WEEK 41 | A Belated Confession

Monday Muster
Written By Quince

October 14-20, 2024

Proven.

In May of 2014, RM made a guest appearance on MNet’s “4 Things Show: Outrageous Interview”. This was just under a year after BTS had debuted. On the show, he talked about making the difficult transition from being an underground rapper to a K-Pop Idol. We know that both he and SUGA struggled in those early years to still be taken seriously by their former peers, and that BTS struggled as a whole to be respected as real artists in the hip-hop genre. During this interview with MNet, RM was also shown and asked to read aloud a series of insulting online comments made about BTS and himself.

We’ve all seen “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets”, right? Celebrities read aloud nasty comments made about them online and basically poke fun at the people who write them. Everyone laughs and is in on the joke. And perhaps that’s what the producers intended for this segment with RM, but the comments weren’t funny at all, just unnecessarily malicious—trashing his looks, his abilities as a rapper, and BTS’ song lyrics. But as he reads them aloud, RM doesn’t get upset. Rather, he sort of smirks, and looks more and more determined as he goes. After the last comment, he simply looks up, and says very calmly into the camera:


I will prove it to you all.

 

Fast forward to April of 2022—almost eight years later. The world was starting to breathe easier as the Pandemic was loosening its grip on us, and life was beginning to return to normal… or a new sense of normal, anyway. Everyone was going back to work or school, and slowly but surely, events like sports games and concerts started happening around the globe again. 

 

Official Twitter/X account for Las Vegas changed its name to "@Borahaegas7" and posted pics of the city lit up in purple!

BTS, in fact, was holding the second leg of their “Permission to Dance: On Stage” concert series—this time in Las Vegas. The four shows drew over 620,000 fans (online and in person), and for the entire week, the city turned purple and became known as “Borahaegas”. While there, the group filmed a ton of content and went LIVE many times to hang out with ARMY and let us know what they were up to. They’d never stayed in one city for so long while touring and it was clear they enjoyed the novelty of getting to take their time and settle in somewhere while playing tourist. ARMY got to see them having fun again.

And on the last day of the show, after ARMYs had gone crazy singing and dancing along to the amazing performance, BTS gave everyone one more huge gift that night—they showed a teaser featuring scenes from their past discography. It ended with the well-known phrase, “We Are Bulletproof” and the date 06.10.2022. ARMYs at the concert lost their minds screaming and wondering what it meant. They were so loud, people in the casinos surrounding The Allegiant Stadium could hear it. (AP529’s very own Christina and can confirm!) Turns out—it was the teaser for PROOF, their upcoming 3-disc anthology album. 


What is an anthology album? It’s a curated collection of songs which usually includes backlogged/unreleased content as well. Any artist, after they’ve been out for a significant amount of time and have at least a few releases under their belt can make a “Greatest Hits” album, but not many have enough material, nor enough of an interested fanbase to warrant the creation of an anthology. Anthologies are meant to be a true retrospective of an artist’s career up to that point. I can name just a few others off the top of my head who have done it—Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Beatles. By 2022, this was the level BTS was playing at. The proof, so to speak, was in the pudding. In 2019, they had become the first group since the Beatles to have three albums chart number 1 on the Billboard 200 in one year. Later, in 2023, they would meet another record set by the British rock band—six songs that hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

BTS was about to release a celebration of how far they had come in their nine-year career. This week we’ll discuss the first disc of PROOF, which included a retrospective of all of their title tracks from 2013 to 2021, as well as a brand-new song, and a remastered version of one they’d released on SoundCloud just after they debuted. 


Proof. Bangtan Sonyeondan means “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”, and ‘bulletproof’ has been an enduring theme for BTS, through both their songs and visuals. So it’s not surprising, as far as album titles go, but when I think about it, I go back to that interview with MNet in 2014, and the not-quite-yet 20 year-old leader of BTS staring into the camera with defiance and determination written all over his face.

“I will prove it to you all.”

And he did. They all did.

 

PROOF Announcement Trailer

 
 
 

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

 

DAY ONE:

J.Cole

J.Cole's "Born Sinner" Album artwork

On June 18, 2013, just five days after BTS debuted in South Korea, a promising young rapper all the way over in the United States released his second studio album, entitled Born Sinner. His name was J. Cole and he just happened to be a big source of inspiration for BTS, and j-hope in particular. (Take a look at the similarities in their stage names to start.) The album’s final track was the titular “Born Sinner” and it spoke of J.Cole’s promise to be better as a person, despite his shortcomings. 


A couple of weeks later, not even a full month after their Debut, BTS remixed the song, wrote Korean lyrics for it, changed the name to “Born Singer”, and released it on SoundCloud. It was a testament to how closely they were paying attention to hip-hop culture, and how deeply they respected J. Cole. At the time, popular hip-hop and rap was mostly party music and dance-based. With the rise of artists like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, lyricism was starting to make a comeback in the world of hip-hop and it inspired BTS tremendously.

“Born Singer” tells the story of the first three weeks after BTS debuted. Right out of the gate they faced more opposition than congratulations—after all, their Debut showcase only happened because another group had canceled and the music show needed to fill the empty slot. Much like J. Cole used “Born Sinner” to reassure himself and his audience that he was striving for more, so too did BTS give a similar message with “Born Singer”.  There was more to them than everyone was assuming, and they would reach for more, and do it their way.  

2015 performing "Born Singer"

To be honest, I was scared that I was to prove myself after talking big

that I, who used to know only pen and book, was then to surprise the world

i dunno, that I and the world’s expectation are too asymmetric,

I was scared that I might betray everyone who trusted me

I stretch my burdened shoulders and step onto the very first stage

A moment of silence, I collect my breath

The people who I had been watching are now watching me

The people on TV who I had always looked upon are now beneath me

In RM’s verse, he worries that he’ll let everyone down. We again see that he wants to prove himself. As the years have passed the members have updated the lyrics to reflect their growth and the changes in their career. Yet each time they’ve performed it, their passion and conviction have remained the same. It’s become a fan favorite. And when PROOF was released, ARMY was thrilled to finally see an official (and remastered) version of “Born Singer” on an album.

 

BTS PROOF Concept Photos Short Clip

 
 

MELON SPOTLIGHT BTS PROOF RELEASE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

 

"Born Singer" Stage Mix

 

"Born Singer" Live FESTA 2022

 

Fun Fact:

Well hello…on the scene PTD Las Vegas reporter Christina here!



It’s two years later, but hear me out. When I had started on my BTS journey during the Pandemic, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to witness on April 16th, 2022 at 7:30 pm. in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.


I knew it would be a massive good time—how could you not have an unforgettable night partying along with 65,000 other fans? But when the concert was coming to its sad but inevitable conclusion, the two veteran ARMY (who had attended several BTS concerts) next to me in the row suddenly gasped. “What is this?” they both said—and me, being new ARMY, gasped along with them. This was something…new? The whole stadium watched while a video played on the massive screen, and when the PROOF logo unfolded—we cheered. And then the 2022.06.10 date appeared on the screen and the entire stadium erupted in the most deafening sound I have ever heard. I am serious when I say I felt the roaring in my chest first, and then it reverberated throughout my entire body.


Later we heard the people on the Vegas strip casino closest to Allegiant could hear our screaming from inside the building. That’s almost completely unbelievable, were it not for the fact I can personally confirm it. It was a pure and powerful joy—the perfect cap to an unforgettable night. I am so very lucky to have been there, and I can’t wait for next time!

  1. BTS PTD Las Vegas PROOF Album Announcement (1:00)

  2. ANOTHER ARMY POV OF THE PROOF ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT (1:12)


*Please enjoy my personal video shown below from that moment. It is awful and too short, but it accurately shows my excitement.

 

Christina's terrible footage of the PROOF reveal at PTD

DAY TWO:

I mentioned in the intro that Disc 1 of PROOF included a retrospective of all of BTS’ lead tracks from their discography, all the way up to the release of “Butter” in 2021. Today, we’ll cover the title tracks released from 2013 through 2017.

These were the group's most formative years. While their lyrics have always been thought-provoking and full of substance, at the time of their Debut and through the first couple of years, BTS leaned into a hard hip-hop sound and aesthetic. It was a carefully-crafted image, meant to reflect the themes of hip-hop culture at the time.  

They found their initial footing with that sound, and tracks like “No More Dream” and “N.O” brought lyrics that questioned outdated societal and parental expectations, something no other Idol group at the time was really doing. They caught attention here and there, but seemed to be coasting along on moderate success for a while. 

After their lead track (“Danger”) from their first studio album, Dark & Wild didn’t perform as well as they wanted it to, BTS knew they needed to make a change. In 2015, with the release of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1, they took a chance and made those first changes. They softened their look, swapping out black leather and chains for pastels and fuzzy sweaters.  


And their sound evolved as well; they explored genres outside of hip-hop and the gamble paid off. “I NEED U” earned them their first music show win ever. They followed that up in 2016 with The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever winning them their first Daesang award for “Album of the Year”.

 

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Jacket Shooting

 
 
 
 
 

Bangtan Bubble: What’s your favorite BTS title track and why?

 
 

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

 

DAY THREE:

If you divide BTS’ career into two parts, and up until the point when they released PROOF, I think we can safely say those two parts could be named “Making it in Korea” (2013-first half of 2017), and then “Making it Everywhere Else” (Second half of 2017-2021).

Today, we’re interested in those “Making it Everywhere Else” years. After the success of their HYYH (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life) series, and the WINGS album, they were encouraged to continue developing their music, both in sound and lyricism. 

PROOF Official Photo

In the latter half of 2017, BTS upped their game once more by releasing the first part of the Love Yourself series. Love Yourself: Her contained the title track that would give BTS their first real foot in the door in the United States. “DNA” ended up becoming the first song they ever performed live on American television (at their first American award show as well). Legend tells that if you’re anywhere near the venue at which the 2017 American Music Awards was held, you can still hear ARMYs screaming the Fanchant for them…

BTS would continue knocking on and stepping through door after door in the west with every subsequent album release after that. By the time the Pandemic hit in 2020, and they were in the midst of the Map of the Soul series, they were primed to break through and be launched into superstardom in the west.

Enter “Dynamite” and “Butter”.

We just talked about the impact of those two songs in last week’s blog. They, along with “Permission to Dance”, were BTS’ all-English trilogy, and their impact brought the group even more accolades and achievements in parts of the world in which they never thought they’d be terribly famous. 


But when I see the list of every new record broken during that time, I picture the smirk on 19 year-old RM’s face growing wider and wider. And though we know he’d never rub it in anyone’s face in such an obvious way, I can also almost hear him saying “See? Told you I’d prove it.”

 

Love Yourself 'Answer' Jacket Shooting Sketch

 
 

EPISODE: MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA JACKET SHOOTING SKETCH

 

EPISODE: MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 JACKET SHOOTING SKETCH

 

BTS RM x V Interview #YOUQUIZ

 

Fun Fact

BTS on “You Quiz on the Block”.

“You Quiz on the Block” is a popular South Korean variety show hosted by Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho, two comedians and TV personalities. The premise of the show is that the hosts find people randomly, interview them, and also engage them with various quizzes and games.

In March of 2021, BTS appeared on the show, and it was such an amazing time. It was filmed at the Korean Furniture Museum in Seongbuk-dong. It doesn’t sound glamorous, but the location is beautiful and it displays not only an impressive collection of traditional Korean wooden furniture, but also teaches about the structures of hanok houses.

When asked if the company picked the show for them to go on, or if the members decided, RM quickly said, “The company suggested it, but it was the only show all seven of us agreed on.”

They played a few fun games (including an always-entertaining round of “Who’s the Mafia?”) and were truly impressed by the ARMY who dropped by and performed their choreography for them. And then they split up into groups for insightful and touching interviews with the hosts.

The interviews have given us wonderful vignettes from moments in the members’ lives over the years. Jin and SUGA discussed being the younger brothers in their families vs being the older brothers in BTS, we get rare insight into how intense their trainee days were from j-hope, Jimin, and Jung Kook, and RM and V talk about some advice they got from V’s father that helped all of them out over the years.

  1. BTS PT 1 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (14:49)

  2. BTS PT 2 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (13:47)

  3. BTS PT 3 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (14:45)

  4. BTS PT 4 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (14:39)

  5. BTS PT 5 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (14:27)

  6. BTS PT 6 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (11:15)

  7. BTS PT 7 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (10:47)

  8. BTS PT 8 | YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK (10:28)

  9. BTS RM X V INTERVIEW (FULL VER) | #YOUQUIZ (22:18 - as shown)

  10. BTS J-HOPE X JIMIN X JUNG KOOK INTERVIEW (FULL VER) | #YOUQUIZ (21:43)

  11. BTS JIN X SUGA INTERVIEW (FULL VER) | #YOUQUIZ (19:29)

 

DAY FOUR:

 

"Yet To Come" Official M/V and they are back on the bus!

PROOF released on June 10th, 2022, just a few days before BTS’ ninth Debut anniversary—a wonderful FESTA gift for ARMY. And while anthology albums are mostly retrospectives, they do often contain a few new songs as well. 

The title track for PROOF was “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”, a beautiful track that felt simultaneously incredibly nostalgic and like a hopeful message for the future. In other words, it was one hundred percent typical of BTS. I mean… the title alone says it all, am I right?

Somewhere deep inside your heart

still lives a boy who is ever young

My moment is yet to come

Yet to come

Do you have a dream? What would be at the end of that path?

Moment is yet to come, yeah

Remember when we covered “We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal” a few weeks ago? The M/V for the song was a sentimental animated journey through the group’s past discography, as the member’s ran toward their future with ARMY. “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” carried that on.

 

The M/V (live-action this time) features the members in the desert, surrounded by objects significant to their past—references to the sets of all their previous music videos. Two of the most significant, perhaps, are the rusted out swings from “Spring Day” and the school bus from their Debut single, “No More Dream”.

In “No More Dream”, the members arrive on the school bus, and exit it, seemingly saying “We’re here… are you ready for us?” In contrast, BTS winds up the “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” M/V by getting back on the bus, all together. The message is clear: “We’re still here, but we have many more places to go together. Are you coming with us?” 

 

"Yet To Come" Official M/V

 
 

"Yet To Come" Performance

 

President Biden and Vice President Harris welcome BTS to the White House

Fun Fact:

So… BTS spoke at the White House? Yes, yes they absolutely did.


Just when you think: “You know, BTS has pretty much accomplished it all, how much more could they possibly achieve?”, they go and get an invitation from the U.S. President to speak at a White House press conference.

Cool. No big deal.

In May of 2022, President Biden asked the members of BTS to give a speech to address the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes that been happening around the globe (most notably in America) in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

After the press conference they also met with President Biden in the Oval Office, during which he told them, “People care a lot about what you say, and what you’re doing is good for all people. It’s not just your great talent, it’s the message you’re communicating. It matters.”

A lot of BTS fans may have initially been drawn in by the sound of their music, the cool choreographies they perform, or even how good-looking they all are, but if you ask any ARMY what made them stay with BTS… it’s them. It’s their generosity, genuine natures, and the message they put forth in the world.

Just a boy band though, right? Riiiiiiiiiight.

  1. PRESIDENT BIDEN AND VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS WELCOME BTS TO THE WHITE HOUSE (4:51 - as shown)

  2. BTS AT WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING (6:19)

  3. EPISODE: BTS VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE TO DISCUSS ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIMES (15:23)

 
 

DAY FIVE:

FESTA 2022 Promotional Photo

We’ve discussed, at length, that BTS’ plans for ending the first chapter of their career were upended by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The world tour they’d prepped to embark on in 2020 was canceled, and they found themselves on lockdown, like most of the rest of us around the world. 

During the following couple of years, they would adjust and make new goals, including album releases they hadn’t planned for, and reevaluating a new start date for the beginning of their “Chapter Two”—a term we started hearing them bring up around FESTA in 2022. BTS had a dinner together that year, as they had many times before for FESTA, but this time would be different. This time they would be delivering some tough news to ARMY and sharing their emotions more frankly with us than they ever had before.


The members had been working almost non-stop for nine years, only taking one significant break during that entire time. As they contemplated their next steps after the Pandemic, two facts became very apparent to them. First, Jin would be turning 30 that December, and that meant he would have to begin his mandatory military service by the end of the year. And second, they needed a break. They needed time to rest, and also to just be themselves away from the massive fame machine BTS had become. They’d blown up over the past couple of years, and they were tired.

FESTA 2022 Official Photo

So, during that FESTA dinner, they let us know that they were going to be taking a break from group activities. They would be taking time to rest, then focus on solo activities they’d all been putting off, and finally, preparing for their military service. They decided to enlist as simultaneously as possible, in order to be able to come back together as a group roughly all at the same time. As they all talked about their gratitude for ARMY and what they wanted from the future, they became quite emotional, perhaps none more so than RM. He cried while letting us know that he needed time to rediscover who he was, while desperately not wanting to let us down at the same time. Every time I’ve seen it (which is only twice… it’s a difficult watch), I’ve been reminded of his verse from “Born Singer” again, and the fear he expressed over not wanting to disappoint those who were looking up to him. It’s impossible not to cry with him.

These revelations during FESTA made “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” even more poignant—the lyrics clearly VERY pointed, and meant to reassure BTS’ fans that while they had to go away for a while, they would definitely be back.


Yeah the past was honestly the best

But my best is what comes next

I’m not playin’, nah for sure

Heading towards that day,

until I get out of breath

You and I, best moment is yet to come

The moment is yet to come, yeah

At first, ARMY was scared. That dinner felt very somber and final. The press jumped on it and immediately the word ‘hiatus’ started being thrown around, even though none of the members had said that at all. The promotions for PROOF suddenly seemed like a plea from them to ARMY, and every performance of “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”—a love letter. “This is our gift to you. Please stay with us, we promise we’ll be back, and it will only get better from here.” 


In other words… “I’ll prove it to you.”

 
 
 

"Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" Music Bank

 

"Yet To Come" Comeback Stage MCountdown

 
 
 
 
 

Bangtan Bubble: What do you think is ‘yet to come’ for BTS after their 2025 reunion?

 

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

 
 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The release of PROOF seemed to usher in the beginning of BTS’ Chapter Two… a time of great uncertainty, and eventual rampant shirtlessness (despite vehement claims to the contrary from V). It does feel like a brilliant capstone to the first phase of their career… an appropriate tribute.  

Next week we’ll continue the tribute while we cover Disc 2 of the album and discuss some favorites…

 
 
 

Side Quest

Can you believe it? Season 3 of “Run BTS!” finally comes to an end.

  • Chef Paik once again braves the kitchen with BTS.

  • BTS members master the art of Children’s Books. SUGA narrates.

  • BTS finally learns the truth about “Louder Than Bombs”.

  • The members travel even further into the past for another installment of BTS Village. Who are the culprits this time?!

  • ARMY learns that BTS is better at making music than they are at putting together furniture.

  • BTS takes over the entirety of a hotel floor but still manage to all end up in one room.

  • The members have to make it through a bunch of Korean favorites.

  • BTS plays a bunch of Run BTS! favorites to wrap up an epic season and eat BBQ to celebrate.


 
 
 
 
 
 

RUN BTS! - Episode 147 Village in Joseon Dynasty Part 3

 
 
 

CREDITS:

YouTube/Web

BANGTANTV, HYBE LABELS, 1THEK, Ael Chi, BANGTAN SUBS, BILLBOARD, BTS LIVE ARCHIVE, BTS LIVE ARCHIVE, BTS WORLD, C-SPAN, Enjoy BTS more, FireFax, HyundaiWorldwide, Jaeguchi, KBS Kpop, KBS WORLD TV, 𝐊𝐈𝐌 𝐂𝐘𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐑⁷, M2, Mar 21, MNET KPOP, MsPacWorld, Public Bangtan, xCeleste, SAMSUNG, SBSKPOP X INKIGAYO, SPOTIFY, THE WHITE HOUSE, tvN D ENT, 장방울[ ZZOZZI FANCAM ]

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 “Monday Muster”, thoughtful discussions, and tons of laughter! It’s hosted by AP529 Founder, Stefne, on her channel (@StefARMYProject529). Catch us every Wednesday night at 9pm ET on our project channel (@ARMYProject529) for #the529tea, when we dish about all the news going on with Bangtan. 

If you can't watch in real time and want to catch up later, Lives are recorded and posted to our YouTube (@ARMY Project 529).


Quince
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