BTS – BTS ist wieder an der Spitze: „Wir müssen es bis an den Rand treiben“ @ Rolling Stone (260414)

This was such a great read, and I feel like it gives us another insight into the thought process of BTS while making ARIRANG and also the creative process behind it. So many interesting tidbits about the song camp as well, especially love the section on Hooligan, how El Guincho gave them two different beats and they decided to mesh both to create what is now the layered Hooligan beat and how El Guincho started fine tuning the production after seeing their choreo which I think is so very cool, how he added some elements to match their movements. Also BTS telling him to play his most extreme beats and going for those is why I think ARIRANG turned out to be this amazing album, it feels so very BTS but it also push boundaries in the way it is structured and with its production which makes for a very fun listening experience because you don’t know what to expect next.

And Namjoon, the poet, struck again, him pondering about time and also taking inspiration from Rilke about moving forward, to keep going, and then altering that to „keep swimming“ is so very him. There is also something poetic about how he found comfort in „Darling, I“ to then later work with Teezo Touchdown on Body To Body.

I am also so very touched by Yoongi’s unshakeable trust in the team and his conviction when it comes to their goals and their journey, and I honestly love how he perceives it all in a very matter-of-fact, uncomplicated way, that they are all together the only logical step and there is that. And speaking of goals, I think its great that they are approaching this era with no specific goals set, that they want to focus on enjoying the journey and each other and somehow they are setting new records, hitting career peaks, and entering uncharted territory with ARIRANG, as their biggest era to date.

Finally, love how they seem to not give a fuck about the haters and naysayers, *“There are really people who just pray in their home,” RM explains. “ ‘Please, BTS, just go fall down. Just break apart and collapse.’ So we’re thinking about ‘OK, guys, for two, three years, we have been apart … and three years passed, and there are ARMYs waiting for us, the world waiting for us, so you guys had your little fun.’”*  I Know so many people are going to further be pissed about this and I love that.