SEOUL, May 21 (Korea Bizwire) — BTS, the K-pop juggernaut that has emerged as the world’s biggest band, said its music has always been the best conclusion to the numerous questions the group contemplates on.
“We always question ourselves — what BTS wants to do, what we want to express and what people want to hear from us. From the school trilogy to ‘BE,’ each of our albums was the best answer to those questions,” RM said in a news conference in eastern Seoul on Friday.
The BTS member, who was speaking at the media event held in line with the release of new single “Butter,” said that this process of questioning and answering has continued throughout the pandemic.
“We feel responsible about what values we should seek in this era of new normal. The songs and albums we put out two to three times a year are our best conclusion at the moment,” he added.
From the school trilogy that urged listeners to question society’s norms on success and education to the introspective album “BE” that was released at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, BTS is known to release songs that speak about reality.
Jin said this sense of currentness could be one factor that has propelled the global craze for the group that began as a hip-hop group from a small, unknown management agency.
“People say thank you for speaking about the stories of our generation. There are a lot of people who relate to us and to the way we think and resolve (our worries). I think that may have made people’s hearts move toward us.”
Suga noted how this responsibility has grown over the year after realizing the power of music himself.
“Over the past year, I was encouraged and comforted by our music. This changed my perspective on music knowing that this is how people listen to and embrace our music,” said Suga.
“I grew up listening to music and (recently) felt more responsibility about making good music since I could also influence others.”
Seven-piece act BTS poses during a news conference for its new digital single “Butter” in eastern Seoul on May 21, 2021. (Yonhap)
J-hope agreed, noting how music has played a pivotal part in the group’s trajectory over the past year that includes major feats, like becoming the first K-pop act to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning its first Grammy nomination with megahit “Dynamite.”
“Music played the biggest role at the center of all of this,” he said.
“Music was a breakthrough when we were down and anxious, and it was also what brought on things to celebrate. I came to realize the power of music and felt that I wanted to give out good energy through music.”
In terms of energy, the new BTS single is abounding with positivity.
In contrast to its previous album “BE,” which was filled with more relaxed and contemplative songs on the feelings and scenes the group witnessed during the pandemic, “Butter” is a carefree and upbeat dance-pop, like “Dynamite.”
Rather than putting out a profound message, the group went for a song that people could easily enjoy.
“‘Butter’s very simple,” Jungkook said. “The weather is getting warmer and it will be good enough if many people can enjoy this summer with BTS.”
“From the title you can guess that we picked a song for easy listening,” Jimin said. “You can consider it as a cute love song. We tried to put our different charms into it — whether it be cute, cheeky or charismatic.”
But that doesn’t mean that “Butter” is only about being fun. The group, which was nominated for best pop duo/group performance for its first English-language single “Dynamite,” said its eyes are still on the music prize.
“It’s hard to say we don’t have thoughts about it. Our goal on getting a Grammy is still valid, and we will try once again with ‘Butter.’ We are waiting for a good result,” Suga said.
“I know that many people are wondering about this and it’s correct that we are thinking about it. We’ll try our best,” RM added.
This image, provided by Big Hit Music, shows a teaser image for the upcoming BTS single “Butter.”
The septet is known for being involved in songwriting and production and also releasing individual mixtapes. For the new single, RM took part in the songwriting for the rap parts.
The rapper-singer said that his job was to finetune the rap parts so that it would better fit with the group’s color.
“It was a very complete song but being a member of a group that is ambitious about songwriting, I felt that it would be better to put some final touches on the rap part,” he said.
“Working in a language that is not my mother tongue was not the easiest, but since I grew up listening to pop music, it was overall a fun and speedy job.”
The group said it also took part in creating some dance moves for the music video production.
“There’s a scene where we individually dance in an elevator and the choreography was made at the scene. Please look forward to each of our individual charms,” V said.
BTS, set to celebrate its eight-year anniversary in June, did not forget to thank its massive global fan base known as ARMY. In fact, the members dedicated a scene in the music video by forming the four alphabets of the word with their bodies.
“I’ve always thought that it was natural to do music for the fans who listen to our music. Even now, at a time when we are receiving so much love, I always conclude that I should do music for the fans, especially since I have sad memories of doing music that no one listened to,” Suga said.
“I think that’s what a musician should do.”
(Yonhap)
