On February 25, 2021, tweets began appearing on ARMY Twitter detailing some vile, disgusting remarks made by a German radio host. The host, Matthias Matuschik, went on a tirade against BTS under the guise of “opinion” and “personality.” In reality, his remarks were nothing but overt racism. In one tweet…

written by AM BTS has always been proud to display their culture; after all, it’s a part of their identity, and they make sure to show it in their music. Since the start of their journey, their songs have consistently celebrated their culture, since it is a part of themselves…

In the early days of my website, The BTS Effect, I created a spot to post personal narratives from ARMY about how BTS impacted their lives. The goal was to create a positive space where ARMY could share their stories, hopefully to stand in some opposition to the toxicity often…

This article is cross-posted on TheBTSEffect.com. BTS’s “Dynamite,” released at midnight Eastern Time on August 21, 2020, has succeeded in both smashing records and providing some much-needed comfort and happiness to fans worldwide. In interviews and the presser for the song, BTS emphasized the purpose of releasing the track as…

This article was originally published on TheBTSEffect.com Two recent articles in mainstream media have severely missed the mark — but this will come as no surprise to most BTS fans. If you’ve been around for a while, you know the struggle the fandom has had with some mainstream media outlets…

V’s first official solo song, Stigma, off BTS’ 2016 record-breaking album WINGS, presented fans with a unique expression of his vocal flavour and musical style. Described as a neo-soul track, Stigma flows effortlessly through staccato vocals, spoken lines of dialogue, and impressive falsettos. Though the song doesn’t have an official…

Most fans of BTS are acutely aware of the group’s tendency to include socially conscious lyrics in many of their songs. In a few of their tracks, dating all the way back to their debut, BTS makes references to several social topics that, when linked together, provide a quiet but…

In BTS’ upbeat track “Ma City” from their HYYH pt. 1 album, J-hope’s verse ends with a phrase that may strike some international fans as strange: “Everyone press it, 062–518.” J-hope raps the digits as if they were a phone number or a postal code, but there’s much more significance…

This piece is cross-posted on my website, The BTS Effect. In a previous piece, I wrote about the Jungian and old-school Bangtan influence in Namjoon’s “Intro: Persona.” With Yoongi’s installment of “Interlude: Shadow,” we now have more Jungian themes to unpack, as well as some references to past Bangtan eras…