The Members of BTS Explain Which of Their Songs Defines Them
When I first met BTS this past September, they were at the headquarters of their record company, Big Hit Entertainment, in Seoul, South Korea, preparing for their live-streaming concert Map Of The Soul On:E. I was at home in Los Angeles. I still am, and I will be for a while. Perhaps you can relate. But I do have one of those Phillips Hue lighting systems that lets me change the color in my office so that I can at least pretend I’m somewhere else. I figured if I couldn’t be with the guys in person, I could at least trick myself into feeling like I was closer.
So I asked them: “If I want to get into the proper BTS headspace, what color should I be bathed in?” The answer was unanimous, and I called it, and you probably did, too: purple.
Purple has a special meaning for the band and their loyal fanbase, known as ARMY; at a fan convention in 2016, BTS member V told the audience: "Do you know what purple means? Purple is the last of the rainbow colors. Purple means I will trust and love you for a long time. I just made it up.” Since then, “I purple you” has been an expression of love and unity among the fans.
So I went purple. It worked!
I could not be in Seoul, but luckily photographer Hong Jang Hyun could, along with clothing from Berluti, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta, Valentino Garavani, Gucci, and Celine. Here are the individual digital covers he shot, along with thoughts from each member of BTS on which of their songs define them best. We hope you purple them.
“‘Dynamite.’ I think the entire concept, the motif, the outfits were really me. The outfits really suited me and also the choreography wasn’t that tough, so I was able to be relaxed and dance a few more times.” -- V, in Berluti
“Two songs that represent me the best are ‘Young Forever’ and ‘Answer.’ I have this goal of singing together with the members, performing together, and performing for fans for years to come. I think these two songs really reflect this about myself.” -- Jimin, in Bottega Veneta
“It’s ‘Mic Drop.’ Maybe because I‘ve been dancing street style since I was young, I always like the hip hop style of performance. I also thought that the lyrics were the messages that we wanted to deliver at that particular point in time. It was nice to get it off our chest with ‘Mic Drop.’” -- J-Hope, in Givenchy
“I’ll choose ‘Fire.’ I was heavily involved with this song. I also start and finish this song. There aren’t that many songs where I’m the one to appear the most, so that’s why I really like this one.” -- Suga, in Berluti
“For me this is not really to advertise, but the main song, the main single that will come from this album would definitely define me the best. It’s about life. I can’t spoil anything, but I don’t want to be so abstract and be like teasing, but it’s about life and people. That’s all I can say. It’s coming out on November 20.” -- RM, in Berluti
Editor's note: we now know he was referring to “Life Goes On.”
“The song that represents me is ‘Spring Day.’ I like to get lost in the past and long for the past, and I think this song really expresses that. It also has this sweet and melancholy feeling to it, and I think I am a sweet and melancholy person.” -- Jin, in Berluti
“The songs that represent me best may seem like a lot of my solo songs, but I think the one that captures it all is ‘We are Bulletproof: the Eternal.’ All the things I can say, the thoughts that I have, the singing—I have grown together with the members by my side and it is all thanks to the members that all of this was possible. ‘We are Bulletproof: the Eternal’ really represents that for me.” -- Jung Kook, in Berluti
The Winter 2020 edition of Esquire. Subscribe here.
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