The K-pop group BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, is enjoying its most successful year to date. The seven-piece Korean boy band visited the White House and broke 23 Guinness World Records in addition to dominating the Billboard Hot 100 list for several weeks in a row. With over 45 million monthly listeners and a position of No. 30 internationally on Spotify, BTS also reached a new milestone this year.
To develop its fictitious world, the band has drawn inspiration from a variety of sources, including psychology, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and more.
Whether or not they can grasp the songs’ fusion of Korean and English, the band’s global fan following, known as ARMY, is captivated by the upbeat beats and moving lyrics. Before songs like “Gangnam Style” by South Korean musician PSY dominated the cultural landscape, K-pop as a whole had limited appeal in the West. BTS’ early career success is one reason why the genre is now so well-liked outside.
The BTS Universe, as the band calls their fictitious universe, is based on a group of high school pals named Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook.
The buddies grow apart over time as they deal with life’s challenges. Each character experiences tragic occurrences, which prompts Seokjin to agree to go back in time to attempt to prevent the lads from suffering tragedy and passing away. Seokjin keeps failing, which creates a temporal loop. Every boy goes through struggles and chaos on a unique basis, which they must use to discover who they are. Each youngster discovers their actual selves in this manner, and Soekjin’s solution to rescue everyone is the soul map.
The official music videos, short movies, highlight reels, song lyrics, “The Notes” journal entries, “Save Me” online animation, concert VCRs, and mobile apps like BTS World and BTS Universe Tale all tell the story. It is challenging to convey the tale in its totality since it is not clearly laid out and because bits of it may be found in every piece of content the group creates. According to the group, the nine-year story of the BTS Universe is merely the first chapter.
The trinity of mythology, psychology, and spirituality constitutes the core of the cosmos. Hermann Hesse’s “Demian” and Murray Stein’s “Jun’s Map of the Soul,” in particular, serve as the group’s primary sources of inspiration.
