Dear BTS,
There are many incredible artists in this world who express themselves through music. Talent seems to be endless, and audiences now have an overflowing pool of music to choose from. But among the millions of diverse artists out there, you have stood out. Millions of people from across the globe joined together, mobilized together, and listened together -- all because of you.
So, why you? Although this may sound rather condescending, you are not particularly special. You are not superhuman. Nor are you perfect. And it may be this very imperfection that is your greatest strength. In a world of popular culture based on showcasing unrealistic expectations of what it means to be human, you remind us of the realities of life and comfort us and all our imperfections. It is through your normalcy, your humility, your relatability that we see your real selves. You are just like us.
But suddenly, this normalcy disappears when you perform -- when we watch you on stage, we see seven young men come together and demonstrate incredible artistic skill. Whether it is your singing, your rapping, or your dancing; everything shines with power and professionalism. On stage, those seven relatable humans transform into rockstars. In music videos, they become actors, embodying different personas in each concept and song, masterfully translating any emotion they desire through their performative skills. Their artistic contributions are mind-boggling, sending even the most experienced Carl Jung scholar down a spiral of psychological theory and analysis. And in the midst of the slick production and genre-bending music are poetic, emotional lyrics that highlight real issues in our everyday lives.
These lyrics inspire us to learn about the Korean language, culture, and history, while simultaneously challenging us to ponder about our own unique identities. It seems rather contradictory that a group full of such normal, ordinary individuals are capable of producing such contemplative, genre-bending, performative art.
The more we listen to you, the more we understand that this is not a contradiction, but an affirmation that anyone can achieve what they want in life. If you can do it, so can we. If you can take on any challenge with hard work, dedication, and passion without any privilege or special powers, then we can too. From your example, we have seen that ambitious dreams can in fact become realities for the most common of individuals. Or, maybe we are not as “common” as we think -- maybe we are all special.
Through your music, we have healed. We learned that the process of loving ourselves begins with the understanding that we are just as deserving and capable as anyone out there -- and if we do not quite have the skills to compete with the best, we have every ability to develop those skills with hard work. “Love” has to develop from within, it has to come from an honest and vulnerable place. When we hear your music, when we read about your struggles, we feel that vulnerability and we see that “Love” truly begins with accepting the self.
It is your music that has gotten us through the most difficult of times. In moments when we felt that everything was falling apart and our entire world was escaping our control, we found your music and felt a sense of support again. While you can use your precious skills and highly sought-after fame for anything you want, you use it to comfort us. You show us that no culture, language, race, ethnicity, gender can weaken the power of positivity, love, and honesty. It is this very power that has influenced so many of us to gather around you, as your ARMY, and walk with you on this journey of peace and happiness.
Your win feels like our win, your achievement feels like our achievement, your new record feels like our new record. With every step you take towards your goals, we feel as though we are one step closer to our own.
That might be why it is “you” that we have chosen -- through you, we see us. Your struggles remind us of our struggles, your criticisms of society remind us of our frustration at the system we live in, and your hope reminds us that we also must remain hopeful in the darkest of times. From your teamwork, we learn to collaborate with each other, understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and work together to create projects that unite people across the globe. Your presence allows us to find our own talents and develop our own confidence. Because of you, we are learning to love ourselves. On behalf of us all and the team at BVM, thank you. Thank you very, very much.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Padma
Edit By: Mheer
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