BTS: THE REVIEW (English ver.) A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS

“The Biggest Boy Band in the World ”-ABC 
An In-depth Review of BTS Music by a KMA Voting Member 

No. 1 on Billboard 200, winner of “Favorite Social Artist” at American Music Awards, 2-year consecutive winner of “Top Social Artist” at Billboard Music Awards, and “Best Recording Package” nomination at the Grammy Awards: BTS is breaking a record after another as they fearlessly march on. In 2018, they successfully sold out their “Love Yourself” world tour that spanned forty-two shows in over twenty cities worldwide, including the United States, Japan, and the U.K. In October 2018, over 50,000 audience members sang along their Korean songs en masse at Citi Field in New York. This year, they already sold out their show at Wembley Stadium, the second largest venue in Europe with a 90,000 capacity, in just ninety minutes. What is behind this extraordinary popularity of BTS, often dubbed “BTS phenomenon”? 
This book is the first attempt at discovering BTS’ distinguishing factor through their music. Youngdae Kim is a music critic based in Seattle. For over a decade, he has observed and researched the trends in American pop music and K-pop. In this book, he reviews every track in their sixteen albums and analyzes the essence of BTS syndrome in the United States. Kim also delves into various aspects of “BTS-pop” through interviews with hip-hop journalist Bong-hyeon Kim, literary critic Hyeong-cheol Shin, the Chair of Korean Music Awards’ Selection Committee Chang-nam Kim, Billboard columnist Jeff Benjamin, popera tenor and voting member of the Grammy Awards Hyung-joo Lim.

PROLOGUE Unraveling the Secret of BTS Phenomenon

Part 1 BTS the Hip-hop Idol
COLUMN 01 The Onset of BTS Phenomenon at KCON 2014
REVIEW 01 2 COOL 4 SKOOL (2013, Single)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: 2 Cool 4 Skool(Feat. DJ Friz) | We Are Bulletproof, Pt. 2 | Skit: Circle Room Talk | No More Dream | Interlude | Like | Outro: Circle Room Cypher | Skit: On the Start Line | Path
REVIEW 02 O!RUL8,2? (2013, EP)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: O!RUL8,2? | N.O | We On | Skit: RU Happy Now? | If I Ruled the World | Coffee | BTS Cypher Pt.1 | Rise of Bangtan | Paldogangsan | Outro: LUV IN SKOOL
REVIEW 03 SKOOL LUV AFFAIR (2014, EP)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: Skool Luv Affair | Boy in Luv | Skit: Soulmate | Where Did You Come From | Just One Day | Tomorrow | BTS Cypher Pt. 2: Triptych | Spine Breaker | JUMP | Outro: Propose 
SKOOL LUV AFFAIR SPECIAL ADDITION (2014, Repackage)
Miss Right | Like(Slow Jam Remix)
COLUMN 02 The Evolution of K-pop Idols
REVIEW 04 DARK&WILD (2014, Album)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: What Am I to You | Danger | War of Hormone | Hip-hop Lover | Let Me Know | Rain | BTS Cypher Pt. 3: KILLER(Feat. Supreme Boi) | Interlude: What Are You Doing Now | Can You Turn Off Your Phone | Embarrassed | 24/7=heaven | Look Here | Second Grade | Outro: Does That Make Sense?
REVIEW 05 RM BY Rap Monster (2015, Mixtape)
Album Review | Track Review Voice | Do You | Awakening | Monster | Throw Away | Joke | God Rap | Rush(Feat. Krizz Kaliko) | Life | Adrift | I Believe
INTERVIEW 01 BTS, the Underrated Rappers _Bong-hyeon Kim, Hip-hop Journalist


Part 2 BTS the New Model of K-pop
COLUMN 03 Narrative and Authenticity over Localization
REVIEW 06 The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 (2015, EP)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life | I NEED U | Hold Me Tight | Skit: Expectation! | Dope | Boyz with Fun | Converse High | Moving On | Outro: Love Is Not Over
REVIEW 07 The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 (2015, EP)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: Never Mind | Run | Butterfly | Whalien 52 | Ma City | Silver Spoon | Skit: One Night in a Strange City | Autumn Leaves | Outro: House of Cards
REVIEW 08 The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016, Repackage)
Album Review | Track Review Fire | Save ME | Epilogue: Young Forever
INTERVIEW 02 Becoming Musicians Beyond Idols _Brother Su, Composer
REVIEW 09 AGUST D BY AGUST D (2016, Mixtape)
Album Review | Track Review Intro Dt sugA(Feat. DJ Friz) | Agust D | Give it to me | Skit | 724148 | 140503 at dawn | The Last | Tony Montana(Feat. Yankie) | Interlude: Dream, Reality | So far away(Feat SURAN)
REVIEW 10 WINGS (2016, Album)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: Boy Meets Evil | Blood Sweat & Tears | Begin | Lie | Stigma | First Love | Reflection | MAMA | Awake | Lost | BTS Cypher Pt. 4 | Am I Wrong | 21st Century Girl | 2! 3! | Interlude: Wings
YOU NEVER WALK ALONE (2017, Repackage)
Spring Day | Not Today | Outro: Wings | A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone
INTERVIEW 03 Fan Translators: Leaders of Content Distribution in the Age of New Media
_Myungji Chae, Operator of BTS Fan Translation Account
INTERVIEW 04 Consolation for the Distressed Youth
_Hyeong-cheol Shin, Literary Critic



Part 3 BTS the World’'s Most Popular Pop Group
REVIEW 11 LOVE YOURSELF ??‘Her’ (2017, EP)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: Serendipity | DNA | Best of Me | Dimple | Pied Piper | Skit: Billboard Music Awards Speech | MIC Drop | Go Go | Outro: Her | Skit: Hesitation and Fear | Sea
COLUMN 04 ARMY’s New K-Pop Discourse
INTERVIEW 05 The Perspective of Korean Popular Music Critics on the BTS Phenomenon
_Chang-nam Kim, Chair of Korean Music Awards(KMA) Selection Committee
REVIEW 12 HOPE WORLD BY J-HOPE (2018, Mixtape)
Album Review | Track Review Hope World | P.O.P(Piece of Peace) pt. 1 | Daydream | Base Line | HANGSANG(Feat. Supreme Boi) | Airplane | Blue side(Outro)
REVIEW 13 LOVE YOURSELF è½?‘Tear’ (2018, Album)
Album Review | Track Review Intro: Singularity | Fake Love | The Truth Untold(Feat. Steve Aoki) | 134340 | Paradise | Love Maze | Magic Shop | Airplane, Pt. 2 | Anpanman | So What | Outro: Tear
COLUMN 05 Is BTS Really Popular in the United States?
INTERVIEW 06 The New Mechanism of K-pop Industry_Jeff Benjamin, Billboard’s K-pop columnist
REVIEW 14 LOVE YOURSELF çµ?‘Answer’ (2018, Repackage)
Album Review | Track Review Euphoria | Trivia: Just Dance | Trivia : Love | Trivia: Seesaw | Epiphany | I’m Fine | IDOL | Answer: Love Myself
COLUMN 06 Eolssu: a Presentation of “Korean Authenticity” in K-pop
REVIEW 15 mono. BY RM (2018, Mixtape)
Album Review | Track Review tokyo | seoul(produced by Honne) | moonchild | badbye(with eAeon) | uhgood | everythingoes(with Nell) | forever rain
COLUMN 07 Massive Sing-along in Korean in the Heart of New York
COLUMN 08 The Implication of Grammy Awards Nomination
INTERVIEW 07 A Conversation with a Korean Voting Member of the Grammy Awards
_Hyung-joo Lim, Popera Tenor
COLUMN 09 Beyond “the Greatest Boy Band on the Planet”
EPILOGUE The Missing Link in Media Coverage of the BTS Phenomenon
NOTES