Have you ever felt music healing your soul?

‘If our existence, music, photos or videos can affect your life and dreams, or lower your pain, just from 100 to 99 or 98, it’s enough (for us to be worthwhile),’ said RM, leader of BTS at the Wings Tour the Final concert in Seoul. According to Nancy Baym, music can ‘never be just a product’, from the expression of protesting issues, calling for charity and aiming for change, music has never just an entertaining product for audience enjoyment but an artwork expression with social issues. Although people may argue music brings a few changes to our society, music still matters in many aspects. Good music is always essential to act as a tool to heal our mind, like what BTS does.

BTS, a Korean boy band, has become a world trend and successfully entered the mainstream music industry in Western countries. They are no longer just a K-pop idol, but a creator of a new type of pop, BTS-pop. Since their debut in 2013, they released numerous songs to express their own stories and opinions towards social issues. In their songs, we find a way to understand the members’ pain and sweat behind their ‘superstar’ image and find similarities within their messages via their songs. Their music is the life journey they had gone through from school ages to self-seeking. Facing similar challenges in reality, fans can resonate with the messages and scenes implied in any of their songs. The feelings of being alike and not alone create a sense of belonging through BTS’ music and heals fans heart.

To fans, BTS is more than just an idol but a friend and even a soulmate. Melodies and lyrics in every single song carry depth and weight. BTS songs are written to express the idea of themselves, indeed, they are also aiming to heal the tiring and exhausting life among their fans. Inspiration has been evoked a scale from the reflection of school life pressure, adolescence anxiety and fear about the future route, to finally learn to embrace yourself. Fans are empowered to tackle troubles they encounter and to forgive themselves for the ultimate sake of loving their own selves. Fans are being relieved, healed and matured accompany with BTS.

Stepping aside from life experience undergone in society, music can furthermore deliver strength during world hardship. In these two years, we are suffering under the raging of COVID-19. The new album released by BTS carries their struggles during the pandemic and also faith about backing to the normal track. Style diversity of songs, like “Dynamite” and “Life Goes On”, contained in this album inserted positive energies in aiming to bring hope and heal the audience’s depressing lives at this moment.

BTS always strives to heal and make their fans feel better by their energetic, vigorous but gentle songs. Music is never just a product of merchandising and the power it holds should never be underestimated.

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Reference

How RM melts fans' hearts. (2018, September 6). Retrieved March 05, 2021, from http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201809061546046748125_2

방탄소년단. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/bangtan.official/?ref=page_internal