[SPEAKER_02]: Consequence podcast network
[SPEAKER_00]: Bora, hey, iconic army.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bora, hey.
[SPEAKER_00]: So BTS have been keeping us a little bit busy and occupied with their Weaver's lives recently in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also a couple Instagram posts that have peaked our interest.
[SPEAKER_00]: One thing that we've been talking about a lot is the hat that RM was wearing on his Instagram.
[SPEAKER_00]: That said, techno is my boyfriend.
[SPEAKER_00]: And immediately, some armies were like, whose techno let me fight them because you're my boyfriend.
[SPEAKER_00]: but also people are wondering if that's maybe a teaser if they have like a techno-based song on their upcoming album.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I kind of feel like he is teasing a lot, so.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and he's had several hats that have had different genres of music on his hat.
[SPEAKER_00]: True.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so people think that maybe it could be a hint at the different genres that they're going to explore within this new album.
[SPEAKER_00]: he did say and he's live that this album spans a bunch of different genres and that they're really which I feel like is kind of a mark of BTS's music and albums anyways like on any given album we really talked about that with love yourself tear that it had so many genres and composing in that album but it all worked together and you can kind of like it's music that anybody would love because of that so
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not really sure that I've seen other people talk about but just something that personally peaked my interest to some of his Instagram captions recently because sometimes he'll have like a really long caption or you know if he's traveling you know it'll be like a sentence or a couple phrases but what stands out is when he just has like a one word caption.
[SPEAKER_00]: and he had one where it looked like he had maybe done like a little vacation with his dad, but the caption was the Autumn Leaves emoji, and I mean, my theory is about H1H3.
[SPEAKER_00]: H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1H1
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm like, oh my god, is this like hinting that like they're doing like you know some new version of autumn leaves He also had a caption that was 2.0 and it just made me think about like chapter 2 or like a reset here It's like BTS 2.0 post military.
[SPEAKER_00]: He had another shorter one that said green tea
[SPEAKER_00]: And these are just all like on their own kind of obscure, but I almost like could these be song titles could these be?
[SPEAKER_01]: There has to be more meaning to that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is what I'm thinking about lately.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: He did go to Japan with his family recently, and it was nice seeing all of those photos that he posted on Instagram.
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, he's been pretty active on Instagram with his song choices for his Instagram posts and just seeing all of the different places he's gone, the people within it, the captions.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I do feel like there has to be some kind of hinting
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: So in this just intro here, I kind of want to talk a little bit about some of the most recent reverse lives that we've gotten with Jungkook and RM specifically.
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like RM's reverse lives.
[SPEAKER_01]: You always have to go a little bit more in depth with them with him.
[SPEAKER_01]: He talked a little bit about the album, so a lot of the comments it seemed in the Weber slide that a lot of armies were really prying for any kind of spoilers.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he said that he's trying not to give spoilers as the company would be startled if he overshares, so he kept reiterating that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But he did say that the album was all connected together and that the album is coming along really well.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he said that the songs are really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: He mentioned it multiple times, like they're just really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: And as he kept saying it, he seemed more and more confident with what he was saying, like, nah, yeah, it's really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: Which makes me so excited coming from the leader of BTS, obviously saying, and one of the main writers and producers for their music is saying that this music is basically fantastic, it's really, really well-produced.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so he continued to say that BTS, in terms of their style and everything, he said that not only is the album really well connected, but that they're taking what was strong before, but also moving forward with something new at the same time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's like everything we could ever hope for is that there's that same
[SPEAKER_01]: solid foundation of BTS within the album, but that they're taking what's so strong about them and creating something new with it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I love that.
[SPEAKER_01]: He also mentioned that there's many other genres that they're going to have That they've never tried before.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's going to be in the album too.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I love that.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's like they're still being innovative with their albums and their creative process.
[SPEAKER_00]: If they're like taking what was strong and moving forward at the same time, I also am trying to think back to any other time where before even months before an album came out.
[SPEAKER_00]: that he's been so confident about how fantastic it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I feel like he's been like, wait on the album guys, like, you know, we're working on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, it's coming, please wait for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, like, we promise that we'll, you know, do better than last time, stuff like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But not just outwardly saying, like, oh, this is really good.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like coming from someone like Namjoon, of like holding that true confidence, I feel like that speaks volumes.
[SPEAKER_01]: it does speak volumes, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he also commented a little bit of like the self doubt that he had coming out of the military, since it had been so long since he had written music, that he was a little unsure of what it was going to look like for BTS.
[SPEAKER_01]: He could still do it, but then he ended up adding that the two months in LA were actually really worth it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I love hearing that, you know?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I, that extended period of time in a foreign country.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I didn't know, especially with their last tour before they kind of started doing military enlistment.
[SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't in the best place.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I like hearing that he enjoyed his time in LA with BTS working on this album and that it was really worth it.
[SPEAKER_01]: also he shared that he's no longer taking medication for his insomnia and that stopped back in July when they were in LA.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's incredible.
[SPEAKER_01]: To me that makes me feel like some kind of stress that he was feeling had to have been really just some underlying anxiety totally was taken away that he was able to start sleeping again without needing medication.
[SPEAKER_01]: He said he still has the medication in case he needs it but that he's doing a lot better.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's
[SPEAKER_01]: Lastly, in this life, he talked just with Army about, like, hey, regardless of things that have happened over the years.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's just focus on you and me and us and to just focus on the album itself and the things that are come within the next year.
[SPEAKER_01]: and he doesn't really speak on any comments but it seems like he's responding to some of the comments that maybe are going through in weverse saying maybe potentially related to like recent rumors that are going around or judgments that are being made about BTS has been a lot of
[SPEAKER_01]: Judgement towards BTS lately that was kind of unexpected and just the rumors are rampant right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I feel like instead of addressing those specifically, he kind of made this more broads comment of, hey, let's focus on each other.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's always been us.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Focus on the music.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's, that's what's important.
[SPEAKER_01]: If he makes a comment to about Grammys about like, hey, let's just put our heads down and do us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, basically.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think like the one of the exact quotes that you shared with me was stay focused on what's between us and like there's a reason why that's the title of this episode because I feel like it's a powerful quote from him.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is powerful.
[SPEAKER_01]: Very powerful.
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Jungkook's weaver's life was also incredible.
[SPEAKER_01]: He spontaneously sang some songs and that was just like a free concert for our and I mean how wonderful of him to share that with us.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like he is such a gorgeous voice.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's so effortless when he sings my gosh.
[SPEAKER_01]: He also looked really adorable on this live too, very soft look, very light fluffy hair, glasses on, very casual.
[SPEAKER_01]: He just looked cozy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we were all cozy with him while he was like serenading us.
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, amazing.
[SPEAKER_01]: He shared.
[SPEAKER_01]: some personal reflections on preparation with this new album and come back and also some reflections on his military service.
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, we talked a little bit Kayla, you and I talked about how this live shows just that this time right now with BTS and Army is less about profit and it's more about the personal personal connection with fans during a more quiet time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what we're kind of digging into today.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're really excited about this episode topic, just kind of talking about how BTS reach out to fans connect with fans and drive that connection even through all of the years that they've been a group.
[SPEAKER_00]: So stick around, we're excited to get into it today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back, where you're hosts, I'm Kayla.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Bethany, and this is Standing BTS.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your favorite informative fan-girl podcast.
[SPEAKER_01]: Today, we're going to hang out for about an hour.
[SPEAKER_01]: And today, we're really talking about the connection and communication between BTS and Army.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're going to be going back to their pre-day view years and how they communicated with Army and connected with Army back then, all the way up until the most recent dates with weaver's lives and how they're connecting with Army and preparation for their comeback post-military service.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we're super excited to dive into this topic.
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems so relevant to what they are actively doing right now, but it's like a part of their history at the same time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Before we get into today's episode, we really want to say thank you so much Iconics for being here and for all of your support.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you'd like to support us even further, you can join us on Patreon at patreon.com slash standing BTS.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for being here for all of your support and of course for listening.
[SPEAKER_00]: let's get into it because I mean like we said this is really driven by wanting to discuss how BTS has even since pre debut in their early years continuing to the peak of their stardom and now post military, how they gear up for comeback and how they drive connection and communication between them and
[SPEAKER_00]: us, and how this has led to an authentic fan idol connection that we have talked so much about over the years and why anytime I'm sure any army that loves singing, when someone asked you in your life, why do you like BTS?
[SPEAKER_00]: It goes back to this connection.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we just wanted to investigate that a bit today.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so let's go back to the beginning.
[SPEAKER_01]: So how did BTS begin building a fandom throughout reach leading up to their debut in 2013?
[SPEAKER_01]: So BTS created a series of bonton logs posted to YouTube beginning January 7th, 2013 with RM kicking it off himself and going all the way up until May 17th, 2013 with a whole group final pre-dab you log.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so it's worth noting that between then and debut, they started to also roll out their teasers for their two cool-for-school debut.
[SPEAKER_01]: And these logs were either solo or with duo's.
[SPEAKER_01]: And they served one main purpose, which was to find their potential audience and also introducing themselves to the world and their potential new fandom.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so over the course of these 24 videos they made, the members covered so many topics, they threw the videos covered or gave a glimpse into idol life that groups had never before given in this format, like in just a casual YouTube video.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was really game changing, what they were doing as this marketing strategy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just some common themes of what they spoke about in these videos.
[SPEAKER_00]: One main thing was trainee life and how hard they were working.
[SPEAKER_00]: They spoke about their long hours, their dance practices, their time in the studio, what their training environment was like.
[SPEAKER_00]: They also talked about their hopefulness of being a trainee.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that really was stood out and was a common theme.
[SPEAKER_00]: Something else that they got to talk about is how they've bonded as they've come together as a group.
[SPEAKER_00]: and the relationships between different members.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as they would introduce themselves, they would talk about what their role in the group was.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm the vocal leader.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm the dance leader.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm the leader of the group, but they also talked about their different groupings, like rap line, vocal line, dance line.
[SPEAKER_00]: And through these do-oh logs, they also shared inside jokes.
[SPEAKER_00]: They talked about how they support each other, they discuss their dreams and their fears and what debut meant to them, which gave us some of the bonding between individual members and helped us to start to see their personality as they discuss these topics.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you really get to learn them as individuals and see what their characteristics are and just feel like you're establishing a relationship with them because you're getting to know them on such a personal level.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know like those early videos, these pre-day view videos, I find the discussions around trainee life to be so insightful and I think it's so, I just feel like it's a vulnerable of them to be able to share that lifestyle and what that was like and how hard it was
[SPEAKER_01]: I also think about the titles too that they had given themselves the rap line, the vocal line, the dance line, the leader, you know.
[SPEAKER_01]: Those have withstood the test of time.
[SPEAKER_01]: We continue to still make references to the rap line and the vocal line.
[SPEAKER_01]: They really set the stage for the fandom to basically jump right in and latch onto these subunits and, you know, right, this is who we are.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, yeah, it was really a key foundation to the success of BTS and like understanding army too and like gaining army.
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they also too talked about their creative process.
[SPEAKER_01]: So some of the videos captured them working on music, writing, producing, recording demos, discussing future song ideas.
[SPEAKER_01]: It showed that they were serious about their identity as artists and not just wanting to be a performer.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like they were more than just these artists or idols.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like they were really invested in the music and wanted to do everything to the utmost perfection.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they had a lot of ownership over their music.
[SPEAKER_00]: They did.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they absolutely did.
[SPEAKER_01]: And pride.
[SPEAKER_01]: For sure.
[SPEAKER_01]: They also talked about their anticipation, excitement, anxiety around debut.
[SPEAKER_01]: They, in the videos, all can be a very clear sense of like, calm before the storm or just before everything changes type of vibe.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, this is where we are now, but like, once we're out there, we're out there and everything's going to be different.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they reflect on how debut is approaching and wonder how their lives might be or how it might change once they debut.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and throughout all of these videos, you know, there were bits of personal moments shared.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they happened in every video.
[SPEAKER_00]: Beyond just in the training, there were many moments where members were relaxing, goofing off.
[SPEAKER_00]: joking around, chatting late at night, and I think as viewers, this really humanized them to us, it made them seem like they weren't these unattainable idols, but more like they're a group of friends, like many of us have experienced in our personal lives, and it made them so relatable, and it made us like want to root for them, it made us want to get to know them better.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, relatable, likable, like just genuine, yeah, um, they also, it was almost like they were speaking to future fans when they were making this video or these videos, it's like they knew that, you know, fans would discover them and come back because when they're,
[SPEAKER_00]: recording them.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're speaking directly to the camera.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're sharing their journey like they want to document it and they make it clear that they want to create something more than themselves and form something beyond just a group.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like people like us who went around for debut and we discovered these videos year late years later as we were joining the fandom.
[SPEAKER_00]: We could see where they begin, how they built it.
[SPEAKER_00]: How they introduced themselves, the work that they put into it before they debuted, the passion that they had even back then.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they just throughout all the videos they have aware in this together theme, making Army feel a part of that, making Army feel like we're a part of the group as they're, you know, discussing, almost sharing like the most personal things going on with them at the time.
[SPEAKER_01]: even without them knowing who we are, we felt so connected to them and such a important part of their lives, as much as they were important in ours.
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, it created this really, we're in this together connection.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: All of these videos helped Army to really feel so so connected to BTS's journey specifically.
[SPEAKER_01]: having a shared hopefulness in their success and feel familiar with each member's personality, all of which integrated us to them so, so easily.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, no matter when Army discovered BTS, we'd find these videos one way or another and feel connected to their story from the beginning.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is also similar to Eileen and with, like, in Hype and so, like, if you've watched Eileen and it all, I know that after we watched Eileen and we couldn't help it to fall in love and root for all of the members because we saw firsthand what they went through to form the group.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, BTS were essentially doing the back in 2013 through, like, the Bontan logs, like, hey, this is our lives before we're officially announced as a group and putting our music out there.
[SPEAKER_01]: you fell in love with them right like just like when you watch island you start rooting for certain members because you want them to make it into the group and then once they debut you're just so excited to see their success and for them to do well and perform well.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so it gave them a really strong foundation even before they debuted of placing importance on the fan and the member connection that we felt like we were a part of their their story.
[SPEAKER_00]: We felt like we were already getting to know them a little bit and that, you know,
[SPEAKER_00]: I think fans back then could feel, oh, my support of them can influence how this is going to go for them, which made fans I think passionate really early on.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then they continued to build fan connection in the early years through a variety of methods.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know that BTS really struggled to be accepted by the industry and breakthrough into the mainstream popularity for their first couple of years, and although it would get them down at times, it didn't dissuade them from continuing to try.
[SPEAKER_00]: They continued to put their authentic selves out there through a variety of content outside of album, so as they continued to release albums, they also released dance practice videos, studio updates, random everyday life vlogs, vocal covers and soundcloud songs.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this extra content helped us again get to know them and get to like, see their personalities even more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I think everybody can like envision an iconic dance practice video in their mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, stay on during just one day.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's these things were like, when you see them, you just can't help but to laugh and just love them.
[SPEAKER_00]: They also at this time were pretty active on fan cafe, and they would post blogs just like updates kind of like how RM will post a letter to army on weverse now He was doing that on fan cafe at the time, and then they would directly communicate.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry, but
[SPEAKER_01]: Fan cafe is such a throw.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know right?
[SPEAKER_01]: I kind of forgot about fan meeting too.
[SPEAKER_00]: When it came up during research, I was like, oh my god fan cafe.
[SPEAKER_00]: I used to be searching on Twitter for fan cafe translations, you know?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was just like, oh my god, they did do that, but like, that's how they use weverse now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_01]: So how ahead of the time they were.
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've, like, this artist, fandom relation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's probably partially where Hype got the inspiration to, like,
[SPEAKER_00]: create weverse because they saw BTS basically interacting with the fans on all these different platforms and they said let's just make one platform ourselves which I think that's totally what they did.
[SPEAKER_00]: They also in like 2013 participated in their very own low budget variety show called Rookie King in which members peridied and portrayed different popular TV programs and commercials.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, so that's like a really classic show that put BTS out there a little bit more than after that a little bit later on They filmed American hustle life in LA and we did a whole I don't know what a whole couple episodes like a mini series on this Yeah, because it kept me
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it was so formative for them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only, of course, do we get to see who more of who they are in something like that, but it was like a boot camp education about the history of hip hop music where they got to work with hip hop artists, soul artists, you know, these were noun musicians in LA.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they got to do that because, you know,
[SPEAKER_00]: they love hip hop and they wanted to make it themselves but do it in the right way and show like the proper reverence for it and I just love this because in this content they showed their struggles and not just success and all of these things helped fans feel like we know them personally rather than just knowing the concept of BTS as a group.
[SPEAKER_00]: When watching this type of content, whether that's the dance practice videos, the vlogs all the way to American
[SPEAKER_00]: fans rallied behind them as they heard about their struggles and it made army admire their honesty and root for their success.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so through these BTS were able to build loyalty through sincerity instead of marketing, which is really brilliant.
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, I just don't think that it was really done that way before then.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I don't think so.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this is a huge part and a huge standout of BTS's success.
[SPEAKER_01]: A contributor to their success is just that that fan loyalty that is so sincere.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's it's it's very it continues to be sincere to this day and not all about the marketing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: So once their music began to gain more traction during the eight-way age eras,
[SPEAKER_01]: They made appearances on music competition shows such as M Countdown, Inky Gio, and Music Bank.
[SPEAKER_01]: This rallied fan excitement, especially as BTS received their first wins on these stages against other groups.
[SPEAKER_01]: It just really felt like, wow, like, what a struggle.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's finally starting to pay off.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to make it, like,
[SPEAKER_01]: And what's so interesting to about the e-twilight age era is all of this self doubt that is just ingrained in the lyrics of those albums The anticipation of what could and what could not be and the hope and the dreams that they had It was so vulnerable and then for that to be
[SPEAKER_01]: the albums that really blew them up, that made them win, and made them go on these shows and start showing numbers to support their success, it was just huge.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was so huge.
[SPEAKER_01]: What a moment.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that we are going to make it really felt like Army and BTS together, like, wow, we are doing this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, it's always, it's always been our, you know, army has always been such a huge part of their success, for sure.
[SPEAKER_01]: Also around the time BTS also started to film and post their YouTube variety show run BTS.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this show highlights their group dynamic, their friendships, and individual member personalities.
[SPEAKER_01]: And truthfully, Ren BTS is for sure their most successful variety show of the bunch.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we have other types of variety shows, or like we have seasons of greetings, Bon voyage in the soup.
[SPEAKER_01]: All of these are very successful as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, love Bon voyage.
[SPEAKER_01]: Love it too.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, but run BTS is the OG.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is the staple.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is like the bread and butter of the BTS true group dynamic friendships that you get to see like I mean You see Tayong have full full on meltdowns and like pouts in the corner and some of these episodes Like this is how truly authentic it is you know like you see them even at it They're not so great moments right right like you really get to know them
[SPEAKER_01]: And so when we were new fans, we felt like we got to know them so so much through their behavior in these episodes.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think it just adds to that connection.
[SPEAKER_01]: You go to these concerts and you see them in person and you're just like, wow, I feel like I know that guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes you so much more powerful.
[SPEAKER_00]: And honestly, honestly,
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially as a brand new fan watching Run BTS was like a weekly ritual you're like I get 30 minutes of straight incredible BTS content right now that you could look forward to every single week new episode as you become a fan you have so many episodes to catch up on it's like it's the memes it's the inside jokes it's the you know it's the history and being able to see it and experience it all is like
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, especially if you're like a brand new fan or new to K-pop, definitely not something that you experience like as a fan of Western artist either.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like a whole new glimpse into like who these people are and like you said like their best and their worst moments all wrapped up in, you know, one hilarious 30-minute episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: So definitely like a gem with Run BTS and a huge thing that drove and continued to build the fan connection there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it's important to highlight what you said in terms of like you don't get this with Western artists like you When you become a K-pop fan and you come across a variety show like this, it's just insight you never knew that you Need it exactly
[SPEAKER_01]: You're so in love with it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just how can you not be looking forward to an episode of Run BTS?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it is just pure joy.
[SPEAKER_01]: You like you just really get to know them and it's so fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: It really does drive like the obsession but also the enjoyment.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know when it keeps you hooked in the fandom between albums you still have this like content coming out from them that makes you feel
[SPEAKER_00]: So close to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, definitely a highlight of what they've done here.
[SPEAKER_00]: We do need to talk about like their music You kind of talked about there with acroate h how their music was really connected with fans for the first time at a larger scale because it was so Vulnerable in a different way than their previous album's had been
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's obviously no surprise that we love BTS' music, like, that's all we're all here, but it is noteworthy to dive in deeper and talk about why do we love their music so much?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I think, like, obviously, they're a music group, like, that is a huge part of why we feel so connected to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And something Bethany that you and I always talk about is how authentic their music is and how they've always created.
[SPEAKER_00]: music that is true to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was from the formation of the group.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was always important that they wrote about how they felt and about topics that were important to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this was really ensured by Bang PD when he started big hit when he started BTS.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, I want a different approach to K-pop.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so he supported them in this way, giving them a lot of
[SPEAKER_00]: Creative freedom and topical freedom about how they would approach their albums, what kind of themes they wanted, what lyrics they wanted.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why we have like incredible songwriters on the BTS team because they've been doing this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean even before they debuted they were writing music.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Bang PD felt that this approach would make the difference and set them apart in Kpop.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it definitely has, giving them the ability to use their own voice rather than a team of songwriters, handing down lyrics that they're just, you know, a sign lyrics and they sing, it makes it feel so much more personal and meaningful to them and that really translates in how they perform the music.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I have to say, like, being PD should have known too.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, that's true artistry is being able to write about topics that you feel are important and that they want to express themselves through is by expressing themselves through their lyrics in music.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, yeah, really a huge part of their success and connection to RME2 is just being able to write music
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think he and Authentic team must have known that because he was so experienced in the industry up to this point you know like he had worked with JYP very closely as like a high level producer for that company and so he had to have been able to kind of take a step back and think like if I were to do this how would I want to do this differently.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do I think that this model, the system is is missing that I could innovate on and that really was like everything that BTS did was Innovative when we talked about like BTS is rise to fame in whatever episode that was oh like a year ago or something
[SPEAKER_01]: The rise of BTS.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: We really talked about like how much big hit in Bang PD focused on needing to innovate as a group and in their approach.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that that was, I mean, a huge part of BTS success in success.
[SPEAKER_00]: why they chose to do the Bangtan logs, why they did rookie king, why they started run BTS and you know, bond voyage and all these other things because it does make them feel so much more accessible and approachable.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyways, back to their music though.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like we mentioned with their Bontan logs, BTS, they took us along with their creative process.
[SPEAKER_01]: They showed us all the behind-the-scenes clips, the scenes from in the soup, and RM's live stream album reviews, giving us those additional insights on the writing process, the creative process, the demos, sharing how songs are originally started, and
[SPEAKER_01]: how they change.
[SPEAKER_01]: Really, we've talked so much here on the podcast about specifically RM's album reviews.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like him just going through and showing us how the album process went in the creativity behind it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it's some of the best content.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you already feel so connected to the music when you hear it.
[SPEAKER_01]: You mean, you hear it, you connect with it, you read the lyrics, you connect with the lyrics.
[SPEAKER_01]: But then you could think deeper underlying story of where they came from, what these songs not only mean to you and to them, but the thought process behind creating them as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: How long it took them, where it took place, who originally was going to sing it, who was, what was all of the thought process behind it, and you just are so deeply invested in the music, it's hard not to feel connected to them as artists, and you feel a part of it, you just really
[SPEAKER_01]: In their lyrics, they address the strife that they address the strife that youth, but also every age goes through, like the angst, the insecurity, the heartbreak, loneliness, equally they soak us in the magnificence of life through playful, joyful, and celebratory songs.
[SPEAKER_01]: and lyrics that just empowers us to shine and I mean that's that's BTS's discography in a dress like they really embody it all like there is a song for everyone for any moment of life for anything that you're going through anything you're celebrating confidence just going out preparing for an interview whatever
[SPEAKER_01]: there is a song there for you and it's just them expressing those feelings that you're feeling through beautiful music that is well written lyrics that are just saying everything that you wish you could say and things that you didn't even know that you wanted to say or needed to say but then when you hear it, it runs
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's with you so deep even like if you're hearing a song for the first time and it's one of their older songs that is you know like mainly in Korean You don't know what it's saying until you look up the lyrics.
[SPEAKER_00]: You still connect with it on an emotional level because One of the other things they really focus on is their emotional delivery
[SPEAKER_00]: as they're performing in these songs.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they're thinking about all of those aspects, the lyrics, the production, the delivery, and then even like with the music videos, like the visuals or the photos that come with the albums and how it all comes together and works together.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: something else that I know we really appreciate army really appreciates in general is that in their lyrics not only do they address you know what every common day people go through but they also talk about issues within society they've addressed inequality and
[SPEAKER_00]: social norms that don't serve us, racism, injustice, just to name a few things.
[SPEAKER_00]: These topics are so important to BTS and to Army.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's important to Army that the platform that BTS has a mask is not just used for making poppits and making billions of dollars, but also for using it to spark change and to stand up for what's right.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they've done this throughout
[SPEAKER_00]: all of their albums, you know, in some way they do.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then that even continues on to, like, them, you know, speaking at public speaking events like the UN or the White House or, you know, being voices for justice and for change.
[SPEAKER_00]: This, like, the authenticity of their music is really a large reason why fans, why army, why we feel so powerfully connected to BTS,
[SPEAKER_00]: and why we so fervently support them because we know, like you said, like Bethany said, we've seen the behind the scenes.
[SPEAKER_00]: We get the process through the album reviews, how they create these albums, what it means to them, how we interpret it, but also how it came to be why they felt like this was an important song or topic to have, and it really does make us feel so much respect for the art that they put out.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: And these songs also are like major bangers too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like, Pepsi, you would have never thought that they're what they're talking about in that song.
[SPEAKER_01]: But they make the song such a hit that when you dive deeper, you're just, it makes you want to dive deeper to know the song even closer.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you look at those lyrics.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I think about like j-hope's equal sign or Auguste's strange, like all of those even all the way back to where you late to with no Um, oh, yeah, I mean or social norms right or wallets or RM's collaboration with wallet change
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that was 2015 man like they this is clearly like important topics to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think many army feel that those are also important to us and things that we want to be able to talk about in the dress.
[SPEAKER_00]: So
[SPEAKER_00]: It's great when you are a fan of an artist that you feel kind of line with your values.
[SPEAKER_01]: And yes, align with your values and you have a different level of respects and also to know that they are just cerebral human beings like you know, they are just thoughtful.
[SPEAKER_00]: So thoughtful.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: like their intelligent, but they also, you know, they drive that conversation, really, really something to appreciate.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Their tours are also a major part of their connection to the fans.
[SPEAKER_01]: Someone could walk into the concert, having never heard their music and leave with all the awe and wonderment.
[SPEAKER_01]: that a seasoned BTS Army has for this group.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, their concerts show their personalities through theirments, the stage presence, fan service, and their very unique performances, especially with those individual performances that we get of them with their solo songs.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, each BTS concert, we've personally gone to his left us in tears by the end of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I will never forget the very first concert experience and just being completely drenched in tears at the end, like the innate visceral reaction to just start crying when they're leaving.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I had never experienced that at a concert before.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it continued to be a theme for every concert to follow.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was just like, it's not time.
[SPEAKER_01]: It can't be like, how are they?
[SPEAKER_01]: How is it already over?
[SPEAKER_01]: How are they already leaving?
[SPEAKER_01]: When am I going to see them again?
[SPEAKER_01]: I love them so much.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've had such a wonderful, like, happy tears.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_00]: But sad also the same sad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[UNKNOWN]: Mm-hmm.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, yes, and it really is because we felt like we were hanging out with them and just having the time of our lives Like their connection with us I feel is just as strong as our connection with them like some people get say, oh, it's just fan service Oh, it's just the way that they like are trained to speak to a place like they're told to do this But no
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, you hear RM on that V-live or weaver's live, he is not speaking any lies, he's saying nothing but the truth, he's so down to earth, he's so to the point, he's very connected with us and he just expresses how much it's BTS and Army and how much he misses us and that he wants to be with us, and I'm sorry, like,
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just the truth.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I mean, this is a adult very mature, very intelligent man.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not going to just say it because someone told him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's none of them are that type.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, if anything, they've historically skirted the line of what they're allowed to say.
[SPEAKER_00]: They've pushed the boundaries quite a bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: And like, if they don't agree with something, we know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I also want to point out like the being in tears at a concert.
[SPEAKER_00]: It goes both ways.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen members fully like break down at concerts.
[SPEAKER_00]: We saw Jim in at the end of the speaker self tour.
[SPEAKER_00]: fully crying just because of the feeling of wow this tour is coming into an end.
[SPEAKER_00]: This has been such an amazing time with Army.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so grateful that we've been able to do this.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen Tagang.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've even seen, I mean, Yungi at the end of his solo tour.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the last people that we would think is going to he cried through like the entire song, you know?
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, what was it, uh, a migdala maybe?
[SPEAKER_00]: The entire, like, he could barely sing it because just of what that tour meant to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, and like we just saw at the end of Jins on-core tour, Jungkook, Jay Hope, on stage with him, Jungkook, fully tearing up, crying, just be, and he even, Jins, like, what's wrong?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jungkook said, I just have thought about this so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have been anticipating being back with army.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think we all seven have thought about what this moment is going to feel like when all seven of us are back together And now I'm here and I just you know he was just overwhelmed with emotion because you have my Taehyung.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, Taehyung.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I thought it was just but yeah, I was probably Taehyung
[SPEAKER_00]: But it could have been both of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, honestly.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the, yeah, because it just, it, it, it's so, it means so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember like before you and I had gone to our first concert, we had really built BTS up in our minds.
[SPEAKER_00]: Put them on such a pedestal because we had just consumed all of their content 24, 7 for like an entire time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like literally as as much as we could for nonstop for like eight months, you know, and or like a year It was over a year at that point that we had been fans and then they completely lived up to expectations I remember before we walked in the concert we were like
[SPEAKER_00]: Are they even real like I can't believe we're gonna see them with our own two eyes and being in Fort Worth It's such a tiny concert like at one point.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're like literally five feet away from all of them and to see them really That close and be like oh my god.
[SPEAKER_00]: They they really are real.
[SPEAKER_00]: They really are this incredible at performing
[SPEAKER_01]: are this beautiful?
[SPEAKER_00]: They really are this beautiful.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean like the lighting they were just glowing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Their vocals are really this phenomenal in real life.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they really do feel as connected as we do.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can see it when they're on stage.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can see it in how they soak it in and how they interact with army.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know that so many musicians like when they are on stage,
[SPEAKER_00]: like that's where they want to be, you know, that is like their happy place because they love that energy that they get from their fans and you can definitely definitely feel that authentic energy and give and take from BTS and army in their concerts.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, yes, addictive.
[SPEAKER_01]: It goes both ways for sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, let's also talk about how they maintained connection to us during military service, because I think we and BTS collectively were really dreading this time of service.
[SPEAKER_00]: It kind of came at a tough time because before that, we had all gone through COVID shutdowns, tour cancellations, kind of an uncertain time in what albums they can put out when they can
[SPEAKER_00]: Kind of scared that we'd be missing their content and missing them a lot during service, but they pre-planned and created albums and other special content to sustain us for pretty much the entire time that they were enlisted.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember before they enlisted, Bethany and I brainstormed like a huge list of episodes.
[SPEAKER_00]: topics that were like more creative, more out there that we could do while they were in service because we were just like we're going to run out of stuff to talk about even if we you know talk about these remaining albums we haven't talked about like what else can we do basically.
[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't even touch the list the whole time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Little did we now.
[SPEAKER_01]: That we were going to be busier than us.
[SPEAKER_00]: We were so busy.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was so many times like, oh my god, like we can't even keep up with it because an album would come out and it's a traditional like BTS rollout where they start doing teasers.
[SPEAKER_01]: They put out a music video to We were going to flip a coin on what we were going to talk about.
[SPEAKER_01]: Literally.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's either this or that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like what which one?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think there was even more important.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there was even like a music video with either Jimin or RMs, both either of their first albums that we never got to talk about, because more content came out and we just did not have time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and we had to prioritize, we had to be like, what, right now, what does RB want to hear more?
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly, something from two weeks ago or something that just came out.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was like,
[SPEAKER_00]: We never felt like we missed them too much until it was very close to the end of service Because it almost felt like they hadn't left at all with how much solo music we were getting from them And it's still attending concerts, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like seeing you gazing in J.H.O.J.O.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, J.H.O.J.O.J.O.J.O.J.O.J.O.J.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, exactly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like being able to kind of like space them out and space their enlistment and their discharge
[SPEAKER_00]: in a way that like they could keep that content going like yeah when they were all enlisted we saw Jay hoping you needy in concert we just saw Jay hope like last spring break see and I was just thinking about San Antonio earlier I was too probably because you were talking about your so don't know trip I was just thinking about the last trip that we had together but anyways I mean they're
[SPEAKER_00]: So what's up?
[SPEAKER_00]: Were they able to go live?
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
[SPEAKER_00]: Were they really able to post on wevers like not really?
[SPEAKER_00]: We would sometimes get updates on their Instagram accounts or we'd get sometimes some written letters on wevers to describe how service had been and how much they were missing army.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that wasn't like
[SPEAKER_00]: They weren't super allowed to do that very often, and so their main drive-of connection of being like, hey, remember us?
[SPEAKER_00]: We're still a group.
[SPEAKER_00]: We still make amazing music.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here's some of our solo work.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, and other members took some rare time-off during military service to attend concerts with other members, or events when they were able to get leave, and so just like seeing a little glimpse of them like in the crowd at Yungi's concert or something, or at J.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hope's
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, all of them going out to eat together and then yeah, like it would be little moments like that that we would get to see and that was enough to defeat the connection.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think so too.
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, chapter two with the staggering of the military service.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was really that solo work.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was just like you really got to connect with that member at that time and that was unique.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was special.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it had always been BTS as a whole.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it was like you got these like segments of time with certain members, like with Justin and with Justin, with Justin, with Justin Hope and it gives you time to celebrate and like truly love and maybe even deepen your appreciation for that specific members music style and approach and I remember
[SPEAKER_01]: Jen, for sharing personally, I mean, I've always loved Jen, I will say, like, I've been obsessed with his visuals, but I don't think I really appreciated him as a vocalist to the depth that I do now, after seeing him do this concert series and the utmost respect I have for him too for like his entertainment ability to like just how funny and outgoing and charismatic he is, you know, seeing him on
[SPEAKER_01]: All these different shows that he's been on to recently.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree.
[SPEAKER_01]: Anyways, a different kind of connection that just like individual member.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, like getting that reference for each individual member kind of like Peppered throughout that service was really, really nice.
[SPEAKER_01]: But now they're back.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now they're back.
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's talk a little bit about the reforming personal connection post military service leading up to their comeback.
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's not a surprise that all of us would feel a little disconnected after two years of military service.
[SPEAKER_01]: and five full years since a studio album has been released.
[SPEAKER_01]: That is wonderful.
[SPEAKER_01]: But both BTS and Army have to come back together, find each other again in re-agnite that passion that we all once felt before.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so how are BTS approaching this now?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly in the same way that they did back in 2013 through Authentic Outreach.
[SPEAKER_01]: So after they all returned from the military, they went live to talk to Army, and once they were all back, they did an OT-7.
[SPEAKER_01]: Weaver's live where it felt like a family reunion, seeing all of them again together.
[SPEAKER_01]: And since then, they've posted logs from their time together in LA during their album creation and their travels.
[SPEAKER_01]: They've done a couple other OT-7 lives, like on the beach in LA when they were all together.
[SPEAKER_01]: So like we've definitely gotten
[SPEAKER_01]: a lot of just weverse lives additional content of all of them together that we've gotten to see like okay yes BTS is back as a group.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think like really that's what we were craving to knowing that they were all gonna be discharged we could not wait to see them all back together in person.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then interacting with each other, I think that's part of the best of all of their variety shows is seeing the interactions between the members.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, completely.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I totally agree with you and I think that's what, like, again, makes us fall in love with them and enjoy them as just seeing their interactions or personalities.
[SPEAKER_00]: On their Weaver's lives, like, they've super randomly gone live without any promotion, literally just to hang out, like Tae Young has done that quite a few times.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jim and did it last week, Jungkook does it.
[SPEAKER_00]: They maybe throw a few album teasers in there, like we talked about with RM, probably teasing, but mostly they're just there to chill with Army in the chat.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like if YouTube in 2013 had a live chat feature, that's what they would have been doing too.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think it's really cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: Through these weaver's lives that they've done recently, we've gotten to know when they were writing, when they were producing, recording, finalizing the album.
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, it's like what Bethany was talking about earlier, that behind the scenes look at their creative process.
[SPEAKER_00]: That really makes us like respect them as artists.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just curious, do you think that while they were in LA, that they ended up doing
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure I hadn't thought about that but just you saying that like hype is one thing if you know if not capitalists you know they're gonna capitalize on the opportunity to record and then like after this album comes out like give the album maybe a month or two to breathe they'll release a documentary on like Disney Plus or Amazon Prime or something yeah for sure
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure, I'm sure, RM had made a comment about how it felt a little bit like a bomb voyage or like an in the suit, so I wonder if they had cameras on?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I would not.
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope not too much, not too much pressure because of course I always go back to the beetles and whenever that started becoming a thing where they felt like they had cameras all around them while they were trying to record and write music and it just kind of made the pressure, it makes it a little less fun and less
[SPEAKER_01]: Had a good time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it sounds like that a great time and it makes me think Yungi's road to D. Day Documentary that was like his process on creating that album I would hope it would be something kind of like that because I think that documentary is phenomenal Yeah, watching that is like yeah, you have to love this album.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like You know, so it's a you know one of the greatest albums of all time because of like getting that behind the scenes content
[SPEAKER_00]: beyond the weaver's lives that they've been doing and, you know, like Instagram, anything like that, Jen has also since he got out first, he went on tour, he released another album, and he has given us incredible extra content.
[SPEAKER_00]: through rungin and also through kians bazar bnb and both of these series gave us such a renewed love and appreciation for him like we were like not only is he like you said with his tour so entertaining has such a stage presence he's so fun he has such a great attitude he loves to laugh joke around but the way that he treats people I think it really stuck with us with kians bazar bnb
[SPEAKER_00]: He treats people with such kindness, compassion, patience, understanding, and he's also like so chivalrous.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was just like, oh my god, love Jin so much.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, yeah, love him.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_01]: And how can you not when you're watching him through all of this content?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you really get to see who he is.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like, with people outside of BTS too, you're like, oh my god.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the way that he can, the way that he could lead, even like Keyons, bizarre B&B, like Keyon was supposed to be the one who's like really running the show, but Jen could facilitate that shit like, no, right.
[SPEAKER_01]: He was running a tight shit.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was to run a dorm of six other boys, you know?
[SPEAKER_00]: He had to have dinner on this table.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is and seeing like the comments from people outside of BTS who like have never met Jen before and are thinking, you know, this is this larger than life, K-pop idol, like biggest, you know, boy group in the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Worldwide Handsome and then he's so humble and he, you know, he's like of service to everybody I just it's incredible to see it's like how would you not be Endured to him, you know, we've also gotten to see members step out at fashion shows Which we had a whole episode about because we loved it so so much We've seen them participate in brand deals like John Gooch just recently had another Calvin Klein and oh Oh my god, we were dying
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean seriously, him like leaning back on the bed, like does abs out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah abs out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, Taehyung, like he just became an ambassador for tier tier, uh, Korean foundation brand.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's actually pretty well known in the US because they went viral on TikTok a couple years ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they seem to be an amazing brand.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just an excellent brand that expanded their shade range
[SPEAKER_00]: Variety of skin tones outside of what is more common in Korea.
[SPEAKER_00]: Taehyung also literally just today announced to be the Ambassador for Coke Zero I love cuz I'm a Coke Zero girlie Coke Zero over Diet Coke.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know you're Diet Coke drinker Bethany, but no, I'm a Diet Coke Zero so much better.
[SPEAKER_00]: It tastes so much better.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love to and
[SPEAKER_01]: It does!
[SPEAKER_01]: Have you heard that people refer to a Diet Coke as a fridge cigarette?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Diet Coke people are like a specific type of person.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I like the flavor.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just I think Coke Zero tastes the most like regular Coke without like all the sugar.
[SPEAKER_00]: And also, I love like the pure red can for Tagang, you know, our red boy.
[SPEAKER_00]: He just looks so good with red.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like in the ad, he's like holding up the Coke Zero right by his face and it looks incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: We also just announced today too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jay Hope made his own line with the human-made brand called Human Hope that he was so excited about saying this is something that fully represents who he is, something he really thought about and poured himself into.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, since getting out of the military BTS have been able to re-engage with fans through different brand deals, brands that they align themselves with, stepping out looking incredible in the fashion sphere and really not just showing army, but showing the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember us?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is who we are.
[SPEAKER_00]: Look at us, appreciate us, you know, and then like we kind of touched on a little bit earlier.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're special content like Bon Voyage or Run BTS and Jimin and Jungkook on December 3rd on Disney Plus or about to release season two of Are You Sure?
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, they came out with season one when they were all enlisted.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is highly anticipated content that's going to be like behind the scenes, them vacationing together, getting into, you know,
[SPEAKER_00]: G-Cook and, like, this is just amazing.
[SPEAKER_00]: It looks amazing.
[SPEAKER_01]: It really does.
[SPEAKER_01]: The teas are trailer that they've put out already.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, these two, like, even just seeing them, like, panic-packing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, you can tell that they have a lot planned for these two.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Trying to, like, run and catch the train.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, they're missing the train.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I just, it's so funny.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that it's going to be just a really special series with these.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's this type of content like the brand deals or the series that you know make us feel like OBTS is back.
[SPEAKER_00]: BTS is back.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're better than ever.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're exactly how we remember them to be except for like with 20 more pounds of muscle mass and you know it like excites the entire fandom for their upcoming content and to like re-engage with what they have in store for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's all the most recent content that they're putting out that's going to be having us still connect with them and know them deeply as individuals.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ending thoughts here like really BTS didn't build a fandom by acting like idols.
[SPEAKER_01]: They build army by being themselves, being real, authentic people.
[SPEAKER_01]: Army feels so connected to BTS because they've always been transparent, accessible, relatable, funny,
[SPEAKER_01]: and messy, truthful about their lives and because they show their unfiltered creative process, they create a blueprint for global fandom culture truly.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that is what it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And nowadays, like other K-pop groups, especially under high follow this model, because it was so successful.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a model for BTS.
[SPEAKER_00]: They create a new model.
[SPEAKER_00]: What's really cool is that they're early social media strategy persist even to this day, just with some evolutions.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like we said, right now as BTS are preparing for what's in my opinion practically a brand new debut for them in March.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're communicating with us in some of the same ways they did in 2013.
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead of benton logs on YouTube and posting on fan cafe, it's weverse lives and posting messages to the weverse artists thread.
[SPEAKER_00]: Different platform, same type of content and engagement.
[SPEAKER_01]: yeah it's funny because sometimes we're like oh my god they're not doing anything right now we're dying for content but really we need to be patient for their music and enjoy the connection that they're working to rebuild sense military service so the album is coming the album is done
[SPEAKER_01]: In the meantime, while we're waiting for you, let's enjoy all of these really special moments, special content and personal connections that we get with them in the meantime.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's focus on us, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's focus on Army BTS.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, like RM says, so BTS required to build and maintain this authentic connection with us through various methods centering around their true selves, the genuine care for music.
[SPEAKER_01]: in the well-being of fans, and this is why we are so deeply rooted in this fandom, why we love BTS, and why they love us so much.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, let's stay focused on what's between us, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's stay here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's look together to the future.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't worry about anything else.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well we really hope Iconics that you enjoyed this episode and kind of our deep dive into how BTS have always communicated with their fans why it works and you know what methods they continue to do so and how that's really created this authentic genuine relationship sometimes as army we can be made to feel
[SPEAKER_00]: Silly, for how deeply we care about them, how much we feel connected, how much we feel like we know them, and love them.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is parasocial relationship, it does, and you know, at the same time, this is where it came from.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is how it came to be, and it was intentional, and it's too excited, you know, it goes both ways between both BTS and us.
[SPEAKER_00]: definitely something to enjoy and if you enjoyed this episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: We would love to hear it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You could write us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and of course you can find links for all of the things in the description.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for listening and thanks for standing BTS.