Is BTS Relevant In 2020?

This is a collaboration blog between "Queen" from Pakistan and "Jen" from U. S.Our goal is to encourage creativity and honest communication across the miles.

{Anger, bitterness, denial...... }

How have BTS managed to remain relevant in 2020?

Just like you and I, the of BTS have more important things to do right now, than write and perform songs that encourage, entertain, comfort, and enlighten.

They are young, fearful, and depressed, longing for a time when they can put this nightmare year behind them. They can only do so much in the best of times, to make the world a better place. In the worst of times, they have different roles to play. They must focus on self preservation, concern for and protection of family , close friends, just like the rest of us. They are individual humans first, performers second.

They can't perform live on TV, or perform in stadiums or arenas in South Korea, in front of their adoring fans. It isn't safe to perform anywhere in the world right now, perhaps not at all this year.

They helped usher in the 2020 New Year LIVE in Times Square, New York. BTS is still the only musical act to sell at least 300,000 copies of one title in a single tracking week in 2020, according to Forbes, but they receive no radio play in the United States.

"iHeartMedia is the country’s largest radio network with more than 850 stations. Two of the largest stations, Los Angeles’ KIIS-FM and New York’s Z100, only played BTS’ recent single “ON” once on release day, and hadn’t again as of March 30, according to music analytics tool Soundcharts."

nowthisisnews.com

It's as if MOTS7 never even existed. They started out the year with such lofty goals, a huge money making tour ahead of them. Now they have nothing to look forward to, with dreams dashed of soaring to new heights by the pandemic.

O.K.... Hold up.. This is Bullshit....

Image from gifer.com

What do you say we hit the RESET button, stop with the negativity and "Fake News" headline style tactics and speak some truth here! I don't know about you, but I'm sick of lies, partial truths, and misinformation!

BTS had the wind knocked out of them initially. Their country was devastated by the epidemic, their lives were on hold, the album they had worked so many long months on had to be set aside for a time. All the promotions done in the U. S. did nothing to improve radio play because currently, corporate GREED is KING and CONTROL is its drug of choice! but they picked up MANY thousands of new fans here. They took time to deal with their emotions, process the reality of their limitations, regrouped and moved on. Life will always throw you something you can't anticipate. We have all been afraid, concerned, stressed, some have been even stretched to the breaking point. It has been at least a month since most of us have been on lockdown, and we too have had time to reflect on what we as individuals value and treasure most in life. We have learned much about how our neighbors, local and state governments, and even our countries leaders feel citizens. We have either come together to solve problems, or split the country apart with ignorance, lies, hatred, selfishness, and greed.

{Human touch, bridging the distance... }

Let's take a look at what the of BTS have been doing in 2020, then let's see what life is like for us ordinary citizens in different locations.

connect-bts.com

The goal of the "BTS Connect" Project, was to "redefine the relationships between art and music, the material and immaterial, artists and their audiences, artists and artists, theory and practice". This was a BTS member funded project, NOT payed for by Big Hit. This was important to them as individuals. What did they want to share with fans and the general public?

They wanted to remind us that art in all forms:

:art: Is capable of bringing us "Catharsis" or emotional release.

:art: Allows us to explore boundaries of color, space, light, challenges us to examine our perceptions of reality.

:art: Captures epochs and movements of great importance, such as the urgency of climate change and the collaborative efforts needed to reverse it.

:art: Demonstrates social and cultural "Rituals Of Care" throughout history that have been necessary for survival of all fragile life on earth.

:art: Gives us an environment to ponder how we as humans interact with space, both here on this planet, and in the cosmos.

All five art projects included in Connect, BTS attempt to highlight the connection between nature and humans, explore the sense of healing that can be achieved by creating and experiencing art, convey the need for human empathy and try to bring to light various different perspectives. These values are shared by both Bighit and BTS. of BTS genuinely care about art and the message they are sharing through art. "Connect, BTS" was an attempt at connecting with individuals who are expressing and feeling things very similar to what they feel. It also ties in with the concept of love, care, and acceptance which is central to the philosophy of BTS.

Image used from pottstownschool's.org

Art encomes so many forms of expression, it's hard to imagine how we could survive without exposure to it regularly.

The category of art includes "painting, sculpture and architecture, Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature and other media such as interactive media."

:thought_balloon: DISCUSSION TIME :thought_balloon:

What would YOUR life be like without access to, or exposure to art?

How does art make you feel? What does it add to your existence?

JEN:

The most profound art influences in my life are music, literature, and architecture. When you hear a song with lyrics that perfectly expresses your current mental state, the feeling is indescribable. You realize you are not alone. Others out there are feeling those exact same emotions and having the same thoughts. Music truly is cathartic. Literature takes me to places I will never see with my eyes, but get to experience with my imagination through the authors words. It teaches me things I could not learn through everyday life experience, and it adds beauty and depth to existence. Architecture just bombards me with emotion! Pure shock and awe of size, proportions, detail of design, use of space, and imagining what stories the ancient structures could tell!

Photo from alamy.com

QUEEN:

I have to say every piece of art has inspired, motivated and touched me in a different way. It's weird that BTS can sing in another language but still move and inspire people all over the world. Art is incredibly powerful because it has power to move and touch people across globe, generations and time. People who Express themselves through art have made me realize that I am not alone and no I am not weird either because what I feel was also felt by this person existing perhaps in a different country, decade or even century. You can feel this essential power of art very casually. I have felt more at home with my thoughts after reading a small poem written by a woman from18th century who was mentality struggling in a patriarchal society. I realized the experience of that woman lives with me and speaks to me even though we are apart by centuries. I was glad to know I am not insane or certainly not the only one insane. I think a thing can only be called "art" if it resonates and touches many.

Photo from alamy.com

"Come Together, Connect"

Connecting is more important than ever right now. So many power struggles within countries, crippling economic instability, so much overwhelming hopelessness and loss. We have found creative new ways to communicate for work, share special moments with family and friends, in an effort to reach out across the many miles and fill the void. Often just a thin pane of glass physically separates us from human touch. Let's take a look at some of the artistic and creative ways BTS is bridging the distance to connect with Army in 2020.

Photo from wyrk.com

YouTube link for live Commencement

This theme of connectivity carries over from "Connect, BTS" to current times where everyone is in quarantine. But BTS is still connecting with Army through various social media platforms and they are even willing to share their working process.

BTS has tried to stay connected with Army through various platforms and themes.

:love_letter: Just announced today, May 5th: Michelle Obama has coordinated an online graduation ceremony entitled YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020,” a virtual LIVE commencement celebration bringing together global leaders, celebrities, creators and other voices to celebrate graduates, families and their communities. BTS will be speaking, as will President Obama.

4/17/20 They began YouTube live streams.They are going to be sharing their behind the scenes process of the first totally self-produced BTS album.

:love_letter: On the Weverse app, they are releasing new content almost daily: Individual communications with Army, "Run" episodes, "Learn Korean with BTS", "Break the Silence": Docu-Series, etc in an attempt to entertain the bored masses at home.

:love_letter: On VLive the regularly stop in for face time with Army, or in the example of Yoongi, voice time only with his "Honey FM" radio episodes.

:love_letter: They live-streamed a series of prior concerts called "BangBangCon" in which they streamed high-quality content for free. It attracted around 50 Million YouTube views and made history.

:love_letter: Many brands connected with BTS have been posting videos of to cheer people who are stuck at home. For Example, BT21 has been posting videos of as they talk about the stories of their self-made characters. Plus they update their social media to spread awareness in an entertaining way.

Why is it important for BTS to stay connected with their fandom even during this pandemic?

:purple_heart: They understand that this situation is frustrating for everyone, some just have it better since they have responsible authorities dealing with the virus while others have it worse, that is why they want to perhaps bring some joy to their fans.

:purple_heart: They turned this depressing situation into a new challenge and mean to achieve another goal. They are learning new things, like Suga is trying out painting. Plus BTS has decided to utilize this time and produce a completely self-produced album. Army could take this as inspiration and use this time to achieve some of their own goals.

:purple_heart: They want to keep their fans organized and focused on the positive side of the situation so that together Army and BTS can continue to achieve what they want.

They must be angry and frustrated like everyone else as their world tour, for which they must have prepared so hard, has been rescheduled. However, they turned the situation around by deciding to use this time to achieve a new goal, the goal to produce a completely self-produced album. BTS have time and again expressed the desire to be able to produce an entire album independent of Bighit and in past Bang PD has himself said that he hopes that a day comes when boys produce their own works independent of the influence of the company.

It is tough just getting through each day during a pandemic. You worry about your own health, and the wellbeing of your immediate family, but you also worry about those you love who are in different States or other countries. The financial strain is equally stressful, as you try to pay bills with little or no money coming in. Going out in public is risky business, and staying at home weeks at a time tests the boundaries of sanity. It's like this for every country, some are managing better than others.

{Despair, hopelessness....}

:mask: DISCUSSION TIME :mask:

What has quarantine been like where you live?

What has been the hardest thing to cope with?

What strategies have you tried to relieve stress, tension, boredom, anxiety?

Link to article:huffpost.com

JEN:

I live in the southern U. S. where Trump is King and Fox News is truth. Guns, Christianity, white privilege are worth fighting for and even killing to protect and preserve. The topic of many conversations begins or ends with, "Those damn _________ (insert a minority, any other religion, or race)". Daily life in the U. S. controlled by Trump and the Republicans is like a mash up of George Orwell's book " 1984" and Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland". During the pandemic this year, this has only amplified. The government seizes much needed supplies (like PPE) from states and other countries, then sells them to the highest bidder or stockpiles them. The COVID relief package meant to help struggling citizens and small businesses gave millions to individual ultra wealthy corporations that the Republican agenda. Trump uses his daily COVID briefings to talk about what a wonderful job he is doing, spread misinformation and lies, insult and attack anyone he chooses to, while demonstrating a complete lack of empathy for the suffering of others during the pandemic. This country is overflowing with sociopaths, and they are living their best life, trying to shove their sick, twisted agendas down our throats.

In my state, approximately 11,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported and approximately 200 have died. In the United States, more than one million corona virus cases have been confirmed, 64,000 have died. The hardest thing to deal with during the pandemic has been witnessing the preventable death of so many U S. citizens and the death of democracy simultaneously. This is the difference between a country that prevents death and disease spread and one that encourages it:

QUEEN:

I am from Pakistan and currently, we have about 2100+ cases of Covid-19 with 800+ people been infected in the last 24 hours. So far 486 people have died. Now insiders are reporting that the situation is much worse and the government is hiding true numbers. It has been reported that more than 300 had died a few weeks ago when the death toll reported by media was 100. Anyway, stats are varying and many might think we have it easy here as compared to other countries. The thing is that the situation here might not be as bad as the US or Italy here but with the current attitudes of our people, we are sure to reach there soon (unless we are lucky and heat wipes out the virus). People here aren't practicing social distancing even if we are in quarantine. They don't care about others. In some cases, people infected with Covid continue to interact with healthy people. Recently my maternal uncle had to visit a person because of some urgent reasons who told him at the end of their meeting that he is "recovering" from Covid-19. Now my maternal uncle is sick with it too and this is not the only case. So I am from a country where sick people interact with healthy ones without any care. They don't care if the other person dies. The thought does not even them that the other person might be more susceptible to death.

So what will happen if this continues? It's simple our hospitals will overflow and peoples will die because of lack of medication attention. Our hospitals are already out of supplies and all other necessities. We don't have the medication supplies or health of the UK or Italy. If the situation comes to worse everyone is gonna die on streets gasping for air.

And let's not forget our economy is stuck which is the same for every country but lower class and lower middle class here heavily rely on daily wages to feed themself. That means more people interacting = more corona cases= extended quarantine=more and lower-class families going hungry. But people here seem not to get this simple equation.

My only solace is talking to Ms. Jennifer and the fact that at least I am playing my role although it's not enough. I try to help those in need, stay at home and try to be positive but it's just not enough. I vent out occasionally to Ms.Jennifer and listen to BTS as an escape. It's hard but knowing that someone understands me somehow helps.  "Spring Day" , "Jamais Vu" and "Am I wrong" are my go-to songs these days.  The discography of BTS comforts me and reminds me that am not the only one who thinks that there is something wrong with this world.

We all need to stay at home and practice social distancing if we want this to end. We are all in this together and believe me you are saving lives just by staying home. You might not die from covid but you might infect someone who might

{Catharsis.......}

(Healing)

When RM talked about his "Mono Playlist" in his VLive 11-1-2018, he had this to say, about the importance of connecting with the music he produces:

"There is always a reason for each track. The catharsis you can get from listening to a well made album or playlist from beginning to end is much bigger than the catharsis you get from listening to just one song. That means you have to think of the big picture when creating an album. It's all connected. We consume music like microwave food. In order to protect my songs, I want to make my songs as organic as possible, to operate as a whole."

https://www.vlive.tv/video/96907

For "Map Of The Soul: Persona behind the scenes 4-21-2019, he told us:

“In this age when the melody and the vibe of a song are important, I’m someone who originally wanted to be a poet and writer, so I wanted to focus on the auditory texture and the beauty of language through the lyrics. Since they’re songs that I’m presenting to you, aren’t the lyrics really important? RM also described how all of the songs on the mini album work together, explaining that the order was on purpose."

soompi.com

During "DJ Suga's Honey FM 06.13" VLive on 4-25-2020 Yoongi talks about the importance of connecting with fans during the pandemic and the comfort found in their music:

"This is an unprecedented void in our promotion activities for BTS. All the events where we were supposed to meet you have all been cancelled, so you don't have any opportunities left to see us. ARMY'S must be feeling frustrated and sad, but we can not blame anyone for this situation. The situation is grave and the overall atmosphere has been depressed. So, we gave a lot of thoughts on how we could keep communicating with ARMY'S and share emotions even though we can't meet in a close distance, so that we can give more energy to all of you. That's why DJ Suga is back here."

"I've been listening to BTS music a lot. I didn't relate to people getting comfort, while listening to our music. We wrote the lyrics with messages, but I've always had some doubts on whether the music can console listeners. However, it also consoles me. I felt it. That's why I recommend " Spring Day"by BTS, because it's spring."

https://www.vlive.tv/video/187843

These particular songs have meant more to me since the COVID-19 outbreak then they did during comeback. They have literally taken on a whole new context and meaning globally, as we each suffer through the same hardships. We are all in this together, laughing, crying, regretting things left unsaid, wishing we could turn back the clock and do it better. These songs have consoled me, given voice to so many emotions I feel every day.

:purple_heart: BTS Healing Quarantine Playlist :purple_heart:

Featuring: "Louder Than Bombs", "Jamais Vu", "My Time", "Zero O'Clock"

"Where's my way, the ground keeps quaking

collapse on my own, mute.

Louder than bombs, yeah

I want to tell you, that darkness

Exists everywhere. Don't be afraid of it.

Whatever night swallows me, I won't give up the fight for you, we'll shine.

You and I, we feel it together, sadness and pain.

Yeah we picked this game.

Louder than bombs I sing,

Make a promise for you and I

Whatever wave may sweep over us

We will endlessly sing to you

Louder than bombs I sing."

"If I stop at this point If I just turn it off, everything will be more comfortable...

I’m okay but I’m not okay I told myself I’m used to it But I’m in pain like it’s the first time...

Please give me a remedy A remedy that will make my heart beat again

What should I do now Please save me, give me another chance Please give me a

(Remedy)..."

"But is it too fast?

There are traces of losses, don't know what to do with.

Am I livin this right? Why am I alone in a different time and space?

Oh, I can't call ya, I can't hold ya

Oh, I can't

And yes you know, yes you know

Oh I can't call ya, I can't touch ya

Oh I can't

Let me know"

"Put my hands together to pray

Hoping that tomorrow I'll laugh more

It'll be better for me,

When this song ends

May a new song begin

Hoping that I'll be a little happier, yeah

Will something be different?

It won't be something like that

But this day will be over

When the minute and second hand overlap

The world holds it's breath for a little while

Zero O'Clock"

Let's breathe like the first time

And your gonna be happy

Turn this all around

When everything is new

Zero O'Clock"

:blossom: Please share with us YOUR story, either by comments below, or in your very own blog. How would YOU answer these questions? :blossom:

:question: :grey_question: :question: :grey_question: :question: :grey_question: :question: :grey_question:

:small_blue_diamond: What would YOUR life be like without access to, or exposure to art?

:small_blue_diamond: How does art make you feel? What does it add to your existence?

:small_blue_diamond: What has quarantine been like where you live?

:small_blue_diamond: What has been the hardest thing to cope with?

:small_blue_diamond: What strategies have you tried to relieve stress, tension, boredom, anxiety?

:question: :grey_question: :question: :grey_question: :question: :grey_question: :question: :grey_question:

CREDITS: All gifs or pics used were linked to source within blog. Credits to Bighit and BTS for any BTS pictures used. Any non linked pics within blog were screenshots from Twitter, or created by me.

REFERENCES:

wikipedia.org

NYTimes.com

nytimes.com

CNN article link via twitter

https://twitter.com/yarbro/status/1253768584448352257?s=19

MiamiHerald via Twitter. com

nbcnews.com

soompi.com