BTS breaks any mold that you think is related to Korean pop. They are more than K-pop. “BE” is an album different from anything that we have heard from BTS.
Over three years, I went from a retired Directioner, who survived the K-pop versus Directioner fandom war of the 2010s, to a secret member of the BTS ARMY.
band’s latest release does not allow me for a second to regret anything. BTS’s “BE” is their second studio album of 2020. “Map of Soul: 7” released earlier this year before the pandemic halted all our lives. This standstill sparks the genesis of “BE.”
Hope, optimism and healing is packed into this 8-track album.
“Life Goes On” paints the picture for “BE.” Few months before the album’s release, the band gave a speech at the UN's 75th General Assembly, where “life goes on, let’s live on” was the main message. The song itself has beautiful lyrics. I was shocked to hear an acoustic guitar in this song. It makes the song so warm and full of hope. The production of “Life Goes On” sits as my favorite on the album.
Featuring V, Jimin, SUGA, and J-Hope, “Fly To My Room” sounds like someone sitting in their bedroom, staring at the ceiling and singing to themselves. Yet, the rap line’s transition was not as smooth; it was abrupt and came out of nowhere. Maybe the abruptness represents how frustration comes to one during this pandemic. Frustration gradually builds up.
My favorite song, hands down, on the album is “Blue & Grey.” Throughout the song, the guys use the colors blue and grey in different ways. “Blue & Grey” is meticulously crafted. It is the emotional peak on “BE,” with each member expressing their pain.
The acoustic guitar compliments and made the production. The guitar mesmerized me, especially the opening. It is light and soft. Then, V’s outro is “after secretly sending my words up into the air/now I fall asleep at dawn, good night.” How beautiful.
I usually skip skits during BTS’s albums. I don’t know why. The only skit I listened to was their Billboard Speech on “Love Yourself: Her.” Luckily for my bare minimum Korean comprehension skills and switching between several tabs, I learned that this skit was about “Dynamite” reaching number one on the Billboard 100 before they were going to choreography practice. Ironically, they were going to practice their first lead single, "No More Dream." It gave me goosebumps.