Ever since I was little music has been a big part of my life.
My mom commonly recalls times from my infancy where music, more specifically The Wiggles, seemed to be the only thing that would calm me. As I got a little older my taste fell into the hands of my parents. I have numerous memories of singing in the car or in my room, and at the time I believed I was the next child prodigy that would eventually rise to fame.
Many iPods, boybands, and years later I finally began to explore music that was unique to me.
I began my deep dive into BTS in the beginning of 2017. My love grew an indescribable amount over the summer, and I was excited to go into the following school year with such an exciting new interest. Based on the backlash I received from my own family, I should have been prepared for what I would get from everyone at school. For the past couple of years I’ve received countless comments that are homophobic, racist, and overwhelmingly xenophobic.
I’ve never understood any of these remarks, because I believe music is universal.
Even if a language barrier exists, the music itself carries a language we all can understand. Just through listening you can feel the emotion and part of the power that the artist is trying to convey.
Music can bring us together in our toughest moments, or our happiest moments. We use music to celebrate as well as to share our feelings in a moment of defeat. We put an emphasis on choosing music to play at funerals, weddings, or other services because we feel as though it can successfully embody a human being. The soundtrack chosen can make or break a movie because we itch for a composition that can symbolize the scenes we are watching play out.
Whether we directly realize it or not, music is the love language of human kind.
When Caro and I stay up to watch BTS concerts (which we’ve spent upwards of 100 hours doing), we watch the group travel across the world. We constantly make jokes about the ways in which the different crowds react and enjoy themselves. Each and every crowd represents a different country, a different culture, that has been united by music. The fans in South Korea who memorize fan chants to sing back to the them, the fans in Brazil who display various lights and signs and keep the energy at its max the entire duration, and the fans in Saudi Arabia who scream their hearts out so everyone in the surrounding city can hear them are all brought together for the music. A vast majority of the attendees don’t speak Korean, yet they understand, spread, and celebrate messages regarding the meaning of youthfulness, understanding who you are and the impact society has on that, speaking yourself, and loving yourself.
The concepts of concerts themselves are notable. It’s so common to find artists or their fans bragging about world tours that we are somewhat immune to the greatness that one needs in order to have that accomplishment. We don’t acknowledge the power that music holds for individuals to have a career that is built on traveling the world and spreading messages through it as a medium.
Music is a big part of my life.
Everyday I make an effort to listen to music and reflect on what it means to me and what message I should be taking from what I’m listening to, regardless of what language it’s in. I believe that the music doesn’t rely on what country you’re from, what you look like, what language you speak, and how you identify as a person, because music is universal.
SOME OF MY FAVORITES
The Cons of Writing 
BTS BTS KIM NAMJOON KIM SEOKJIN MIN YOONGI JUNG HOSEOK PARK JIMIN KIM TAEHYUNG JEON JUNGKOOK BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS BTS
LikeLike
This was a really good piece with great imagery. I love how passionate you are about this topic and it shows in your writing. I cannot believe you exposed our horrible concert watching habits, but other than that I enjoyed reading this. By liking a group who doesn’t speak the same language it’s easier to elaborate on this topic as opposed to stanning english groups. Though, as someone who stans both, even when listening to english songs, sometimes the meaning is less in the lyrics and more in the performance of it, the tone, and the development of the rhythm. But for BTS songs, it’s incredible how big the group has got in a predominantly english industry and I think this discussion is being had more because of how rare it was for someone speaking another language to make it this big. I also think it’s crazy how experiences behind these songs are also universal, allowing the universality of music. Most of songs are about love, as you said, but one of the things I like about BTS is that their songs aren’t about typical romance love stories. I like being able to listen to music about finding yourself, not knowing who you are, and gaining confidence once you find out because they’re more relatable to me. But not only, in music, is there a relatable experience behind the lyrics, but there’s also just the unique catchiness of songs and beats that attract crowds and fans from all over the world that I find so interesting.
LikeLike
Emily, I agree that this is a powerful piece of writing. I love that you have managed to make two arguments–one very specific argument about your love for BTS and how it has affected you, and another very broad argument about the universality of music and how it bridges all sorts of divides. One of my very favorite bands is Sigur Ros, who are from Iceland, but actually sing in a sort of Icelandic Gibberish called Hopelandic. I think the lyrics make MORE sense if you know Icelandic, but even in translation they are mostly nonsense–the whole POINT of this, according to Jonsi, the songwriter, is to emphasize the universality of music. And indeed, some of Sigur Ros’s songs are the most emotionally powerful and moving songs I know of, and I can’t even understand the lyrics.
I also think your point about BTS and international success is really fascinating. The commenter above makes a good point: they have found PROFOUND success in an industry that has, forEVER, been dominated by English speaking performers. That bodes well, I think, for the world, right? (Notwithstanding the continued racism and closed-mindedness that many BTS fans have to suffer.) I think we also talked a little bit about the political activism of KPop stans, which I really love. I love the sort of peace-loving civil resistance that is represented by spamming racist accounts with Namjoon Gifs. It is effective, and nonviolent, and makes a significant statement about the power of a movement to effect real social change.
LikeLike