WEEK 33 | You Shine Brighter Than Anyone

Monday Muster
Written By Quince

August 12 - 18, 2024

Discovery.

After the incredible success of the Love Yourself series, BTS was on top of the world. They were hitting the Billboard charts, making the rounds on the talk show circuit and winning multiple times at American music award shows. By the time 2019 arrived they’d made incredible strides for K-Pop in the western music market.


So after three huge albums that spanned two years to make, a massive world tour, and a linked global UNICEF campaign… what could they possibly do next? I’m sure this is a question the members asked themselves on numerous occasions. “How do we top this? What message could possibly be more important than loving yourself?”

For BTS, it was simple. They decided to examine the process they went through to help them reach self love while expressing gratitude to ARMY for loving them before they were able to love themselves. They wanted to explore the shadows in their minds and discover the true paths within. And thus was born MAP OF THE SOUL. Released on April 12, 2019, MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA was the first album in the series.

It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, which made BTS the first band since the Beatles to have three albums reach number one in less than a year. At a press conference, RM said that PERSONA was meant to convey their honest feelings about the strength they’d gained from the love they received from their fans, and how that helped them to really discover themselves. The album is also influenced by Carl Jung’s book Jung’s Map of the Soul, about the theories Jung created for psychology.

You thought we’d run the gamut on introspection, huh? Not even close. Buckle up, friends… it’s about to get real cerebral up in this bitch…

 
 
 

Skip to Content: Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five

 

DAY ONE:

“Intro: Persona” Comeback Trailer

If I asked you “What’s one question you have asked yourself many times over the years?”, what would your answer be? Chances are, you have a few. So do I. But one of them that pops up most often is “Who am I?”


The opening track on the album asks this same question. “Intro: Persona” is RM’s personal journey into Carl Jung’s theories on “persona”, “shadow” and “ego”—in fact, all of those words appear in the video for the song. (A nod to what’s to come…) It’s him exploring the concept of his own identity.


And while he questions himself throughout the entirety of the song, he also acknowledges that, much like in the Love Yourself series, there isn’t just one simple answer. It’s a complex question that he might find several answers to throughout his life, or perhaps, none at all.

“Intro: Persona” Comeback Trailer

So I’m askin’ once again yeah

Who the hell am I?

Tell me all your names baby

Do you wanna die?

Oh do you wanna go?

Do you wanna fly?

Where’s your soul? Where’s your dream?

Do you think you’re alive?

 

In the first part of the song, RM talks about how difficult it is to answer that question of “Who the hell am I?” But he keeps trying to do so. In the above lyrics he encourages his listeners to do the same—to keep asking questions until we find something to hang on to.


But what happens before we do find answers? Oftentimes we make something up, right? What’s that adage… “fake it ‘til you make it”? When we don’t have a strong sense of self or identity, it’s easy to adopt a persona (ahhh… see what I did there?), to emulate something we want to be. This is what RM talks about in the second half of the song—creating a ‘persona’ that can be presented to the world while he is still trying to figure himself out.

Yeah my name is R

The ‘me’ who I remember and who people know

The ‘me’ who I created by myself to speak my mind

Yeah, I might have been deceiving myself, I might have been lying

But, I’m not ashamed of it, this is the map of my soul


With the members of BTS it’s easy to see the personas they crafted… just take a look at who they are on stage versus offstage. Some of them, like RM, Jimin, and V are more obvious in their duality, while others, like Jin and Jung Kook, don’t particularly differentiate much between who they are when they perform versus in everyday life. But in the verse above, Namjoon is speaking to his own stage persona, and the significance of the “R” that he’s carried since the beginning of his career—as a very young underground rapper calling himself Runch Randa, then a freshly-debuted teen in sunglasses named Rap Monster… to, finally, his “Real Me”… RM.

“Intro: Persona” Comeback Trailer

Finding out who we really are is often a life-long process. But that’s okay. As with most of the other lessons BTS has taught us, it’s more about what we discover along the journey than it is the final destination. What’s important is that we always keep up the search.

 
 

Bangtan Bomb: MOTS Jacket shooting in the bathroom

Bangtan Bomb: Everyone loves bread!

 

Fun Fact:

If watching BTS talking about making their music wasn’t one of your favorite things to do before you discovered this blog, I hope that we’ve helped it to become so by now.

On April 17, 2019—five days after MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA was released, BTS held a global press conference to talk about the album and answer questions from press all over the world.

This time, they did it in a very interesting way, using keywords to prompt the questions. This seemed to be a definite nod to the album’s main source of influence—Carl Jung and his book Jung’s Map of the Soul. (More on that next week!)

The questions were very good, and BTS (as always) gave thoughtful answers. I especially love the way j-hope talked about the meaning behind “Mikrokosmos”, describing all of us as individual lights that shine and make nighttime beautiful. (I’m paraphrasing, but it was lovely.)

We have both the full version and Bangtan Bomb linked below for you, but the subtitles on the full version seem less accurate than the ones in the Bangtan Bomb, just as an FYI. Enjoy!

 

Bangtan Bomb: RM's Surprise Birthday Party

 

DAY TWO:

“Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” Official M/V

Let’s take a minute and remember BTS during their SKOOL LUV AFFAIR era. It was allllllllll the way back in Week Five when we began discussing the group’s third LP, which saw them don school uniforms and, for the first time, really dig into the topic of love in their music. “Boy In Luv” was the title track and it was an aggressive exploration of how intense and consuming those first school romances can feel. The lyrics demand, “Say what you want!” as the speaker admits to feeling confused and unsure of where he stands in the relationship.


This tracks for high school relationships, right? When we were young and dating in school, it felt like that was all that mattered… as though the world would stop turning if you had to go through a break-up. When they released SLA in 2014, it was important to BTS to honestly convey the thoughts and emotions of what those first brushes with love can feel like to a young person.


Fast forward to five years later, and we find BTS in a very different place emotionally. Obviously older, and with more life experience and lessons learned. So when it came time to release MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA, they decided they wanted to make a new statement on how they felt about love at this stage in their lives. So, since they LOVE connecting songs and their titles, we got the EP’s title track, “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)”.

 

I’m curious about everything, how’s your day?

Oh tell me

What makes you happy

Oh text me

Your every picture

I’d like to have it by my pillow, oh bae

Come be my teacher

Teach me everything about you


The above lyrics talk about some of the minutiae in a relationship. While talking about the song, RM said, “It’s about finding small joys in love, being curious about the little things, the details like what you’re eating, what you’re doing.” In fact, the Korean title of the song, 작은 것들을 위한 시, means “a poem for small things”.

Iconic dance moves from the “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” Official M/V

The contrast between the two songs is quite stark. “Boy In Luv” is passionate, but immature, with “macho” lyrics and visuals that emphasize the honesty of young feelings, but also highlight the fact that they haven’t developed enough to understand what’s really important. “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” celebrates a more mature, ‘true’ love, that sounds and looks softer, with lyrics that are more accepting and reflective.

The Shoulder Shrug from “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” Official M/V

RM also said the most important takeaway from “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” was that the song was a fan letter from BTS to ARMY. Doesn’t that make your heart melt just a little? I mean, if Jimin wants me to text him about my day, I’m ready. My phone is in my hand. V wants my picture by his bed? Done. It’s already framed and ready to go. And I’m more than willing to teach Jin anything he wants me to. If I don’t already know about it, I’ll learn. Put me in, Coach. I’m ready.

Wait… what were we talking about again?



“Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” Dance Practice

 
 
 
 
 

Bangtan Bubble: What are the “little things” that are important to you in a relationship?

 
 

Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!

 

DAY THREE:

As briefly mentioned above, to match the soft and playful sound of “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)”, BTS wanted similar visuals. The color-scheme they went with was the direct opposite to the SKOOL LUV AFFAIR era, which was all black and white uniforms, and hard, shiny accessories. For MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA, it was a lot of pastels and bright, fun colors—there was A LOT of pink. (Jin was in his element.) Their accessories were often soft and/or floral, and most of them carried the soft look over into their hair colors as well. (Who can forget V’s iconic blue hair? Definitely not me.)

OH Taehyung just stop already! “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” Official M/V

Behold - this is what 1.7+ billion views looks like! Official “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” M/V

 

The M/V in particular looks so fun and cheerful with all the bright colors. It also is a not-so-subtle nod to a very famous movie, did you know that? I’ll never forget the first time I saw the M/V… I was so excited as soon as I realized what I was seeing, because “Singin’ in the Rain” is one of my absolute favorite movies of all-time. (I might have gone through a brief obsession with Gene Kelly movies during my teenage years, totally normal, right?) There are several moments that pay homage to the classic musical—j-hope swinging around the lamp post and the Old Hollywood look of the set come immediately to mind—but the biggest is the scene in which RM delivers his verse from what appears to be a stage in an old theatre and he’s rushed by an excited crowd of admirers (including the other members). This is almost a direct recreation of part of a dream sequence from “Singin In the Rain”, and is such a fun detail that they decided to add.

j-hope lampost swinging for “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” Official M/V

Oh my my my oh my my my

I’ve waited all my life

I’d like to be with you at every moment of yours

Oh my my my oh my my my

Looking for something right

Now I feel like I know a bit about it

I want something stronger

Than a moment, than a moment, love

Love is nothing stronger

Than a boy with luv

”Boy In Luv” had only been about their perspective. Young ‘love’ from the point of view of a school boy. The girl we see in the M/V is not an active participant in the story—in fact she seems oblivious to her part in the plot at all until she gets pulled in (literally) near the end to choose between several of the members as they sing and vie for her heart.

Halsey and BTS filming the M/V for “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)”

Five years later, BTS knew they were telling a different story, and this time they wanted to make sure they weren’t the only ones in the narrative. Since they wanted “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)” to be a softer, more considered follow up, they decided they wanted a female feature on the song. Enter Halsey.

BTS and Halsey met for the first time at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards when she famously told them they were “the coolest”. The following year, Halsey stopped in Seoul on her “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” World Tour and hung out with BTS again and later confirmed that they had all become friends. She hinted at a collaboration with them as early as November of 2018, and that turned out to be “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)”.

Halsey’s energy and voice matched the vibe of the song perfectly, and the friendly and fun chemistry between her and the members of BTS made her appearance in the M/V, and later performances together, very special. Their friendship continued to flourish resulting in future collaborations and performances. After seeing how beautifully she has treated all the members of BTS, Halsey was warmly embraced by ARMY and she respects the fandom deeply—always having the kindest things to say about us whenever she’s asked. She’s now a firm part of the Bora family.

 
 

Bangtan Bomb: BTS English Class

 

Fun Fact

Do you know who has the most viewed FanCam of all-time? I do. Because it’s Kim Taehyung. And I’m responsible for many of those views…

Okay okay. I know what you’re thinking. “Quince, your bias is showing.” And, well… sure, but… it’s also a true fact. On April 25, 2019, BTS had their Comeback Stage on “MCountdown” and they performed “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)”.

“MCountdown” is fairly well-known for their official, high-quality FanCams, so it was no surprise that they filmed and released ones for this BTS performance. What was surprising was how big they blew up… particularly V’s. (For the record, Jung Kook’s FanCam from this day also has an insane view count.)

As of the time I’m writing this blog, V’s “MCountdown” FanCam has almost 144 MILLION VIEWS (143,717,879, to be exact). Why? I mean, we know the man is gorgeous, and a brilliant performer, but what is it about this particular FanCam that caused it to go viral?

Well, if you watch ANY performance/practice of “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)”, and focus on V, you can instantly tell that it’s one of his favorite songs and/or choreographies to perform because he always looks like he’s having a great time. But on this particular day, he was CLEARLY feeling himself a little extra. The goofiness, the secret smiles at the audience, the way he played with the choreo and his facial expressions… it was all on point.

There’s a reason up-and-coming trainees study V’s FanCams for inspiration and tips on giving all-around great performances. And this is definitely one of the prime examples of why. Proceed with caution. You’ve been warned…

 

DAY FOUR:

Sometimes it’s crazy to think about how vast our universe is, right? Even crazier—it’s not the biggest one out there. Here on Earth, we’re just the tiniest pieces of a much bigger picture, but every bit as important as each galaxy, planet, or star that’s out there.  

“Mikrokosmos” Special Stage 2019 MMA

This is the message we get in “Mikrokosmos”, the third track from MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA. The word mikrokosmos is a combination of the Greek words mikro and kosmos, which literally means “small universe”. (In English, we have the term ‘microcosm’.) It refers to something that is smaller than the universe, yet is also a universe by itself. In other words, humans are part of the world, which is part of the universe, but we are also small worlds unto ourselves.

We can only imagine what fame on the level that BTS has feels like, but I think a pretty accurate comparison would be to say it probably feels like the vastness of the universe. As BTS found themselves reflecting on the love and hope ARMY had been giving them over the years, they equated it to finding the connection they needed to keep them from getting lost in the darkness of space.

We’re all shining 

from one’s own room, from one’s own star

Some lights are ambition

Some lights are wanderings

Lights of people

Each one of them is precious

In a dark night, (don’t feel alone)

The idea conveyed is that every person (every single ARMY) is their own shining star. Each person’s light is precious and valued. Each ARMY is like an entire world to BTS, shining among millions of other worlds. This is the “Mikrokosmos”—each individual world is meaningful, no matter how small it may be in comparison to others.

"Mikrokosmos" SBS K-Pop Awards 2019

 

Bangtan Bomb: JK's heart for ARMY

Fun Fact:

On May 1, 2019, BTS attended the Billboard Music Awards for the third time. By now, they were becoming experts at American award shows.

This time they were nominated for two awards (“Top Social Artist” and “Best Duo/Group”) and were also performing. Halsey performed with them, and they practiced tirelessly together. (She also gifted all them bracelets that matched the “Boy With Luv” colors!)

They won both of the awards they were up for (naturally) and charmed everyone present, but the highlight for me was their backstage interview with Zach Sang. From their earliest days in America, Zach has consistently been one of the best interviewers to interact with BTS, and you can tell they love talking to him. He asks meaningful questions, and really listens to the answers, unconcerned about how much time it takes. It’s always a delight when he gets to interview the guys.

Enjoy!

 
 
 

DAY FIVE:

Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Concert Seoul Olympic Stadium

“In a galaxy called Bangtan, we plant stars called ARMY.”


This was what was written on banners held up by the members of BTS during the third (and last) concert of the Love Yourself tour in Seoul. (The Bangtan Bomb detailing their creation is linked below.) They held up banners with different messages each day, but this final one was the most moving and seemed to foreshadow what they wanted to convey to all their fans in the upcoming album, with “Mikrokosmos”.

You got me

Seeing you, I dream

I got you

In the pitch-black nights,

we saw each other’s lights


This chorus celebrates how important encouragement is, and how beautiful the mutual support is between BTS and ARMY. As we have driven the members of BTS to pursue their dreams, so too do they encourage us to shine and do the same. As long as our lights remain, we will never have to feel alone while facing the “pitch-black night”. Or, in other words, we have each other to lean on while we face life’s challenges and hardships.

In one person, there is one history

In one person, there is one star

Shining with 7 billion lights,

7 billion worlds

7 billion lives…


It can feel overwhelming and impossible to try and make a difference as just one person, right? When we do think about the vastness of the universe, how can each of us possibly compare? But when we examine the above lyrics, it puts our importance into perspective. Each and every one of us is a complex individual with history, hopes, dreams, etc. We all have something to contribute, and no matter how big or small that contribution is, it’s just as important as the one that came before it.

“In a galaxy called Bangtan, we plant stars called ARMY.”

And, of course, seven is a very auspicious number for ARMY. BTS wants us to know that as much as they carry us inside themselves, they want us to do the same with them. Together, we create a limitless universe.

 
 
 

Bangtan Bomb: Let's Play Guitar | The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon

Bangtan Bomb: How it all Began: BTS Time

 
 
 
 

Bangtan Bubble: Tell us about the star inside you. What makes you shine?

 

Let us know your answer in the comments below or on social media (include #BangtanBubble)!

 
 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I don’t know about you, but this week has left me conflicted. On one hand, I feel incredibly introspective… asking myself all kinds of hard questions about who I am, and what I still want to accomplish in my life. But on the other hand, I’m just kicking my feet and grinning because BTS loooooooves us so much they have to write a bunch of songs about it. Tee hee. Anyone else?


Next week we will continue our exploration of MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA. We’ll hit on another favorite song of mine, and some truly EPIC performances you won’t want to miss. Do the words Lotte Family Concert pique your interest? Yeah, I thought so…

 
 
 

Side Quest

We could all use some laughter this week, right? Never fear… “Run BTS!” Season 3 to the rescue!

Here’s a list of amazing things you can experience in the following ten episodes:

  • ”NIAGARA POPO!”

  • Taehyung and JK practicing country capitals so they can make a Pop Quiz comeback… and succeeding.

  • Competitive Butt Slapping

  • Taehyung being the most EXTRA Director

  • Jin and Hobi both acting their butts off

  • Jung Kook cheerfully being used as manual labor (as per usual)

  • Yoongi and Jimin bickering (also as per usual)

  • Namjoon, the God of Destruction

  • Team Kim Seokjin vs. Team Seokjin Kim

  • Bratty Namjoon and Taehyung

  • Chairs: 613,000, Jimin: 0

  • Taehyung casually catching him before he falls completely, because it’s just another day of Jimin vs. A Chair.

 
 
 

Finger pointing - a sure sign of Bangtan betrayal. From “RUN BTS!” Ep. 72

 

Classic Yoongi whining at Jimin’s art direction. From “RUN BTS!” Ep. 76

 
 
 

CREDITS:

YouTube/Web

HYBE LABELS, BANGTANTV, Bangtan Subs, BTS & ARMY News 2.0, Kpop, iMi, BTS 방탄소년단 LIVE, Emvmin, DKDKTV, KOREA NOW, Mnet K-POP, KBS WORLD TV, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS Sunday Morning, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Saturday Night Live, iHeartRadio, SUGA BTS ARMY1247, M2, Elma Masbaitubun, SBS Entertainment, UPGRADE, KPOP JAMM, Bangtan, Calico Meowngi, 자이언트 펭TV, Ayberk MusiC, Billboard Music Awards, Zach Sang Show, babykook, SiriusXM, ttalgi chae, Brilliant, Radio Disney, KBS Kpop, MBCkpop, SBSKPOP X INKIGAYO, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, BTS Live Archive; ok.ru (Video Bangtan Subs)

ARMY Project 529 Volunteers

Research Team: Angel (TikTok: Lilangel2828), Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day), Merry (TikTok: merryj67), Sam T (TikTok: samt_26), Shelley (TikTok: shels167), Trudy (TikTok: theeducationmommy), Viv (TikTok: VivEliz); Video Team: Leslie Day (TikTok: Leslie Day); Editing Team: Kendra (Discord: Mudskipper); Website Team: Colette (TikTok: voicesinmyhead2)

 
 

Join us on TikTok every Sunday evening at 8pm ET for #the529live, a wrap up of each week's blog and current BTS events/releases. It’s hosted by the AP529 Admin Team on Stefne’s channel (@StefARMYProject529). If you can't watch live and want to watch later, Lives will be recorded and posted to our YouTube (@ARMY Project 529).

Quince
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WEEK 32 | Learning to Love Myself