though it’s the seventh song on this album. I’ll find it eventually and listen to it. Following that song is Rush featuring Krizz Kaliko. I really like this song. I liked hearing their different styles of rapping and the song is overall a very catchy song with a good beat and great lyrics. A winner for sure.
Life is up next and it’s a slower song that is mainly about just that…life. I enjoyed the slower vibe of this song though it’s not one of my favorites on the album. Adrift is another slower song where RM does a little of that sing rap that Drake and J Hope does. I’m used to hearing J Hope do this but I did really like hearing RM sing a little bit while still rapping as well. The last song on the album is called I Believe that features the rest of the guys and this song is different from what I’m used from BTS but it was great and I enjoyed it.
RM has evolved as an artist over the years so he’s not as angry as he was in both BTS and his earlier solo songs. You can tell that he’s learning from his mistake during the making of this album and he’s trying to do better, which is all anyone can ask for. I’m glad that he’s a lot more comfortable in his skin, in his fame, and in his music. This was a great album from beginning to end and even though I didn’t love every song, it was more of a preference thing than the songs being mad. RM is really good at making music and I hope that we get a lot more music from him because I loved this and look forward to hearing more.
I started listening to BTS albums from the beginning of their musical journey and this series will feature my thoughts on each of those albums. There are a lot of albums but there are also a lot of solo work that I’m interested in covering here on the blog so I decided to just name this feature, The BTS Listen because I’m an organization nerd and things need to be well organized for me or I get itchy.
This week, I’ll be featuring the BE Album. The BE album is the pandemic album that BTS worked on to gift Army with something that will help us cope with being stuck indoors throughout the pandemic. Aren’t they so good to us? This album is a short but packed album that tops off at 28 minutes on the listening scale.
Release Date: November 20, 2020 Track List: Life Goes On, Fly to My Room, Blue & Grey, Skit, Telepathy, Dis-ease, Stay, Dynamite Favorite Song: Life Goes On, Telepathy Favorite Line: People say the world has changed, Thankfully between you and me, it’s still the same.
BTS is returning with their new album BE to unfold another chapter of 2020.
As a sense of helplessness looms in every corner of the world, BTS opens themselves up to express their mixed feelings about this situation—fear and anxiety mingled with the determination to overcome all this. The album consists of a total of eight tracks including the No.1 summer hit “Dynamite” and lead single “Life Goes On”. The latter speaks on behalf of everyone stuck in the new normality brought on by COVID-19: one day, the world stopped without any warning, streets erased of footsteps and the way out is nowhere near in sight. BTS echoes in a low voice the comforting message that in the face of unexpected turns “Life Goes On” and extends their hands towards the future.
The BE album dropped on November 20, 2020 and it was my first official BTS comeback. I’m not lying when I tell you guys that I was super excited for the release day. I woke up extra early to run to Target and get my album. Haha, funny story about the release day. I work from home so my days tend to blend together but I was so ready for November 20th to get here. It’s a week after my birthday and it was going to be a belated birthday gift to myself. So the day gets here and I’m up early as hell because I needed to go and get it before I started work. I got dressed, brushed my hair, put on some presentable clothes, and drove all the way to Target. I run inside, straight to the electronics section only to discover NO BE albums out on display. I was so mad so I’m like, okay it’s early so maybe they just haven’t put them out yet. I stop a worker and ask about any new BTS albums and she had no idea what I was talking about so I pull it up on my phone and realize that…it’s November 19th and not the 20th so I was too early and I had nobody to be mad at but myself so since the albums weren’t on sale yet, I bought some damn donuts and took my dumbass home. LOL. Moral of the story? Check your calendar before you have an attitude.
Anyway, let’s get on with the reason for this post. I can’t believe we’re already here. The latest album from BTS. I feel like I started this journey so long ago and it feels that way because there were a lot of albums to go through. Man, it’s been a blast for me. BTS fans have been super spoiled for the last seven years and they signed on for 7 more years? Yippy skippy!
This album kicks off with a slow ballad called Life Goes On. This is a group song and the other title track off the album. I have two favorite songs on this album and this is one of them. This song is such a feel good song that speaks on what the boys are feeling and going through during the pandemic. They’re just as sad as us but if we just hold on a little longer, life will go and we’ll be able to go outside again. We’ll be together again. I have so much love for this song and I don’t even care that I’ve heard this song a million times. I still love it dammit!
Fly to My Room is next up and it’s another slower song that features Jimin and V on vocals along with J Hope and Suga bringing the rap line goodness. This song speaks on exactly what we’ve been going through this last year. A year was stolen from us and being stuck in our rooms so we might as well make our rooms, our spaces into the places we love most in the world. This song could so be the world’s anthem for the last year. I love it.
Next up is Blue & Grey. This is the song that V wrote when he was depressed so it’s a slow ballad that I’m not going to lie, I cried the first time that I heard it. I read the lyrics along with listening to it and man, that man was hurting and I’m glad that I read what he said about writing this song. He explained that when he was having a bad time, he started writing this song and it helped him get his feelings out into the world and after he was done, the depression seemed to dissipate and he was able to let go of all of those feelings and move on. He’s a lot happier now and I’m so glad for him. Knowing the backstory of this song makes me love it so much more and though it’s a very sad song, there’s a wistful hopefulness to it that makes me happy.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard a skit with the boys just talking to each other but there’s one in this album and if you don’t speak Korean, I highly recommend checking this video out cause they’ve got you covered.
Now, it’s Telepathy time. This is my absolute favorite song from the whole album. It’s such a fun, upbeat song with a message of hope that BTS and Army will be reunited again and I’m so here for it. Suga wrote this song in thirty minutes and if that ain’t impressive, I don’t know what is. Do I love this song? Hella.
Dis-ease is the next song and it’s a J-Hope song that everyone is part of. J-Hope said that he got the idea to write this song by wanting to talk about sickness. He wanted to talk about his inability to rest properly during the pandemic because he was constantly working on things and that’s his dis-ease. We all have our own shit that we’re working through, a dis-ease, if you will and he packed those thoughts into this song and what we got was an up-beat song with a hopeful message that though you have a love-hate relationship with something, you can overcome it. This is a great song, with an old school vibe that I dug.
The next song, Stay, is a unit song that features Jungkook, Jin, and RM. It’s another upbeat song with what sounds like EDR influences. Jungkook spoke about this song at the BE global press conference and said that this song is about how even though we’re all far a part now, we still always stay together and if that ain’t the truth, I don’t know what is. It’s another fun song that lifts spirits and keeps us all together through the power of music. I’m all about it.
The last song on the album is a song that everyone in the world is familiar with. It’s the first song that BTS has ever released that is ALL IN ENGLISH. It got nominated for a Grammy and though the boys didn’t win, they still lit up the Grammy’s like dynamite (and so did Army, haha). Dynamite was the first song that released while I was already a BTS fan so I love it. Jimin said that this song is a song that he thought would lift Army’s spirit and give them something to be happy about and he’s right. I didn’t know that I needed 30 versions of this song but I’ll take them all.
Overall, this was the album we all needed in this crazy, wacked out time that we’re living in. BTS made this for Army to help us through the pandemic and we are so damn fortunate to have a group that loves us enough to do something like this. This album is too short but I don’t even care because it’s still packed with goodness that is still making me super happy, four months later. The physical album is a thing of beauty and I’m so glad that I got it. Photocards, postcards, great music, and posters of our favorite 7? Yes, please!! So good!
Favorite Performance
This is the performance I needed during this damn pandemic. I needed this whole album, to be honest, and I’m grateful that BTS gave us something to get us through. This song, in particular, is one of my absolute favorite songs on the album and I was so damn happy when the song started up on their MTV Unplugged show. This performance showcases a lot of what I love about watching these guys perform. You can see how much they love to perform for us. They’re so happy and it shows! I just love this performance to pieces.
I started listening to BTS albums from the beginning of their musical journey and this series will feature my thoughts on each of those albums. There are a lot of albums but there are also a lot of solo work that I’m interested in covering here on the blog so I decided to just name this feature, The BTS Listen because I’m an organization nerd and things need to be well organized for me or I get itchy.
Release Date: April 12, 2019 Track List: Intro: Persona, Boy with Luv (Feat. Halsey), Mikrokosmos, Make it Right, Home, Jamais Vu, Dionysis Favorite Song: Dionysis Favorite Line: 니가 있는 곳, The place where you are, 아마 그곳이 Mi Casa, Perhaps that place is my home, With you I’mma feel rich
GLOBAL ICON BTS POURS OUT THEIR HEARTS TO FANS
FINDING JOY IN LOVE AND REACHING OUT TO THE WORLD THROUGH THE LEAD SINGLE ‘Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)’
BTS signals the beginning of a brand new story with the release of their newest EP MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA on April 12.
As global superstars who play stadiums and are loved by countless fans across the world, BTS now looks to shape the future reflecting on and using the power they have gained while embracing all its shadows.
Opening the MAP OF THE SOUL series with PERSONA, BTS talks about the joy in finding love and reaches out to the world with the messages they want to share with their fans. The band is especially curious about the stories of each and everyone who have helped them become who they are today.
There are a total of seven tracks in this album, through which BTS weaves together what they genuinely felt both within themselves and the ever-widening world around them. Through RM’s solo piece ‘Intro: Persona’, BTS asks the fundamental question: ‘Who am I?’. World-leading singer Halsey takes part as a featured artist in the lead single ‘Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)’ where BTS talks about how true strength and love come from finding joy in the little things in life and reaching out to the world.
The album includes ‘Mikrokosmos’ which paints the world around oneself through human interest and the collaboration with world-famous singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, ‘Make It Right’. In ‘HOME’, BTS finds refuge from their hardships and loneliness where their fans are. ‘Jamais Vu’ is a unit song by j-hope, Jin, Jung Kook and ‘Dionysus’ is a signature BTS hip hop track blasting ad-libs and powerful beats from start to finish.
There are only 7 songs on this album so it’s a short listen, 26 minutes to listen to it from beginning to end (according to Spotify). There’s still a great bunch of songs released with this album and again, there is something for everyone on this one.
Intro: Persona is a short rap song that RM heads up on his own. The beat is funky and the song itself is pretty fun, highlighting RM’s rapping skills. I like it a lot. Boy with Luv (featuring Halsey) is a pretty popular song as this is probably the first song that I heard from BTS, only I didn’t know that BTS sang it. This is another upbeat fun song that is a bop and the choreography to this one is fun too. Mikrokosmos is another feel-good song that speaks of 7 billion lights that I think represent everyone in the world and how different each light is. This one feels like it’s a song about the celebration of humanity and I am here for more goodness out in the world. Make it Right is a song that was composed by Lauv, Ed Sheeran, the boys, and some other folks and it’s another fantastic addition to this album. Make it Right is followed by Home, which is another excellent song. They performed this song on Jimmy Fallon’s BTS week and it was that performance that really made me sit up and take notice of this song and it’s a good one. Jamais Vu is a subunit song with just Jin, JK, and J Hope and it’s another good song. It’s an easy-going song that really blends their voices together really well. The album ends with my favorite song of the entire album (which is good considering I liked every song) and that song is Dionysis which sounds like an eat, drink, and be merry song with Greek mythology vibes and it’s bomb. I like, hella love this song. It’s catchy as hell, fun to sing along to and their performance of this song? AMAZING!
Overall, this album was too short but still amazing. I wanted more and I’m glad that I discovered these guys AFTER both albums were released because my greedy ass would have been thirsty for more and just anxious for more. Every song on this album made me happy so while I wanted more music, what we got was stellar.
Favorite Performance
This is probably my favorite performance of all time. Everything about this performance hits all of my happy spots and I couldn’t get enough of the entire thing. From RM rapping Intro: Persona to Boys in Luv and then that amazing performance of Dionysis to end the entire show? Yep, all of it is the best.
Release Date: February 21, 2020 Track List: Intro: Persona, Boy with Luv (Feat. Halsey), Make it Right, Jamais Vu, Dionysus, Interlude: Shadow, Black Swan, Filter, My Time, Louder than Bombs, ON, Ugh!, 00:00 (Zero O’Clock), Inner Child, Friends, Moon, Respect, We are Bulletproof: the Eternal, Outro: Ego Favorite Song: Black Swan, UGH, and 00:00 (Zero o’Clock) Favorite Line: 초침과 분침이 겹칠 때, When the second hand and the minute hand overlap, 세상은 아주 잠깐 숨을 참아 the world holds its breath for a very brief moment, Zero O’Clock, And you gonna be happy
BTS Releases 4th Studio Album “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7”!
A heartfelt story of BTS and their search for their “real selves”
BTS will release their fourth studio album “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7” on February 21.
Unveiled last year, the MAP OF THE SOUL series contains the honest and heartfelt story of BTS and their journey of discovering their true selves. The first chapter of this story, “MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA”, sang about the world and the joy of love, and the discovery of the self as it is displayed to the world; “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7” now turns inward to the shadow within in a candid acknowledgement that it, too, is part of the self.
“MAP OF THE SOUL: 7” looks back on the past seven years of BTS since their debut as seven members of one team. The journey was not always smooth sailing, and there were special travails that they had to endure in their rise as global superstars. Now, understanding that the scars left by those hardships is a part of their real selves, BTS accepts both “the self I want to show” and the “self I want to scorn” to at last tell their own story of finding their “real and complete selves”.
Bridging fine art and popular art through such initiatives as the global art project CONNECT, BTS, and the “Black Swan” art film featuring a modern dance interpretation of the early-release track, BTS is poised to show their latest growth as artists through “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7”.
Map of the Soul: 7 was the album that had just dropped when I first started getting into the group. They were preparing for the Map of the Soul concert before the ‘rona messed up those plans. That bums me out even though I doubt I would have spent $300 for concert tickets back then. I will drop that money happily now but back then? I’m doubtful. I won’t share my thoughts on the songs from Persona but I’ll do a rundown of some quick thoughts on all of the rest of the songs.
So we’re gonna start with Suga’s solo song Interlude: Shadow and this isn’t my favorite Suga song but I did enjoy it. What I like a lot about BTS’ music and Army is that there are a lot of theory posts and videos about each of their songs and I really love to delve into the posts and the videos to discover what message the boys are pushing. It’s really impressive how much thought and work goes into each song. The message behind Suga’s Interlude: Shadow is an interesting one and makes the song shine brighter because of it. Here’s a great theory post and it’s a definite recommended read. Next up, we’ve got Black Swan, which is one of my favorite songs on the album. I love that there aren’t any topics that are off-limits for these guys. In this song, they cover the topic of losing their passion for music and creating music and I think the song is beautiful. Each verse and the chorus just melt together in one of the best songs that I’ve ever listened to. Such a great song. Filter is up next and it’s a Jimin solo song. The performance for this song is probably my favorite thing about this song. It’s a good song but it’s not my favorite but that performance??? Oh yeah, super great. Jimin is second to none when it comes to contemporary dancing in my opinion. Jungkook is up next for his solo song with My Time and this is another one of those songs where the meaning just hits all of my happy buttons. The inspiration behind this song, JK’s performance to this song are done so well and I’m a big fan of it.
Louder than Bombs is up next and it’s a slower song that doesn’t get a lot of love but I love it. I love the feel, the sexy vibe and I think V’s vocals really shine on this song. ON is an intense song that brings the heat. The choreo for this song is amazing and it’s just a fun song all around. UGH! is a rap line song and holy shit it’s one of my favorites. The message behind it makes me so happy and I agree wholeheartedly! Stop being trolls on the internet and use your rage to make positive changes in the world. 00:00 (Zero O’Clock) is the vocal line song and it’s another one of my favorite songs on this album. Their message is another good one. No matter how bad things get for you, midnight is just around the corner and once midnight hits, the world will hold its breath for a moment and a new start is possible. You can always turn things around and be happy.
V’s solo song is next with Inner Child and it’s another sweet V song that only V could sing. It’s a beautiful nod to the boy he used to be and the man that he is now. V and Jimin keep the party going with their song, Friends. This is another fantastic song about their friendship. It’s not a song about friendship but about their specific friendship. Army’s will get all of the inside little tidbits on this song and it’s just a super special song that I enjoy a lot. Moon is a Jin solo song that made me happy, especially when asked about the song, Jin responded by saying, “Army is my world and I am their Moon” and that response was just as sweet and cute as this song. Next up, RM and Suga team up to bring us their song, Respect. It’s got an old school hip hop feel to it and I dig it. In true RM and Suga fashion, the message behind this one is delivered in an upbeat and fun way but they tell us that we shouldn’t forget that respect has many meanings and not all of them are great. We are Bulletproof: the Eternal is next and it’s another fantabulous song. It’s one that made me cry the first time that I listened to it, while watching the video. The song and the video do a great job of telling the BTS story from the boys themselves. It’s a song for Army and gah, it’s just so great. The album finishes out with J-Hope’s solo song, Outro: Ego. J Hope’s songs are upbeat, fun and colorful and that’s no different in this one. This song makes me super happy. It was the perfect way to end the album. Sure, there’s a remix of ON featuring Sia but that’s not my favorite song on the album. I much prefer the original version though I don’t hate the remix.
Overall, this was another amazing album and showcases just how hard the boys work. They always do a great job of putting together albums that cater to everyone and not just one specific part of the fandom. Hip hop lovers will enjoy Intro, Interlude, and Ego tracks along with UGH! and Respect. R&B lovers will love Zero O’Clock and Black Swan and fans of pop (k-pop or just regular ol’ English pop) music will enjoy Filter, My Time, Dionysis, Jamais Vu, and just everything. There really is something for everyone and this album is a testament to why BTS is so popular around the world. They really are that good and I definitely recommend this one if you want to have a good time.
Favorite Performance
Are you guys surprised that I didn’t pick one of their amazing group performances with even more amazing choreography? Nah, for me this performance was super cute and I smiled so hard throughout the entire song. They poke fun at one of their fights that was heard all over the world. Every single Army knows all about the fight between V and Jimin during V’s filming of Hwarang. At the same time that V was filming the k-drama, Hwarang (with Park Seo Joon and Park Hyung Sik), BTS was also preparing for a world tour. V came to rehearsals and he was super hungry so he asked one of the staff to get him some mandu (dumplings). When it was delivered, V wanted to eat it really quick and Jimin wanted to finish practice really quick, and …they fought about it. I love that the boys were able to take their fight that everyone talks about in every single interview and online everywhere and turn it into a song that brought them close together again. Jimin and V’s friendship is probably my favorite friendship of all and I just adore this performance so much.
I started listening to BTS albums from the beginning of their musical journey and this series will feature my thoughts on each of those albums. There are a lot of albums but there are also a lot of solo work that I’m interested in covering here on the blog so I decided to just name this feature, The BTS Listen because I’m an organization nerd and things need to be well organized for me or I get itchy.
Release Date: September 17, 2017 Track List: Intro: Serendipity, DNA, Best of Me, Dimple, Pied Piper, Skit: Billboard Music Awards Speech, MIC Drop, Go Go, Outro: Her Favorite Song: Pied Piper Favorite Line: 아들이 넘 잘나가서 미안해 엄마 | That I’m too successful, I’m sorry, mom
BTS releases LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘HER’!
“Loving yourself is the beginning of true love”,
All the different faces of love expressed through the signature music of BTS!
On September 18, BTS will release 承 ‘HER’, the first album in the new LOVE YOURSELF series.
LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘HER’ is an expression of the anxiety and elation of love, told in the unique style of BTS. The “love” that BTS aims to convey in the LOVE YOURSELF series is both the individual experience of a boy growing into adulthood and a message of peace and unity to our society today. In the mini-album 承 ‘HER’ that begins this new narrative, the image of boys in love for the first time is expressed in a refreshing and cheerful take that aims to talk about the topic of “love” while immersed in a coming-of-age tale.
I’ve been waiting to get to these albums because my all-time favorite BTS songs are from this album trio. I just really like the vibe from this era. Their message of Love Yourself, Speak Yourself is one that resonated with me because as a lifelong fan of pop culture and romance novels, I’ve always been dragged for liking those “little boys” and those smutty books from everyone around me, and growing up, I kept a lot of my love of everything to myself. I’ve never been vocal about the things that I love unless I was close to you and you were stuck with having to hear about everything that I love, all the damn time. LOL.
This album features a nice variety of songs that I just love to pieces. I think the worst part of this album was we only got a teaser from Serendipity, haha. But for real though. There isn’t one song on this album that I didn’t like. My favorite song of the bunch is Pied Piper. I love that BTS is poking fun at Army and telling them to get their work done, there will be plenty of time afterward to analyze their MV’s later. I also love MIC Drop because I’m a very petty person and that song speaks to my soul. LOL. Dimple is one of the songs that I listened to for the first time early in my discovery of BTS. So it’s got a special place in my BTS-loving heart even though I still think the line, “So I’ll call you illegirl” is corny as shit. LOL.
This was another fabulous bunch of songs and I swear their songs are getting better and better. I definitely recommend this one.
Favorite Performance
There are a lot of great performances for the songs on this album and I love them all but, I love this one just a smidge more. This entire Muster was fantastic! For me, JK and V really stand out in this performance. I love me some Jimin and Jin and they’re great in this performance as well but JK and V really hit this performance out of the park. This is the JK that I absolutely love! V’s on stage antics and performances are my absolute favorite and it’s showcased so well in this one.
Release Date: May 18, 2018 Track List: Intro: Singularity, Fake Love, The Truth Untold (Feat. Steve Aioki), 134340, Paradise, Love Maze, Magic Shop, Airplane Pt. 2, Anpanman, So What, Outro: Tear Favorite Song: Magic Shop Favorite Line: I do believe your galaxy, 듣고 싶어 너의 멜로디, 너의 은하수의 별들은, 너의 하늘을 과연 어떻게 수놓을지, 나의 절망 끝에, 결국 내가 널 찾았음을 잊지마, 넌 절벽 끝에 서 있던 내 마지막 이유야, Live
BTS releases third studio album LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘TEAR’
Fake love inevitably leads to loss and separation,
For true love can only begin when you learn to love yourself
BTS will release LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘TEAR’, their third studio album on May 18.
BTS’ LOVE YOURSELF series bears the message that loving oneself is the beginning of true love. Whereas the previously unveiled LOVE YOURSELF 起 ‘WONDER’ and LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘HER’ albums expressed the heart-fluttering and tingling moments of love, LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘TEAR’ album embodies the pain of boys faced with parting.
So far, this is my favorite BTS album. This is at the top of my favorites. It’s got a lot of bops on here but it also has my all-time favorite BTS song, Magic Shop on here. This is the kind of album that I needed back when I was growing up. I can appreciate this entire album because I love myself a lot more these days but I can totally see this album speaking to the younger generation who are discovering who they are now. There’s a lot of great songs here. There are 43 minutes of a good time to be had listening to this one and R&B listeners will especially enjoy this one. There’s a lot of good stuff here. From Paradise to Love Maze, to Magic Shop and Airplane Pt. 2 and just the whole damn album is bomb. This is like an All Star line up of some of BTS best work. Go listen to it, you won’t regret it!
Favorite Performance
I absolutely love everything about this performance. The song, them high notes that the vocal line hits and every single rap verse that RM, Suga, and J Hope drop. Everything about this performance is perfection IMO.
Release Date: August 24, 2018 Track List: Euphoria, Trivia 起: Just Dance, Serendipity, DNA, Dimple, Trivia 承: Love, Her, Singularity, Fake Love, The Truth Untold (feat. Steve Aioki), Trivia 轉: Seesaw, Tear, Epiphany, I’m fine, IDOL, Answer: Love Myself, Magic Shop, Best of Me, Airplane Pt. 2, Go Go, Anpanman, MIC Drop, DNA (Pedal 2 LA Mix), Fake Love (Rocking Vibe Mix), MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) Favorite Song: Serendipity, Singularity, Epiphany Favorite Line: You can’t stop me loving myself
BTS, LOVE YOURSELF 結 ‘ANSWER’
“Loving oneself is where true love begins”
A celebration with the ARMY
First unveiled in March of 2016, the BTS LOVE YOURSELF series creates a narrative by linking the key songs in each album into a single theme, imparting the message that “loving yourself is true love”. Like a well-written novel having an introduction, development, twists, and conclusion it shared a compelling story for two and a half years.
‘ANSWER’ is the final piece of the puzzle. Though it’s a repackaged album, LOVE YOURSELF 結 ‘ANSWER’ still includes seven brand-new tracks. CD A is a concept album, its sixteen tracks all connected lyrically to highlight BTS’ prowess as both artists and storytellers.
This is the final album of the Love Yourself albums and it’s another one of those repackaged albums that includes some new songs that make things interesting. I’m not going to comment on the songs from the other two albums. The new songs include full-length versions of Serendipity, Singularity, Her and Tear, Euphoria, Trivia 起: Just Dance, Trivia 承: Love, Trivia 轉: Seesaw, Epiphany, I’m Fine, IDOL, and Answer: Love Myself. All of these songs are great. You’ll be hardpressed to find a bad song by these guys and it’s definitely not here on this album.
My favorite songs on this album are Serendipity, Singularity, and Epiphany. Those are my kind of songs. Each of them get a lot of playing time on my playlist. I even learned how to sing them because I like them so much and I don’t even speak Korean and singing songs in a language you don’t speak is hard as hell. Big ups to JK who sings a lot of English songs though he speaks English well now but still, the struggle was real for me but I liked those songs enough that I kept at it until I could sing them all. This was another shining example of how good BTS is and how diverse their range is. They cover a lot of different genres in their music and I’m here for it all. This album is worth getting, I promise it’s good.
Favorite Performance
There is something about this performance that I just absolutely love. I love the choreography, their vocals, how much fun they look like they’re having (especially V) and this song just always puts me in a good mood. I love it so much and I love their outfits for this number too. Just everything. I love every freaking thing.
