[EAI Working Paper] BTS Captivates the World with Narrative, Communication, and Message

Editor's Note

The East Asia Institute (EAI) launched the 'BTS Charm Theory' research team in September 2019. Ahead of the publication of the book "The Story of BTS's Global Charm," which analyzes the BTS phenomenon from sociological, communication, and international political perspectives, we are releasing the second working paper series, "The BTS Phenomenon and Engaging Storytelling."

This study examines the messages BTS conveys through lyric analysis and how these messages are interconnected. It highlights the generational emotions and zeitgeist expressed by BTS while exploring the factors that resonate with fans worldwide, introducing their authentic, autobiographical narratives.

※ The following is an excerpt of the content. Please refer to the attached file for the full version.

Introduction: BTS, Captivating the World

Come here, I am your paradise

Can’t close your eyes

It’s no use struggling anymore (Don’t reject me)

Just close your eyes and listen, follow the sound of the flute ooh

Follow this song ooh

It’s a little dangerous, but ooh, it’s so sweet

I came to save you ooh, I came to ruin you ooh

You called me ooh, look ooh, it’s so sweet (…)

Maybe, I am a little dangerous

Like the Pied Piper leading you

I test you, like the fruit of good and evil, drawn to it even though you know

My flute awakens everything, the sound makes you restless, drawn in further

You who reacts, I breathe out endlessly huh, I am your guilty pleasure

Can’t escape, Never

– From BTS's 2017 album ≪LOVE YOURSELF 承 'Her'≫, ‘Pied piper’

June 13, 2013. A new kind of hip-hop idol group, unlike any seen before, debuted. The seven-member boy group, BTS (hereinafter BTS), comprising RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, has achieved over 80 awards in more than 80 categories, including the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit, as of September 2020. They have become the first Korean artists to top the Billboard 200 chart, the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and to perform at the Grammys and in Saudi Arabia, and have graced the cover of TIME magazine, among numerous other milestones. They have monopolized the titles of 'first' and 'best,' earning the nickname 'Record Breakers.' Having reached the pinnacle of global success just five years after their debut in 2018, BTS continues to set new records with every moment. They are not only promoting K-pop, the Korean language, and Korean history worldwide, thereby enhancing national prestige, but are also estimated to contribute to national economic benefits by generating approximately 56 trillion KRW in economic effects over the next decade.

Previous studies attempting to identify the success factors of BTS have largely examined their success in terms of music, performance, fandom, social media (SNS) utilization, and storytelling strategies. In particular, research focusing on the storytelling aspect notes that, unlike previous idols, BTS addresses the difficulties, concerns, and social issues faced by teenagers and those in their twenties through their lyrics, clearly establishing them as "idols who best represent the voices of youth living in the 2010s." Furthermore, the highly positive reception of these themes by American media, music publications, and fandom indicates that BTS is garnering support and empathy from the generation that constitutes their core audience. BTS, known for their musical self-sufficiency with all members participating in song production and creation, are also renowned for incorporating their personal stories into their lyrics.

This paper also aims to discuss the appeal of BTS by focusing on this storytelling aspect. We will examine the narrative and message embedded in BTS's music, which recently achieved the historic feat of topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time by a Korean artist with their new song 'Dynamite,' focusing primarily on lyric analysis. Specifically, this paper categorizes the characteristics and appeal of BTS's song lyrics into three aspects: 1) building autobiographical narratives of growth and success, 2) sharing a sense of soft solidarity through empathy, comfort, and encouragement, and 3) delivering messages that stimulate aspiration. It will then concretely examine how these characteristics are manifested in songs from their debut album ≪2 COOL 4 SKOOL≫ (2013) to their most recently released full-length album ≪MAP OF THE SOUL: 7≫. Furthermore, this paper, recognizing that "popular culture serves as a channel through which the discourse of each generation is clearly revealed" and that "cultural content that has exerted significant influence likely contains various codes of its era," posits that BTS's music resonates with fans globally, not just in Korea. It seeks to explore the zeitgeist and generational sentiments shared by BTS and their primary youth audience.

■ Author: Kim Sujeong_She holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in Sociology from Ewha Womans University. She currently teaches Cultural/Arts Sociology, Hallyu Sociology, and Cultural Arts Education in the Department of Sociology at Kookmin University and Ewha Womans University. Her research interests include cultural capital, class inequality, generational issues, popular culture, and cultural policy. Recent publications include "Anything but Gugak and Trot" (2020), "Unequal Future: Youth Dreams Become Status Symbols" (2020), "A Study on the Concept of Culture in South Korean Cultural Policy" (2020), "Revisiting South Korean Cultural Policy from the 1960s to the 1980s" (2019), and "A Cultural Map of South Korea, 2011" (2017).

■ Editor: Jeon Juhyun, EAI Research Fellow

Inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 204) jhjun@eai.or.kr

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