We Are Army - Joelle Owusu interview

by

Shinara Hussain

By now you will have seen Olivia Jones announcement about 'We Are Army', a book about A.R.M.Y by A.R.M.Y. You will have heard her mention that she is working with an Army who came to her with the idea and be wondering who is this mysterious person with this genius idea. Well, wonder no longer. Join us as we talk to the Army behind the book!

Hi Joelle thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! I am Joelle, I’m a 24 year old junior commissioning editor at a book publisher in London.

When did you first discover BTS, what was it about them that made you declare that ‘Yes, I am Army’?

I was introduced to them by a friend in 2014, but I only got into their music in late 2015.

They were doing something I’d never seen before and it intrigued me. Like the mix of vocals, rapping, and amazing dance moves, even though there was a language barrier. I looked up some lyrics and could relate to the social issues they were singing about.

Which is your favourite BTS song?

That’s such a hard question! I love their slower songs like ‘Let Go’ and ‘Spring Day’ because the vocals are exceptional. But ‘Dope; will always have a special place in my heart because that was the first song that got me hooked.

Now, Olivia Jones made an announcement a few days ago which has gotten many ARMY’s excited. Please tell us about the ‘We Are Army’ book, and how the concept came about?

I came up with the basic framework and worked with Olivia to shape it into something really interesting. Olivia is so passionate about BTS and it’s been a real joy to have her curate this project. She’s so knowledgeable about the group and pop music as a whole, so I’ve learned a lot from her.

I am thrilled to be working with Olivia on WE ARE ARMY; it’s not a boring unofficial biography with info we already know about the boys. In fact, BTS isn’t actually the main focus. The focus is… us.

Why did you want to do this book, what was it about Army’s stories that you ‘Everyone should know about this’?

Something really interesting has happened over the past 5 years: complete strangers from all over the globe have come together to support a certain 7-member Korean group, and their music has brought people from different countries, races, ages, etc. all together. We are strong, united and powerful. We are a family. 

I wanted to do this book because it’s clear that this is a fandom like no other! It’s easy from non-fans to assume that we are all crazy hormonal 14 year olds, but that is not the case. So we thought it would be an interesting project to highlight the amazing work of ARMYs across the world. From charity donations, to streaming parties, fanfic/art and dance troupes and book clubs with like-minded individuals - no matter how big or small, we are actively and unashamedly showing our love for the boys in different ways. 

The music of BTS has changed people’s lives in many ways so I think a collection of these stories, straight from their mouths is an interesting concept. We are not trying to put ARMY in the spotlight instead of BTS; we are just giving the fans a chance to tell their stories.

We’ve seen a few books by journalists come out with out of date and incorrect information about the boys. This is ARMY’s chance to tell their truths instead of having someone do it for them.

How easy has it been to get this project off the ground?

I can't lie, it's been really tough; I almost gave up on this book TWICE because it seemed like some people just saw me as an annoying fangirl and very few media types believed that K-pop wasn’t a serious thing with a following outside of Korea. So they rejected it and I was pretty down about that. But I'm so glad I carried on and can finally reveal this to you all! 

How did you go about approaching Olivia about the book?

I just DMed her on twitter! She got back to me and we arranged to meet a few weeks later.

As simple as that! So what is the process in actually putting the book together?

Olivia will be putting it together, and my job is to make sure that it’s the best book it can be, publishing-wise.

The manuscript will then go through edits, proofreading and development edits, just like every book that has ever been published and sold in bookshops. It is a long process.

This project is really close to Olivia's heart too, and she's been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this going for us all.

There have been some concerns and negativity raised about the project

Yes, and that’s fine. We know we can’t please absolutely everyone; but we are taking the feedback on board. I have been reminding people that it hasn’t been written yet and most of it will be shaped by Army’s submissions.

How has the response been like so far, have you had any submissions yet?

The response has been great! And we have received lots of beautiful artwork, poems and very emotional letters. Every day I am stunned about how much the group have affected people from all walks of life.

What do you hope to achieve by writing, or compiling this book together?

I hope western attitudes about fandoms and foreign music change. There’s still snobbery when it comes to music that is not in English and some people turn their nose up at it before they have even heard one song. I hope that this book shows that good music can break any cultural and language barriers and there’s no harm in trying new things.

Where can ARMY buy this book?

This book will be sold in all good bookshops as well as on Amazon. Publication date is TBC (probably before Xmas next year).
But as Unbound is a crowdfunding publisher, the book project has to reach 100% in pre-orders before it can be published. Everyone who pre-orders gets their name printed in the back of every edition of the book, thus being a part of this special keepsake book. 

You can pre-order here:

Unbound.com - We Are Army

If ARMY can't pre-order what else can they do to help?

Even if this book isn't for you, please share the link, use #WeAreARMY and show the world how powerful we are!

Army can also help by sending in their submissions to be included in the book.

ARMY can submit letters, messages, artwork, etc. to be featured in the book (after reading the guidelines!) and be a part of this big love letter to the 7 boys who brought us all together. If you’ve ever wanted to put to words what the boys and/or fandom means to you, this is your chance!

Here are the guidelines for submitting: 

We Are Army - submission guidelines

If the book is successful, are there plans for a ‘sequel’?

It’s very early days, so let’s see how this one goes first!

Haha, fair enough! Will you be sending a copy of the book to BTS?

Of course! It’s something I am keen for them to look at in the years to come, or if they are feeling down for any reason. I hope it will be a reminder of their impact on the world and how loved they are.

That is actually such a beautiful thought, and I think they will love reading Army’s stories.

What are your future plans?

I am a writer and author so am working on a few secret projects of my own!

Are you excited about the comeback?

Of course! I’ve seen the track list and can’t wait to hear the new songs. I now speak Korean, so I feel closer to them and their music somehow.

Will you be going to the concert in October?

I AM and I can’t wait! My sister actually surprised me with tickets when I failed to get them. We are both really excited to finally see them in our home city.

At BTSRadioUK we have been working tirelessly trying to get attention from mainstream radio stations, to get them to play BTS; so far they have been very reluctant, what message would you give them?

You’ve (BTSRadioUK) been doing a really good job! The main reason they are not being played is because foreign music in this country is still seen as a bit strange. We still fear what we don’t understand and that’s a real shame because BTS’ music is so catchy and clever.

Unless there’s a viral dance craze (remember the ‘Ketchup’ song. ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘the Macarena’) to go along with it, it just doesn’t make it to the airwaves. I really hope things change soon because it doesn’t seem right that their music is climbing up the charts, but the radio support just isn’t there.

And finally, do you have any message you’d like to send to Army’s and BTS?

Hey friends! You may feel like you’re the only one in your town or city that is into BTS, but there’s a strong community of likeminded people all around and don’t feel like you need to keep to yourself! Good music is good music and you don’t have to look a certain way or be a certain age/race to like this music.

To BTS I’d like to say THANK YOU! Your music has made me more open-minded to foreign music and cultures. I am excited for your comeback. Keep shining bright and I am excited for you all to see this book!

Thank you Joelle for taking the time to speak to us, 'We Are Army' sounds like such a great idea and I hope it does well. I for one am looking forward to reading all of ARMY's inspiring stories.

You can follow Joelle on:

Twitter: @Joelle_o
Twitter: @Unbounders

You can find more information about the book at the following link:
www.unbound.com/books/we-are-army/

We hope that you enjoyed reading this, meanwhile if you have any ideas why not contact us. Leave a comment below or alternatively we can be found on:

Twitter: @BTSRadioUK

Facebook: BTS Radio UK

YouTube: BTS Radio UK

Or you can email us at btsradiouk@gmail.com


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