[SPEAKER_02]: Consequence podcast network
[SPEAKER_02]: Borahe, iconic army, Borahe, all right.
[SPEAKER_02]: So we both have plans to go see the BTS movie week movies.
[SPEAKER_02]: We are both going to go see the most beautiful moment in life on stage epilogue.
[SPEAKER_02]: I am thrilled to be going to see this, just because I have not seen this concert at all.
[SPEAKER_02]: So...
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm excited to see just like little baby BTS performing on stage, but this is also when they were like this isn't the red bullet tour This is when they're a little bit more developed.
[SPEAKER_02]: They have a little bit more success We have major hits like I need you and run and dope and fire and it's just gonna be back when these songs were
[SPEAKER_02]: knew like these were the new songs that they had that they were showing and now these songs are just like those either on-course stages songs or that the songs that get their own like little medley because of that new stuff so it'll be really neat to see them back in the day performing these songs as if they're like the first times that they're performing it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, like as a whole tour set list, I'm equally excited because like you, I haven't seen this concert either, you know, this tour happens like a couple years before we were fans and
[SPEAKER_00]: getting the opportunity to like experience it for the first time makes me so excited because I feel like with BTS there's not a lot of new that we haven't experienced.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have sought out every opportunity to see their concerts ever since we've been fans and we've you know heavily heavily kept up with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So getting to experience this tour, this iconic incredible tour where I feel like this is where they really solidified their sound as who they are as a group with these albums and this tour I am just so excited to see it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you get to see it a couple days before me, you're seeing it this week on Wednesday, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: On Wednesday with my sister, we're going to go together.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm so fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to see it next Sunday with Jeremy and I just have to like expose him to what their concerts are like.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like it's not going to be anything like their concert in person, but like you can at least get a feel for why we love them so much and why they're so incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's present.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a total aspect of BTS that like he hasn't really been exposed to yet.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I love that he's going to go with you.
[SPEAKER_02]: What is supportive boyfriend?
[SPEAKER_02]: I know right.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm excited for it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Just he needs to embrace the army boyfriend life, you know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not even, I haven't even told them about how normally when you go to a BTS movie, like armies are giving out freebies and everybody is so nice and it's just like this amazing community meet-up of army.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like he has no idea about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think I'm gonna tell him just so we can like experience it and just go into a blind and just be here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully just wowed by the army community because they're I mean seriously the best people.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I've been going with no
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's the Grand Canyon.
[SPEAKER_02]: Well anyways, hope you all are having good luck with your tiny tan meal collections.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, mine is a little bit on hold here, but I have officially completed my throwback set.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I mean, I'm I still so I was supposed to see Bethany this past weekend.
[SPEAKER_00]: I ended up getting sick.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I didn't go to Kansas City to see you, but you still have my junk that I still have dibs on but
[SPEAKER_00]: This past week, I was able to get gin from a happy meal, which was the only other one that I was missing, so I'm very excited.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have that that set complete.
[SPEAKER_00]: Can grads must be good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so excited.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that it's literally the mic drop ones as the day that we're recording this, they come out tomorrow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like we're like the hunt starts all over again.
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like I need all of those.
[SPEAKER_02]: Those are the ones that I'm really dying for.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a job addition.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the on-core addition.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really want those ones too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also the BTS Funko pops with like that's honoring their solo work comes out on October 4th, is their release date.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just pre-ordered all of them for myself, because I remember telling you, I wanted to get those for myself.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that they are so cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I will have quite the collection of little
[SPEAKER_00]: Many BTS figurines by the end of all of this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll have like three full sets.
[SPEAKER_02]: So Very excited about that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Amazing.
[SPEAKER_02]: Also one last thing.
[SPEAKER_02]: Did you see that Yungi posted on Instagram?
[SPEAKER_02]: Like an actual post?
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, no.
[SPEAKER_02]: It was him in a Oh gosh, it looks like a backstage area like it's all concrete and he's standing on top of like what looks like a cart that would
[SPEAKER_02]: You would use to like push music like speakers and stuff on just like sound equipment I just I'm just amazed like I can't remember the last time he posted on Instagram like actually not just like He didn't just put on his story like he actually made a formal pose Some of you are like us.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah last time the last time he's like holding a car Yes, the last time he posted on Instagram was August 24th 2020-30
[SPEAKER_00]: that's crazy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pre-service.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you can see his shadow on the walls, which is really cool, and then he's playing an electric guitar, which is dope.
[SPEAKER_00]: He just looks really cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's giving amygdala.
[SPEAKER_02]: like it is giving a make-up.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the immediate visual that I get from seeing that kind of like grungy concept, especially with the guitar.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wonder if he's like recording any like special sessions or special release, you know, something like that to hold us over.
[SPEAKER_00]: Please yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: What a blessing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, I did not see that.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's pretty cool, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well anyways, we are excited to dive into today's episode not talking about anything that we did just talk about what we are going to get into some new concept theories here, so stick around to dive in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back where you're hosts.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm Kayla and I'm Bethany and the sustaining BTS.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your favorite informative fan girl podcast.
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, like Kayla was saying today, we are diving in to some concept theories and album theories.
[SPEAKER_02]: There has been a lot of potential spoilers out there, especially with RM's most recent birthday V live, or we verse live that he did.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we are just really excited to theorize.
[SPEAKER_02]: We ended up getting super into this research.
[SPEAKER_02]: This wasn't what we were originally going to talk about.
[SPEAKER_02]: We were just going to talk about the most recent reverse lives.
[SPEAKER_02]: But then we saw all of the discourse from all of the armies about these concepts that we think are pretty, it seems pretty likely that this could be the direction BTS is going.
[SPEAKER_00]: And really like, when we were watching RM's live, there was a line that he said that immediately stuck out to us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even before we saw the army were talking about things related to it, we were like, well, hold on.
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so of course everyone's been talking about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're really excited, where this episode, like how it developed and just to dive into some theories for the first time.
[SPEAKER_00]: feels like forever.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: So before we get into it, we want to say things iconic so much 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_02]: Yes, thank you for being here for all of your support and of course for listening.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so let's talk a little bit about RM's weverse live.
[SPEAKER_00]: First of all, he looked so so good.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was talking about how he just died his hair and cut his hair and like it is working for him.
[SPEAKER_00]: He talked about how much he has.
[SPEAKER_00]: been in the gym trying to lose a little bit more weight and how, you know, it's being a little bit persistent, not really coming off, but he did take the opportunity to praise Taehyung.
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw a lot of people talking about that Bethany, you mentioned that too, of just him being like,
[SPEAKER_00]: basically like work V, you know, go on with your bad self basically.
[SPEAKER_00]: He really though as far as what he talked about, of course he was sharing appreciation for the fans for all of the warm birthday wishes.
[SPEAKER_00]: He talked about a few other people that have reached out to him for his birthday as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then he kind of talked about where he's at right now where BTS are at in their album creation process and their plans and what they're working on.
[SPEAKER_00]: And one of the things that he talked about was that they have just been going through a lot and they're trying to figure out kind of how they're working, you know, and they have a good routine down.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's currently working on like vocals and arranging vocals is like his current process, which tells me like they're like in the thick of it right now with what they're working on as far as.
[SPEAKER_00]: song production.
[SPEAKER_00]: Something else to know is that at the beginning of his live, he said, I'm going to be a bit of a tease today.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think that he was just talking about like attractive being a tease.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he was saying, I'm going to give teasers here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, literally.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: for sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know that we have definitely missed some teasers because we really hooked on to one.
[SPEAKER_00]: So after he said that, you know, he was recording and arranging vocals and that's they're working on every day.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was talking about that it's just a whole new process for album creation because it's been so long and like they've all changed now since it's post-military.
[SPEAKER_00]: They've had so much time apart and they're having their own challenge finding who BTS is after
[SPEAKER_00]: But right after that, he said the thing that really stood out to us.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, so he goes on to say, quote, lots of burdens, heaviest of the crown, do you want to be king?
[SPEAKER_02]: And this, of course, stood out so much as potential lyrics to us and a tease of a concept, because the way that he delivers us, he goes into just,
[SPEAKER_02]: He's talking, talking, talking, and then randomly, it seems randomly.
[SPEAKER_02]: He starts to have this more rhythmic sound and how he delivers these lines saying, lots of burdens, heavy as the crown, do you want to be king?
[SPEAKER_02]: And he like even pauses, it's super rhythmic.
[SPEAKER_02]: And it sounds like lines from a rap verse.
[SPEAKER_02]: This idea of like a heavy crown, the burden of a crown is nothing exactly new to us, especially with Namjoon.
[SPEAKER_02]: We've heard him kind of allude to this Shakespeare quote, which is heavy as the head that wears the crowns.
[SPEAKER_02]: Specifically, what it made me think of is NAMJune spoke about this particular quote in a 2023 KBS interview for Indigo and he ended up saying quote, the one who wears the crown bears the crown, but many people can imagine how heavy that crown is for BTS.
[SPEAKER_02]: And he goes on to say, I want to accept my destiny rather than feel uncomfortable about this heavy crown and saying that I am feeling blue and tired, I want it to show that I'm facing my feet head on.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so he has specifically talked a lot about just the weight of a crown and the heaviness of the crown, specifically
[SPEAKER_02]: for BTS.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so for him in this 2025 RN birthday life, for him to be rhythmically saying lots of burdens, these is the crown, do you want to be king?
[SPEAKER_02]: It feels a little too spot on that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_02]: He is totally teasing what is to come with this new album.
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially the way that he does it like he's talking kind of about the challenges that they're going through throughout this creation process and then the way he slips this in like you said it's so rhythmic and he's even between the two lines before saying do you want to be king he kind of like bobs his head which to me comes across that it's like he can hear the music in his mind that he was listening to in the studio earlier as he was delivering this line like
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to be surprised if this like, we're a lyric from his verse, not like a hook of a song, but just something that he's putting in there.
[SPEAKER_02]: Even if he, I mean, he talked about that he's doing the vocal arrangements.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I go to him making demos through ways to sing the song or, you know, I could totally see him coming off of his work and going into this weaver's live and it's still in his mind.
[SPEAKER_02]: And in the midst of this life, he delivers these lines again in a way that he's feeling the rhythm and trying to see what is going to be best in terms of the vocal arrangement for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is very early on in the live too, like within 15 minutes of the live starting and the first like five minutes or so is him just kind of like popping around waiting for people to join.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like I think it's intentionally put at the beginning of this because he knows that he wants to tease it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so he said it when he could early on to make sure that he got that that teaser out.
[SPEAKER_02]: Right after he said he was going to be a tease.
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I mean we we feel like there's a lot of evidence that this is teasing a allureg or a concept overall and so that's really what we want to dive into.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll talk about some other theories here that have come up throughout this process but this is the main one that really sparked our interest today.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so we're going to talk a lot about just the crown and what it means when he's saying lots of burdens heavy as the crown do you want to be king so we're going to be diving a little bit into that what really is striking to me is that a crown can be interpreted and a lot of ways it's this very regal prestigious just all these expensive droels within this crown that's bestowed upon someone with a lot of power.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, I just want to kind of think about, with you, Kayla, just like, how to interpret or different ways to interpret, or how they can take crown as a theme or a concept, and where they can go with it.
[SPEAKER_02]: So, does the weight of the crown symbolize the burdens and sacrifices it took to gain?
[SPEAKER_02]: the crown, like are we talking about their shruggles that they went through, their youths that they lost, all of the sacrifices, the lack of sleep, just the blood
[SPEAKER_02]: or does it symbolize like the weight and pressures of being on top of the music industry and being seen as leaders in kpop like this is where I really think about like a lot of our past episodes we've talked about this.
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel that there is so much pressure for them to keep doing more and to keep doing better in the expectations are so unrealistically high.
[SPEAKER_02]: how do they ever meet those expectations?
[SPEAKER_02]: How do they continue to exceed those expectations?
[SPEAKER_02]: And then also just with this being a symbol of responsibility too and always feeling like they need to be doing the right thing or being in the best interest of others.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I feel like we'll dive more into it too as we continue to discuss throughout this episode, just with the different crown connections that we've seen throughout their history.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I feel like it can be any one of these things or all of these things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I would love to see a crown concept from them where
[SPEAKER_00]: they're utilizing the symbol of the crown in all of these different ways to not only acknowledge their burden but also kind of claim that they are on top or you know claim how wriggle they are.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as we these are just good things to think about I love these questions that you posed.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do want to dive in a bit to the history of BTS and crowns because
[SPEAKER_00]: When we heard R.M.
[SPEAKER_00]: say that line, lots of burdens heavy as the crown do you want to be king.
[SPEAKER_00]: I immediately was brought back to map of the soul seven and Yungi's shadow music video and the song.
[SPEAKER_00]: First of all, in the song, Lyrically, he says, I want to be a king.
[SPEAKER_00]: He outwardly says it.
[SPEAKER_00]: As far as the music video goes, the music video, I remember we disseminated on all of the visual symbolism throughout that entire music video so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was so visually dense in all of the different things it was representing and conveying through the visuals.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the things that came up multiple times are crowns drawn onto the screen, onto his head, flashing almost subliminally across the screen.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, the song itself was about the burdens of flying too high and, you know, how Yungi himself has kind of exposing his shadow and like kind of his endless greed and never feeling satisfied with what they've done.
[SPEAKER_00]: and RM there and his potential lyrics, lots of burdens he mentioned, you know, the concept of this burden along with the crown.
[SPEAKER_00]: We go back to Map of the Soul 7 too because that's what we feel and what BTS have conveyed is like their last major work that they did before military service.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, they did.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, they did the English...
[SPEAKER_00]: singles and yes they definitely had proof the anthology like you can't forget about yet to come you know being that single for that album but map of the soul seven was the last album that was like the planned concept it was the planet you know this is like our theme that we're going with and like what
[SPEAKER_00]: After map of the soul seven, we had expected them to build off of that one and go to the next storyline from that and then they were never really able to.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what we're wondering is if they're kind of going back to what they were thinking at that time what they were maybe wanting to do and step, you know, branching off from map of the soul seven and if this concept of the crown came back up from those original lyrics in Yungi Shadow.
[SPEAKER_02]: which I was very likely.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: I, like you were saying to inshadow, it's hard not to notice those subliminal messages of a crown flashing across the screen.
[SPEAKER_02]: And with so much discussion around
[SPEAKER_02]: are in talking about this burden of the crown that they wear.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just, it's a little too perfect that I do think that when they think about their less album being map of the soul seven, how can they not go back to that and that they potentially had ideas to go somewhere with.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I want to be king.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, we've got this crown.
[SPEAKER_02]: We know that Yungi and Namjoon are the meat writers on all of the BTS albums and so for this to be Yungi is one of his solo songs like surely this could have been brought to the table again as they're going into create this new album.
[SPEAKER_00]: completely.
[SPEAKER_00]: Something else that we thought about, and this is a real deep cut and Bethany was able to actually late last night find a tweet, referencing it, Bethany, you're incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: But this, I don't know, I was deep.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was on a double-deceal.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I don't know if you guys remember or were armies during this time, I
[SPEAKER_00]: But right after the map of the Sol 7 era, there was a leak on Instagram, a jeweler posted on their Instagram crowns that they tagged BTS in.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was like crowns of thorns that they tagged BTS.
[SPEAKER_00]: They said custom for BTS crown of thorns, not for sale.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they had tagged BTS and then real soon after the tag was taken away and it was taken down.
[SPEAKER_00]: And at the time, they were saying that it was either a leak, but then, you know, it was also came out that they gave feedback on the crowns and those weren't what they wanted or what they were looking for.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, they didn't want a crown of thorns.
[SPEAKER_00]: They wanted a different style of crown.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they were taken down.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they were never ever ever seen again.
[SPEAKER_00]: Never mentioned.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember Bethany and I, like, I don't think we discussed on the podcast, but way back then,
[SPEAKER_00]: ever happened to those crowns like literally what happened like nothing came from them and because we all fully expected there to be some sort of like map of the soul release that like maybe an additional music video or some sort of concept photo or something that had the crowns if you try to look for this now like it's incredible Bethany found this tweet from literally February 2020.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it feels like Hype scrubbed the freaking internet on this because if you searched for it There's like literally like 20 photo search results at all on Google I can't find anything on Reddit.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's incredible.
[SPEAKER_00]: You found something on Twitter about this.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no like I feel like back then people were talking about this There should be some sort of footprint online and there is not it.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's no footprint
[SPEAKER_00]: There's literally nothing, there's no articles, nothing like it's like hype was like, well, we are gonna save these crowns for their next comeback and we're gonna scrub the internet of any proof and evidence that they ever existed.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's also something we're going on with BTS's account on YouTube with under hype.
[SPEAKER_00]: where all of the music videos are chronological until you hit map of the soul seven and once you get to the end of map of the soul seven music videos it's all debut random debut videos like random releases where it literally says posted 12 years ago and you have to scroll past a bunch of those to get to any other era and it's like if you were looking for map of the soul concept videos or teaser videos or anything
[SPEAKER_02]: They're super hard to find a way we can go to high and go to the YouTube channel and scroll back to find certain either like concept clips or teasers from music videos teasers for albums that's like a really like dead like that is a source that we have always gone to when we're like where is this from where did it where did it originate from what year was it
[SPEAKER_02]: We can almost always fall back on that.
[SPEAKER_02]: And when we went to go do that for map of the soul seven, it was like chronological chronological chronological and then we hit map of the soul seven and then all of a sudden no more dream is there.
[SPEAKER_02]: And then you find, I need you.
[SPEAKER_02]: And then you find, we are a bulletproof pro tune you like, what is happening.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Why is it so distrainted after my soul seven?
[SPEAKER_00]: So something happened in that space as well that kind of messed up the the order of all of their their YouTube videos there And it just seems to be going back once again to map of the soul seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where I'm feeling like we're that Charlie Day meme with like all of the red string all over the board Because I'm like the YouTube videos, but it's just like it's it's all connected It's connected
[SPEAKER_00]: And then let's talk about recent mentions of a crown, just talking about more of BTS' crown history.
[SPEAKER_00]: Very, very recently, posts on their Instagram story in Weaver's and this, I think is what has gotten the rest of army talking about what the heck is going on with these crowns is like tang, posting, and tagging,
[SPEAKER_00]: RM and Jin in a selfie where he's holding a princess crown like a costume dress-up princess crown RM posted a selfie of him wearing it Jin on leavers commented like don't take it away.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm the princess like give me back the crown basically and they're doing this enough that this is
[SPEAKER_00]: This is so out of the normal realm of BTS's behavior.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we've known members before in the past, on, like, for example, Bangtan bombs to be chaotic, you know, like, gin.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I, but just, like, on social media, touting this crown around is, like, to,
[SPEAKER_00]: out there behavior that they wouldn't normally be doing, that just stands out so much, that makes it feel like a major teaser for, we're using this concept of crowns.
[SPEAKER_02]: And Tae Young seems to be a strong source for all of the teasers, like if it's involved, a sim that it's a spoiler.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's kind of what we've gotten from when they were all back together for their first 87 live after being discharged from the military.
[SPEAKER_02]: Taeyang was the designated spoiler and the 87 beach live.
[SPEAKER_02]: He was very suspicious.
[SPEAKER_02]: And now he has this crown that he's posting and pinning gin and gnom gin against each other.
[SPEAKER_02]: Just reeling them into his spoilers and teasers and whether or not he's the actual designated spoiler Who knows, but it comes off that way?
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and he just really is the perfect member to be in charge of that and be given that job
[SPEAKER_00]: I agree with that so much, and I think that, you know, that it's such a tail-on job to have something that he would just have so much fun with.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that he's, I mean, it seems like Jin was spoiling a little bit on that beach live and like RM being like one of the main lyricists and producers.
[SPEAKER_00]: If he is active on social media, I think like yeah, he would take the opportunity to get in on the action too with some spoilers.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I
[SPEAKER_00]: One other thing about the crowns too, just randomly is like the fandom regularly refers to BTS's kings.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like there's been so many times they do something more just like kings, kings, icons, legends, you know, and so like the idea of a crown on them is very fitting to us as fans.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm obsessed with it like I might be a little disappointed if Crown is not somehow either the hit track or the name of the album or a part of the concept in some way.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's got to be.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just the perfect symbol to go so many directions with that is so applicable to BTS's current story and state.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I mean the past, they're past as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: We also need to talk about the crown in the proof concept photos.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: We went back and watched the proof concept photo short clips and in that you can see, NomJoon has a crown that he is going to put on his head.
[SPEAKER_02]: None of the other members, I think like Hobie maybe has like a crown pin on his jacket.
[SPEAKER_02]: Jen might have like a crown on his necklace, but NomJoon has an actual crown that he's putting on his head.
[SPEAKER_02]: And there's also just like single shots
[SPEAKER_02]: hand, real close up, and then there's like a real close up shot of the crown to just by itself.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I feel like this is particularly meaningful in this sense that proof was their last all member anthology album, where we got new songs before they went into military service.
[SPEAKER_02]: Also historically, their last album is going to be what hints the most at upcoming concepts in
[SPEAKER_02]: So the fact that the very last album that we can say for sure, like you can you can argue them up at the soul seven was like the last one that they really felt like RM had BTS in his hands and that it was planned out.
[SPEAKER_02]: But proof being the anthology that was the most recent release of all of them together.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so it makes sense that yeah, they could be pulling some inspiration from proof.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I feel like they were like... At their next album, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were like, well, we have these crowns.
[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't get to use them in the way that we wanted to, right after the map of the soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's sneak them into proof and hint at what we want to do with our next album after chapter two.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love, I mean, in my mind, canonically now, this crown that he's holding that's shown in these concert photos and then this clip is like the crowns that that jeweler remained for BTS.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it could be.
[SPEAKER_00]: This evolving concept that they wanted to continue to work with, I love that it shows up in proof and I do feel like it being in proof is a major hint of it coming up again.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Another thing that kind of stood out was Taeyang, many months ago, also posted on his Instagram, this illustration of a young boy wearing a crown, and I don't really have any more information on that necessarily, but there's like little tiny soldiers following behind him.
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know if it's just soldiers, but just other tiny figurines that are following him, like a little boy
[SPEAKER_02]: which is also very fitting for Taeyang in terms of like inner child and some of his songs and the meaning and his songs for him to be something like this.
[SPEAKER_02]: But the crown is very standout and the little boy also has like a cloak on him too.
[SPEAKER_02]: So he's regal like he's a prince leading all of his little toys within.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is something that he posted a few months ago that he could have or they could have already been thinking and discussing about Disconcept.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like before they can go into arranging lyrics and demos and you know vocals or anything they have to come up with like concepts and you know if that was on his mind so many months ago It could have been exactly like aligned with when they were discussing a yeah
[SPEAKER_02]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_02]: To continue on theorizing on what they're potentially going to talk about on this album, way back in one of our episodes, which I just love that we use our episodes as a point of research at this point in the podcast, because we're like, man, we got to go back to our map of the soul seven episodes because we talked about the series series series.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: So back in episode 108 titled, we're on these theories.
[SPEAKER_02]: We talked about how all of the members watched the on music video together and had a reaction and commentary on it, like a live reaction and commentary on the music video.
[SPEAKER_02]: And one of the things that stands out in that video is how at the end of on.
[SPEAKER_02]: It says no more dream and then it drops away to just say dream.
[SPEAKER_02]: We talked a lot about how they had achieved their dream at that point and now they have to kind of figure out how to keep dreaming on.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just find it so, so fascinating too because
[SPEAKER_02]: In that reaction video, NOMJune makes a statement saying, oh, this is perfect, that they dropped the no more, and that it's just dream, because NOMJune said, this is our, oh, what did he say?
[SPEAKER_02]: Like our, like a turning point, or he said it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, something like their new beginning, because they were,
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they were at that point at the end of their first seven years, and I can see it at a reset.
[SPEAKER_00]: There you go.
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a reset.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so if they consider map of the soul seven to be one of their last like official albums as a group, I could see them going back and figuring out where to pick up from or where they left off from and deciding on an album direction from there.
[SPEAKER_02]: So, I'm wondering if they're adapting what they had originally planned for after map of the soul seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, which I feel like to me it would make a lot of sense like I loved be so so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: I like be has a very special place in my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we know that that wasn't part of their original concept and album plan.
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't supposed to follow map of the soul seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so there was some like lost concept that I think now that they have the time and the opportunity,
[SPEAKER_00]: that they, you know, if they already had some some lyrics that they were thinking of or at least a really good concept that they loved back then.
[SPEAKER_00]: It may change and evolve now, but that doesn't mean that they can't like adapt what they had talked about or what they had planned for or hoped for.
[SPEAKER_02]: Surely they had some kind of idea concept themes in mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think so something that I think a lot about is that in the concept kind of your questions that you're asking earlier about what this crown can represent, like they've been effectively gone for five years and they were at the top of the industry pre-COVID, like undisputed, like getting all of the awards, breaking all of the records, most popular group by far,
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, you know, having an enter military service, they were able to put out their proof in theology.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was massive.
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, they haven't had as big of a presence since map of the soul seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: And not that they were feared in the industry or anything, but I feel they may have lost a certain amount of reverence in this time, maybe from their fellow artists.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think definitely from fans over the years, there's definitely been fans that have,
[SPEAKER_00]: Come and go and since then, so when I think about the crown motif, I feel like we can understand the need to reclaim their spot on top with the crown motif.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like we understand all of the challenges and burdens that they're facing as RM, you know, teased.
[SPEAKER_00]: such as they're coming back together.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so much time apart.
[SPEAKER_00]: They also like feel the need to be true to themselves, have a healthy work life balance, so they don't get burned out.
[SPEAKER_00]: They want to make music that they want to make, but they also have the burden of making fans happy and reestablishing themselves as forces in the industry, as a group worthy of that crown.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's almost like when a rapper gets distant or, you know, when someone tries to declare themselves as number one, you have to come back and reclaim your spot.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's almost like, I want them to adopt this crown motif as not only acknowledging the heavy burden of the crown, but also like acknowledging
[SPEAKER_00]: that they're like industry royalty and that they do deserve the crown and they've worked hard for the crown and re-establishing we are insanely talented musicians, lyricists, producers, dancers, xy and z, that they have the crown for the for a reason, you know, that's what I really really would love to see and thinking about how incredible map of the soul seven was.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, it makes me excited for this crown concept being a potential that they could jump off of that point that I feel like they left off on five years ago.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: I really love that sentiment because, yeah, I feel like they could really spiral down, just feeling the burden and the weight of the expectations that comes with the crown.
[SPEAKER_02]: But kind of flipping it on its head like we were saying killer where, no, we aren't the crown.
[SPEAKER_02]: We are leaders in this industry.
[SPEAKER_02]: We are so talented and taking that confidence into this album.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and knowing that they can make a super successful album after military service.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think there's a lot of fear because they haven't made music together in so long and a lot of time is passed and yeah, you were kind of talking about like that certain amount of reverence that is maybe lost throughout the years because of the lack of music as a group.
[SPEAKER_02]: Mm-hmm, but to not let that stop them from knowing who they are.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, came from and the foundation in which they've built as a group and being known as the best K-pop group.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they've had to come from literally the bottom of the industry to get to,
[SPEAKER_00]: where they are today, where they were, you know, in map of the soul, seven era, so they can definitely do it again.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it makes me think about that quote you brought up earlier from RM's interview about Indigo, where he talked about how he doesn't want to feel like the sadness of the burden of the crown instead he wants to feel like empowered by it and like claim the responsibility of it and like love it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what I'm hopeful that this next step can be.
[SPEAKER_02]: yeah me too well anyways there's a lot of other little crown themes that we've noticed just through the years with BTS many of you know that jungle has a crown tattoo in his index fingers which he got around map of the soul and then Jim and uh photo folio had a crown too that he wears
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a really, really cute, colorful crown that has, like, smiley faces in it and like, be mine, candy heart, valentine, candy is, it's just a really cool looking piece of jewelry, but yeah, he's wearing a crown in that.
[SPEAKER_02]: We know that Jim and also a part of his like old earbud set that he had, there's a crown on it too.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yungi did a Weaver magazine interview where he's wearing a crown in that.
[SPEAKER_02]: We also know that Yungi, hello Auguste, Dish Ratah.
[SPEAKER_02]: He made himself a king.
[SPEAKER_02]: Literally a king.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: So just lots and lots of content around crowns.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's hard not to feel like that is a potential of where this album or potentially a single or just a theme in general for the upcoming albums could hold.
[SPEAKER_02]: It seems pretty reputable at this point.
[SPEAKER_02]: But there's also some other theories going around, so there's theories that hello could potentially be a title of one of the songs or the album just because of jins saying hello over and over on the beach during that OT7 we've versed live.
[SPEAKER_02]: Again, Teyang is very much involved in this.
[SPEAKER_02]: So we again feel like ding ding ding ding like spoiler because Teyang.
[SPEAKER_00]: What if I just thought about this?
[SPEAKER_00]: What if you know how they always used to do?
[SPEAKER_00]: like an intro song and they would rotate on which members.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know Jin most he had epiphany pretty recently with a persona, however, what if Jin has the intro song for this album and it's called Hello.
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, like that theory, that would be pretty cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just because he's the one that was like primarily teasing that so much, but I love the idea of like subunit song with Tajun.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my god, I would freak out.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just, I love the idea of it being if it is a song like early in the album.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like a hello after all this time, you know, type of type of vibe.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a pretty perfect song title, I think.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Home is also a concept that a lot of armies are theorizing around just because each member came out of the military and when they did, they, in their lives, talked a lot and just said the word home frequently, and so I think, yeah, like BTS is returning home.
[SPEAKER_02]: So I wouldn't be surprised like we already have a song by them title-tome, but I wouldn't
[SPEAKER_02]: or a concept in part of their next album.
[SPEAKER_00]: home again, or like a home remix or something, home part two, home part two, yeah, oh my gosh.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also clocks, clocks are coming up.
[SPEAKER_00]: This year's first while this year's festival was a clock, and there's a map of this, no, it's not a map of this little era teaser.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is Bethany tweeted into the void to find this, but during
[SPEAKER_00]: in the clouds, sky behind them, blue sky, and there's clocks floating around them.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you can get in specifically.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it just, I don't know, people are kind of mentioning maybe clocks, and I think that after all of this time, like incorporating the concept of clocks or time would be fitting.
[SPEAKER_00]: It makes me think of
[SPEAKER_00]: The banana peel guys are we are we serious is there any is there anything that like be like Okay, if you haven't seen the banana peel on Hobie's IG.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was on a treadmill with the comment like who put this here?
[SPEAKER_00]: And people really latched on to it as if like that is some sort of teaser What am I missing here because I
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw that and I was like, that's nothing, like there's no way I can't imagine them incorporating anything having to do with that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Unless they're doing like a really sexy song about like I don't know, being slippery, no clue.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh wow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm reaching.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm really grasping out straws.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then
[SPEAKER_00]: For me personally, I am still feeling the H1H theories one because they're doing the BTS movie week and they're starting with that era's tour.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it is so exciting that they're doing that and I think it is intentional that that's what they're starting with.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Beach Weaver's life that they did was very much giving a H1H.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bethany and I just revisited the yet-to-com music video, which of course has representation from like all of their eras, but what is so stand-out is the H.O.A.H.
[SPEAKER_00]: eras, like the spring day carousel, and there's a lyric and yet-to-com, when they're on the truck, the H.O.A.H.
[SPEAKER_00]: truck, where it says crowns and flowers, countless trophies, and then they talk about dreaming and
[SPEAKER_00]: Which continues the concept of RM saying that like after map of the soul seven, it's kind of their reset the crown coming up in that lyric was so specific and Like that the Hrow H truck in yet to come is just so prominent.
[SPEAKER_00]: They spend a whole verse there Additionally, I still believe it would be a beautiful concept to revisit Like give us an Hrow H part three.
[SPEAKER_00]: They never they didn't get to do
[SPEAKER_00]: Something to commemorate those eras, and that was part of their Contract they're next seven-year contract that there would be something for its tenure anniversary that was earlier this year So like we're so waiting for that.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're so waiting.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I'm saying.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's so I'm wondering.
[SPEAKER_00]: I still feel like it could be this Me too, but anyways, always always Yarning for more theories.
[SPEAKER_00]: It felt so good yesterday to be diving into these theories together, Bethany
[SPEAKER_00]: it's been so long.
[SPEAKER_02]: It just brought me to be so engaged again and just excited about what's to come with the album.
[SPEAKER_02]: Going back to these really deep cuts like that VCR of Jen and Yungi in the clouds with clogs.
[SPEAKER_02]: that's where this research took me and it just made me fall in love with all of the BTS content that exists and that's out there and that there's still so much to be discovered but it's also connected and it's just really fun to theorize.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: As fans of what is yet to come sorry that was cheesy but yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I love it so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want anyone who's listening to please go in the Spotify comments and tell us what your theories are right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you been seeing these theories around?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, did you pick up on any in RM's Weaver's Birthday Live that we miss?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I'm sure that we did.
[SPEAKER_00]: We just got really fixated on this one teaser.
[SPEAKER_00]: There were, I'm sure there was more in there, but let us know what your theories are and what you think about our theories too.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'd love to chat with you if you're not on Spotify.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can also get in our Instagram comments and let us know over there when we post the episode promo what you thought about the theories or what theories you have.
[SPEAKER_00]: As always, we are so grateful that you're here listening and you can also find links for all of the things in the description.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for listening and thanks for standing BTS.