The Art of Storytelling: Innovation by BTS
Stories are a celebration of humanity and are communicated through platforms as a form of expression or artistry. Stories would normally be shared between two receiving ends in a single channel: people in a conversation, a speaker to a crowd, an artist through their music. But I’ve only ever seen one group of people combine multiple mediums to birth a whole alternative universe. And that’s worldwide Korean boy band BTS, internationally known as Beyond the Scene. They create not only music, dance, art, and literature to tell the world of their narrative called “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life”, but also utilize technology for enhanced visualization, marketing, and multi-platform distribution.
BTS debuted in 2013 and is comprised of seven members: leader, rapper, and producer RM at the forefront; vocalist, visual, and the eldest member, Jin; rapper and producer Suga; dancer, rapper, and producer J-Hope; dancers and vocals Jimin and V; and youngest member, as well as the main vocal and lead dancer, Jungkook.
BTS is known for their self-composed and self-produced songs that root from their personal experiences “growing up” in the music industry. They translate their own stories into relatable messages that explore the themes of the struggle of youth and their pursuit for dreams and success, coming-of-age, the difficulty of mental illnesses, togetherness in friendship, and ultimately, the harrowing journey towards self-love, which are all significant experiences encountered by many in this age of expediency.
Now, what I found most interesting about their storytelling is that, while all the aforementioned themes have been reflected across their entire discography (which also holds a diverse range of genres from hip-hop, rap, rock, ballad, R&B, EDM, trap and the like), they melded all those elements together and integrated different forms of art to produce a spectacularly visual, auditory, and spiritual experience that is the story of “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life”.
This BTS universe begun with their early 2015 extended play album called “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1” (Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa in Korean, or HYYH), which deals with the struggles of mental health. Their titular single, “I NEED U”, manifests such themes where the members portray life in despair. J-Hope is seen overdosing on pills and subsequently fainting on a highway; V had killed his father and is now living with utmost regret for the sake of protecting him and his sister; and then there’s Suga and Jimin committing acts of suicide through death by fire and death by drowning, respectively.
By November of 2015, they released a sequel called “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2” where the main themes include camaraderie, friendship, and loneliness. This is told in the form of the music video “RUN”, where the boys are evidently in an “us against the world” concept, as freedom from inhibition takes its course.
By the first quarter of 2016, they released the final compilation of the HYYH universe called “Young Forever”, where they gave more emphasis on the enjoyment of youth (as is the title), as well as a combination of themes from the first two albums. “FIRE”, in particular, is an anthem of the underdogs to disrupt the norm. In contrast, “EPILOGUE: Young Forever” takes on a more sentimental tone lyrically and visually, representing the struggles and responsibilities of being artists of youth in whatever form and occupation.
In the same year, the “WINGS” album was released that reflected adulthood, forgiveness of the self, and responsibility for mistakes, all the while utilizing a stylized but substantive collection of classical art, literature, symbolism, and allegory for a richer narrative. “Blood Sweat & Tears” referenced works such as Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair’s Youth by Herman Hesse; The Fall of the Rebel Angels and the Landscape with the Fall of Icarus both painted by Peter Bruegel the Elder; and The Lament for Icarus by Herbert James Draper. Biblical motifs such as the event of The Last Supper, and a remodeled version of the Pietà by Michelangelo, were seen in some scenes, as well.
In 2017 all the way to 2018, the tripartite “LOVE YOURSELF” series became another of their hits, and focused on the path to self-love. The first edition, LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘Her’, mainly communicates the joys of loving oneself and others. The sequel, LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘Tear’, explores themes of pain, suffering, and separation, and more specifically, the difficulty of reconciling with yourself and your demons. The last release, LOVE YOURSELF 結 ‘Answer’, teaches oneself to appreciate the gradual process of self-love. Rather than rush the process, forgive and move on; it’s a journey, not a race.
What makes BTS stand out from the rest and establish a foothold in the international music scene is not just the relevance of their message, or their thought-provoking concepts; but it’s also the way they celebrate art and humanity through the following mediums: striking music videos for visualization, explosive live performances that also contain clues and secrets to the story, supplementary notes in the form of diary entries posted on their social media handles that house additional details to the fragmented universe (of course, originally posted in Korean; thus, translated by fans — like right here), and even a recently publicized webtoon called “SAVE ME” that, by far, answers a lot of questions to the HYYH universe. Surprisingly (or even as expected), BTS had recently tapped into the literary fountain and released preorders for their trilogy books called “Smeraldo Books” or “HYYH The Notes”, which are available in both English and Korean. Many fans have speculated that the books will finally draw the universe to a full circle after three years of being milked.
Moreover, because the narrative had been meticulously planned since the start of their debut and has not yet drawn to a close, the story of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life has also become such a fantastic marketing tool. Fans are once again re-streaming their previous music videos and songs to piece the visuals and imagery, the webtoon, and the notes together. Not only does this solidify the story even more, but it also entails exposure for BTS, their brand, music, message, and love of different art forms. It’s exactly this kind of marketing that keeps the fans hooked and anticipating, wanting and craving for more, all the while fueling artistic interpretation and getting their lives enlightened with the group’s heartfelt, healing, and inspiring messages. After all, marketing must be humanizing.
As it is, no artist has done it quite like BTS has. That’s why even though I’ve only been a fan since late 2016, that’s still the longest time I’ve stayed within a fandom because BTS are the artists of life. BTS use their voices and talents to inspire people of all ages to have strength against the face of adversity, and oftentimes, to go against the system and carve their own path to self-discovery. Their creativity and passion has encouraged many from various walks of life, and will continue to do so with their high engagement with and empathy for the audience. They are timeless and transcendent, and are constantly breaking the barriers of language and storytelling right at its core.
References
BTS Official Website: https://bts.ibighit.com/eng/
BTS Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/bts_bighit?lang=en
BTS Profiles (translated and curated from different K-media articles): https://kprofiles.com/bts-bangtan-boys-members-profile/
“I NEED U” Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMdTd9e-LEI
“RUN” Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wn85Ge22FQ
“FIRE” Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALj5MKjy2BU
“EPILOGUE: Young Forever” Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBj4y9Zibao
“Blood Sweat & Tears” Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmE9f-TEutc
Official SMERALDO Books Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/smeraldo_books?lang=en
HYYH Notes Translations: https://twitter.com/i/moments/918138828581347328?lang=en
“SAVE ME” Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/bts-save-me/list?title_no=1514&page=1
