An Outlet: Part 2

13 January 2018 - Discography

Though Wikipedia has BTS' Discography, I wanted to make one of my own with the order in which each album or EP was released and the music videos or singles each of them included.

I initially decided to type the entire list but the way I've written it is so neat that I'm willing to take a risk and post my handwriting on this platform.

So here we go:

Its only been a month since I got to know about BTS but as the ARMY says, once you know about them, you get sucked in. And I did. I've watched countless number of videos, read countless number of articles and I have come up with a few observations of my own. I'm going to write them down. This one is specially about the evolvement of their music and what I perceive went on in Big Hit's mind while handling the BTS members and the general feeling the members may have had, because of this management, since their debut. These are my personal views hence the may be wrong as well but the way I see it (based solely on their discography (that I have made (as shown above))), this is BTS' journey:

In 2013, BTS entered the market with a viewpoint of becoming a hip hop group. Suga joined the group only for that reason and RM also had his dreams set in the hip hop route. Based on what I have seen and read on the internet this past month, BTS had a hard time in the beginning. Members other than RM and Suga had to align their goals and learn how to be the hip hop type of boys. And it wasn't easy for them, specially for Seokjin. They had their debut with a certain mindset and that didn't quite work out for them. In my view, though 'No More Dream', ' WeAre Bulletproof Pt.2' and 'N.O' are catchy af, I have to say that the music videos for them are kind of cringy. J-Hope is the only person who rocked the concept, according to me. #Bringjhopesforeheadback

In 2014, they decided to switch it up a bit from the way too blingy concepts to school going ones. Not because they wanted to get away from the hip hop image but to just do something different. There is commendable difference in this year's music videos compared to last year's. This is when they realized that they are more comfortable when there aren't trying to portray themselves as gangsters. Later on in the year they tried balancing both the images out with 'Danger' and finally decided to let go of their hip hop image. I can imagine this being quite difficult for the members, especially RM and Suga but I'm glad they stuck together and worked on the image change with positive results.

2015 was the year when BTS started to transform into the artist they are today. They did not release any album this year but 'The Most Beautiful Moments In Life' EPs showed the new direction that BTS had adopted. This year was all about accepting the change in their image from when they debuted and this was the year when they realized the effect a well thought out music video could make. 'I Need U' was the first BTS music video which kind of had a deep storyline going on, which continued with 'Run' and both of these were beautiful. Also, songs like 'Dope' showed the more energetic side of the members. The BTS that emerged out 2015 is the BTS that we know of today. This was the year when they found their voice.

2016 was artistically the best year for BTS. It was all about implementing the success formula that BTS had started working on in 2015. They now knew their identity in the KPop/ Music space and were ready to pump out big releases and step up their game. And they did. Very very beautifully. The amount of thought and effort put into their second album is commendable, and I don't just mean the members but the entire Big Hit team working on the project. The album had very mature and deep themes. It proved that BTS have finally found who they are as artists and the impact they can have on the entertainment industry. This year, all the members got to show their individuality by having sung solo songs each. It gave space for individual growth. The maknae line, who don't normally work in building up a song got a taste of how lyrics are written and music is made. Jungkook didn't write his song but we can ignore that. To balance out the seriousness of the album, there are full-of-energy numbers such as 'Not Today' and 'Fire' with legendary dance moves. 2016 was when BTS got their first Daesang and finally got the recognition they deserve.

In 2017, BTS tasted international success. Maybe this wasn't even in their long term goal when they started out. I mean, the number of groups coming in and out of the KPop industry is a lot and BTS not only sustained in Korea but also got recognized in other countries, officially paving the way for Kpop (or the Hallyu Wave) in the west, and of course, this is when I got acquainted with BTS and Kpop. This year, it was all about riding the success wagon of 2016 all the way to the American mainstream television. From appearing on leading talk shows such as The Ellen Show and The Late Late Show with James Corden, etc to performing at the American Music Awards, BTS have become legends. There is still a long way to go but one should never forget 2017. They've stayed true to their standard with singles such as 'DNA' and 'Mic Drop' and I look forward to listening to more of their work.

Starting the year 2018 with a Daesang, people (me included) obviously have a lot of expectations from BTS but I hope they stay true to who they are and have a wonderful life ahead. Together.