[ Why I unstanned BTS. ]

[ the musicality. ]

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Now that you've finally understood that my love for BTS and their music first began because of the rap and vocals that were blended in together so flawlessly, it's time to analyse what it is that's been missing in their recent comebacks.

Can we take a moment to talk about song structure?

BTS has one of the STRONGEST, most IMPACTFUL rap line in the k-pop industry. It's no surprise, of course, given that they were originally a hip hop group. And hell did they know how to use that to their advantage. Unfortunately, I talk of this in the past tense. Let me explain why.

Do me a favour, listen to a minute of Blood Sweat & Tear and then follow it up with Permission to Dance.

Did you hear it?

In a simple one minute span, we had all three rappers rap in BS&T. But that didn't happen in PTD. Or Boy With Luv. Or Butter.

That's disappointing to me. I understand that they're all groovy, dance vibe songs, but so is BS&T. Anyway, that's just my opinion, but it did disappoint me that their releases were progressing from being rap line focused to something less rap line focused. (No shade to vocal line. I love them, but I just prefer the BTS songs that lean heavily towards the rap line.)

Alright, the next thing I want to point out is the flow of the song. I'm no producer, but I have been recently learning about it a lot on my own.

Again, I want you to listen to a minute of No More Dream and then top it off with BS&T. (You don't HAVE to do this, tbh, but it'll help you understand what I'm trying to explain better.)

Notice how we hadn't so much as hit the pre-chorus of No More Dream in that time while BS&T had already finished an entire cycle of the chorus? Yes, that's my second point.

Allow me to explain.

I remember watching a short documentary on TV a while ago. (I don't remember the channel, though. I wouldn't linked it otherwise.) They talked about how the attention span of people reduced over time. This meant the evolution of music; songs got shorter. We went from having six minute songs to ones barely three minutes long. That literally means songs got cut short to HALF their original length.

And this definitely limits the artists, to a certain extent. Instead of being able to mess around with sounds like in Bohemian Rhapsody, (true masterpiece, btw.) they now had barely three minutes to showcase their talent. Now, you might ask me; how does this affect BTS as artists?

Here's why: instead of being able to allow the chorus to ring out after an entire minute of verses, they now have to rush to the chorus. Because, the pre-chorus and chorus are almost always the "killing" and/or most memorable parts of songs. And to have an audience that is hooked on their music, they must and should give them what they want within a minute.

Be honest with me... One minute in and you've already decided whether you like or dislike a song, haven't you? Ehhh, don't lie to me, sweetheart. We're all the same. :')

Honestly, I'm one of those people. One minute in, and if I haven't already heard the chorus... I'm bothered. And confused. I want to hear the chorus to decide if I like it or not lol

NOW.

While I am still that person, I actually did like BTS' discography. They were one of the only artists (and the only one I can think of rn, oof) that were able to keep me listening inspite of not following the norm of pop music. And I loved it. In fact, I still do. 2018 and pre-2018 era BTS is just... Chef's kiss.

In fact, I still listen to songs like N.O. and No More Dream every once in a while, because that's how much I love those songs.

All in all, I like the way they structured their songs before. Their recent releases don't intrigue me like their earlier releases did. It could be just me, but it is an opinion I shall stand by. Proudly, in fact.

If you're still confused about some of these points, feel free to comment and ask questions! I'll try to reply to as many as I can, but do remember that this is coming from someone who is analysing music just for fun, NOT as a professional.

Until next time,

Strawberry.🍓

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