The time is 12:59 PM KST. ARMYs hold their breath after waiting through a 13-minute countdown of BTS bursting confetti and buttering toast while answering “Run BTS!” style questions about the music video that is to come. They had joked and laughed with each other during that time. Jimin even spoiled a dance move, explaining how butter and strawberry jam represent BTS and ARMY. This pre-premiere show made it abundantly clear how excited they were to share their art to their ARMY and the world.
“Butter” burns hot, coating ARMY in all its summer vibes and smooth moves. The second English single from the band melted the hearts of ARMY and caught the attention of people outside the realm of K-Pop once again. Flashing various snazzy outfits and new hair colors, the members dance and sing with an unquestionable “superstar glow.”
Immediately following the premiere, Twitter comes alive with ARMYs shouting praises for the seven members. “Butter” teasers left the possible result to be a puzzle that ARMY was desperately trying to solve, and together they were given the answers to their questions while being presented with new ones. ARMYs worked together with haste to find the meaning and details in the song and the music video.
In a record-breaking premiere, the view count for the music video was confirmed by YouTube to be 108.2 million after 24 hours. But ARMYs did not stop here. This was a comeback that was eagerly awaited, and they were prepared in advance to start sending BTS to the top of the charts. In the weeks and days prior, many people shared streaming guides and circulated goals for “Butter.” After its release, playlists came prepared for streaming, wanting to garner as many accurate and countable streams as possible. This part of the comeback was nothing new for ARMYs or the group.
However, sifting through Twitter and seeing the sheer numbers ARMY was producing, it became obvious that there was something different about this comeback. There seemed to be an air of positivity amongst ARMY that laid even thicker than before. The focus was more wholly on BTS, a regathering and remembering of why ARMYs stream and bolster the members and their art. There was support within each other, banding together, a virtual circle of ARMYs all over the globe linking arms to aid in the success of “Butter.”
BTS has mentioned on numerous occasions how they have grown with ARMY, both as people and musicians. As Jimin stated in the “Butter” premiere, ARMY could not have witnessed their charms that they highlight in the “Butter” music video before they had matured.
It appears that ARMY on a larger scale has seen the same shift into maturity. ARMY disclosed this maturity with appropriate responses to issues like streaming services filtering streams (outlined in BVM’s Check Yourself: Facts published May 27, 2021). ARMYs were quick to regroup and find solutions, hosting streaming parties that everyone could participate in thanks to accounts such as btschartdata on Stationhead. While the disdain about streams being filtered was not ignored, the priority had become to find solutions so that streams could not easily be dismissed. On the Stationhead app, the aforementioned account sat on the home page under Trending Shows, All-Time Popular Shows, and Weekly Music Charts. As of Jun. 7, 2021, it was shown that despite these setbacks, ARMYs and “Butter” stood strong, claiming the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot100 chart for the band two weeks in a row.
This maturity of ARMY was noted and is now forever immortalized in BTS’s art, with a line rap by RM in the new single, “Got ARMY right behind us when we say so.” BTS trusts ARMY to stand behind them, as a source of love, light, and positivity. Being stronger than the negativity that is so commonly thrown upon them, the members and ARMYs alike.
It should not go unmentioned alongside this positivity within ARMY, and even while there is a global outcry for awareness surrounding AAPI hate, that this comeback also saw an increasingly large amount of hate from non-fans of BTS. Celebrity fans, such as author Paulo Coelho, famous for his work The Alchemist, tweeted once again in support of the band and noted, “I am losing a lot of followers because I posted a tweet congratulating [BTS] but this is the price you pay when you support people you admire…” He went on again to cheer for them and acknowledge the hardships they have encountered.
Overall, the success of “Butter” is cataloged in the numbers. However, the true measure of success resides in the hearts of BTS and ARMY. Awards and charts won’t change the strong relationship between BTS and ARMY, holding onto positivity and perpetually moving forward.
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Written By: Skylar
Edited By: Esma
Checked By: Vera
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