Unexpected Inspiration

Hello all. It has sure been awhile. . . So about a month ago, I was home sick for about a week. During a moment of being fever free I was browsing YouTube and a MV (music video) popped up in my recommended videos. The MV was for the song “Black Swan” by the Korean “boy band” BTS. Now, I had heard of BTS and knew I had heard some of their music, but I had never heard of this song. I will admit, I would have passed it by if it hadn’t been for the title. “Black Swan” That title intrigued me so much I decided to give it a watch/listen. Little did I know what that choice would mean. On a whim I turned on the subtitles as I knew some lyrics would be in English but not all and my anime watching has made me more used to subtitles. The MV starts with this beautiful music and a loan figure in white, with light shining on him as he is surrounded by darkness. He begins to move slowly and is suddenly joined by six more figures dressed in white and they all start to dance and then sing.

It was mesmerizing. The vocals were ethereal and then an expected thing happens, I start hearing rap. Now, I am not typically a fan of rap, one of the reasons is, most of the rap I am shown or hear has no meaning, the lyrics don’t hit me at all. This song was different (as is most of the rap in BTS’ music). The guy (who I now know is the member named Suga) was suddenly dressed in black and the lyrics resonated with me so strongly. I kept listening and watching. The choreography in this MV is beyond and definitely one of my favorites. When I finished the song I sorta laid there, not floored exactly, but sort of speechless. After a few minutes, I decided to re-watch it, because I felt I had missed things in the lyrics and I wanted to focus on them. The lyrics were far deeper than I had realized as solely focused on them. I remember thinking to myself, “I wonder what else they have to show” From that moment on I was hooked and began my wonderous adventure into the world of BTS, which has lead me to a point where I can proudly say I am a part of ARMY.

I am still new, and definitely still learning about BTS, the members themselves; Jin (Kim Seokjin); Suga (Min Yoongi); J-Hope (Jung Ho-seok); RM (Kim Namjoon); Jimin (Park Ji-min); V (Kim Tae-hyung); and Jungkook (Jeon Jung-kook). As a side note: There are additional nicknames for the members I may use down the line, but for now, I will use their professional names. I am still exploring their music, as their discography is rather large. They were able to release an Anthology Album this year. While I am still exploring their music, I do definitely have some favorites already and I hope to do some more writing on some of those songs specifically later on. Their music, their genuine desire to create music that resonates and helps the people listening has been so inspirational for me. It has encouraged me to try to return to my creative endeavors of writing, no matter how difficult it may be, no matter how much I may fail, I am going to keep trying. Striving to keep at it until I do achieve what I want. And, whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, lost, discouraged, feeling as if I hate myself, I will just pay a visit to the “Magic Shop.”

I just have to keep at it. Keep pushing towards my goals and dreams. In a short time, the music of these seven young men from the other side of the world has come to mean a great deal to me. And they themselves are important to me and wish, forever wish nothing but all the most wonderful things for these men who have done so much for me and many many more people around the world, through their music, charitable endeavors, kindness, words of encouragement, and their humor. It has been so inspiring to see all they have accomplished through all the of the struggles and difficulties they have faced. I still can’t believe I have been lucky and blessed to hear the messages they have been putting out into the world. The encouragement to love myself, which for most of us, myself included, sometimes feels like an impossible task. A reminder that I am not alone, that there are people that care about me, just because I am another human being, not because of any other reason. They want humanity to succeed and be the best it can be.

I think that is all for now. See you next time.
-Edana