BTS World OST - Songs

Source: btsw

If you've been following BTS for a while, you might recall announcement of a certain game in 2017 which was promised to be released last year. Two years on and the BTS World game is finally ready for launch tomorrow (June 26th 2019). Years in development, the game boasts of new video footage, thousands of pictures, and most excitedly, new music. 

Announcing the release of the soundtrack on their social media on June 10th 2019, the album has been available for pre-orders and is set to release on June 28th. The lead track  'Heartbeat' will be a BTS song including all seven members, and you can hear it pre-release, exclusively on the BTS World game for 48 hours.

Source: @BTSW_official

The remainder of the OST is supported by sub-unit songs which have been released over the past three weeks. The first one is Dream Glow, with the sub-unit of Jin, Jimin & Jungkook featuring British musician Charli XCX. The second is A Brand New Day, J-Hope and Taehyung lend their voices and features Swedish artist Zara Larsson, and the final sub-unit track All Night has Namjoon and Yoongi featuring Juice WRLD.

As we can see BTS never do anything by half, and have produced some amazing music for a game soundtrack. While we look forward to the release of the soundtrack, and indeed the game, here's a review of the released tracks by some of the BTS Radio UK team members. - Shinara Hussain

Dream Glow - Marsha Night

It starts with a very cinematic, spacious and echoing riff which certainly fits its soundtrack title.

Charli XCX “pops” into the first verse with her signature distinctive, almost hard (but in a good way) voice, setting the tone mid tempo, sharp and precise. Following, we have Jungkook's velvet vocals in complete perfect contrast to Charli with a breathy and spacious wave of greatly pronounced English.

The chorus surprised me to be honest, I was not expecting the chorus to be so sharp with almost staccato on the “eh eh eh” with Charli's vocals. That being said, to me, it was a wonderful twist that really catches you and I guarantee that it will be one of the most prominent parts of the song that will get stuck in your head for the rest of eternity! Just enjoy it.

Jimin comes through for the second verse this time, in Korean and with an ethereal airy timbre. In all honesty, his vocals made me gasp in admiration for the beauty in his voice.

Sharing the second verse, Jin comes into focus. Jin's vocals pierce through you with such clarity and he clearly has a lot of power behind it (as we know with high notes and the more rock style BTS songs).

The bridge and ending choruses are a mixture of all voices together in complete unison but you can pick each one out which makes this such a beautiful collaboration. Their voices are so very distinctive in their own way yet come together with such precision and harmony.

I think this is also very reflective in the lyrics themselves. It almost feels like they are all talking with each other, telling each other their dreams in conversation and coming together in the end finding that there is a way forward to reach their dreams and be who they want to be.

I think the vocal arrangement worked extremely well and was well placed through the progression of the song. I really liked Charli's “Hey Hey” throughout which added a small yet powerful kick to the song.

Overall I think that this song is a wonderful speech within itself and can be taken and enjoyed as a well-produced soundtrack song to jam to, but can also be taken as a message of inspiration providing motivation to make your dreams a reality.

A Brand New Day - Louise Worthington

‘A Brand New Day’ leads with a melodic flute that sets the scene and is soon joined by a muffled ‘HEY!’. J-Hope starts the track with his talk-singing this time. V harmonises with Zara in the build up to the chorus. During this, glitchy, hip hop elements and some synth fill the background, whilst a steel drum sound punctuates the baseline. A single drum beat marks the movement into the chorus. Zara sings sweetly and a tropical synth element follows. The flute returns and the glitchy ‘HEY!’ contrast creating a fresh vibe. Again, Zara & V harmonize effortlessly. The tone of their voices, though different, match through their shared mellowness and this is also true for J-Hope’s laid back talk-singing. The original beat returns and Zara shines vocally through the second verse, hitting an array of notes seamlessly. J-Hope then takes over with his colourful rap and talk-singing. He manages to bring a liveliness and character to his part, eventually harmonising with Zara. Zara and V sing together powerfully leading us to end of the song. J-Hope’s mellow voice ends the song against the altered flute sound.

The song’s lyrics describe the journey towards your dreams and the burning passion of the person running towards their goals. Lyrics that resonated with me were 'And surrender to their power’ and ‘Head up in that sunlight baby’. The first lyric states that these dreams although they are not physical things, they consume the entirety of that person, they live and breathe them. The second lyric suggests that they’re going somewhere but there’s no real destination. Sunlight can be blinding but also very beautiful. Again, the theme of chance, fate and dreams is reiterated.

Mura Masa (known for his electronic hip hop sound) produced the song and surprisingly BTS managed to introduce Korean influences again with the Daegeum flute heard at the beginning. The bright energy of the song fits in with the theme of dreams. To find out such a well-produced song was only made for an online game makes you appreciate the efforts of the artists involved even more. A vibrant, tropical track perfect for the summer months, ‘A Brand New Day’ showcases BTS’ ability to genre-hop and bend effortlessly.

All Night - Charlie Murray

‘All Night’, the third and final of the sub-unit songs for the BTS World OST, features the smooth rapping style of Namjoon, Yoongi’s relentlessly awesome flow, and American rapper Juice WRLD’s memorable hook and catchy verses. While Dream Glow and A Brand New Day were about hopes for the future, this song is about how they have already achieved what they wanted, and are trying to enjoy the ride even when their careers are moving so quickly.

The song has a chilled, calming vibe, even while featuring Yoongi’s non-stop fire rapping. It is a hip-hop song that reflects the style of the two rap line members so well, and hearing them collaborate with Western artists they admire is always gratifying.

The song starts with Namjoon seamlessly rapping in English; how he manages to sound so natural and effortless, even in a language that is not his native one, always astounds me. He then switches into Korean - again effortlessly - to rap about how he has to keep working hard even after all he’s achieved.

“Flashin’ nights passing us by

We have to get hurt, you can't do it casually

Even though you'll smile when the time passes

'Til you see something, you have to keep running for now

It's okay, I know the hard work I've put in”

We then get the pleasure of hearing Namjoon and Yoongi singing together, which is delightful to say the least. Their relaxed yet purposeful voices fit so well together that it adds to the song on another level.

Juice WRLD’s hook, where he repeats the title of the song over 30 times, confused me the first time I heard it, but now I am addicted to it and will sing along to it when I hear it. It’s catchy, and is the first thing I think of when I think of this song. BTS indeed produce brilliant songs that I become obsessed with, even if I am unsure of it to begin with.

Yoongi’s verse is also a highlight as he references the Grammy’s and how he often has to ask himself if he is dreaming because of how much their career is progressing. Brags about his success that don’t even make you mad, are a staple of some of Yoongi’s best verses, so I am not surprised at how much I enjoy his verses here.

Overall, this song showcases the meticulous flow of all 3 rappers wonderfully, and its chilled vibe is addictive. I should know; I’ve had this song on repeat as I write this review and I haven’t tired of it.

Heartbeat - Marsha Night

So, when this song dropped I immediately knew that I wanted to review it. This song emotionally crushes me but also fills me with some form of hope. Complete opposites within my system that in turn resulted in my brain turning to mush.

"If I was only by myself
If I didn’t know you
Maybe I’d have given up
Lost at sea"

These specific lyrics hit me like a brick wall. The fact that this is the title song for a game where they are starting from the beginning you would assume that this is directed towards their members and how they helped each other to survive and succeed. I believe this to be true, but I also believe they are also speaking directly to Army, telling them how important they are to their success and their longevity. The 'Sea' reference.. well we all feel it so no words needed on that one.

"I got youniverse, done"

I had to put these specific lyrics in there because it's just bloody good word play! Telling us that we, and the other members are their universe. Period.

"My heart’s on fire for your love"

Now, this... Ooofff what a line! But it's not just the words, it's how it's delivered. Jungkook & Jimins vocals PIERCE through your soul with emotion.

Each member brings their own sound to this song and you can really feel the emotion they sing/rap with. It's clear that this message was very important for them to tell us, and each other. Overall, I think this song is a masterpiece and has been released at exactly the right time.

I have 'Heartbeat' on daily and I feel that it will be on my main rotation for a very long time to come.

La La La by OKDAL - Louise Worthington

‘La La La’ starts with a melodic ensemble of violins and guitar blending against a background of easy going instrumental. The violins build up and then the soundscape becomes more peaceful. OKDAL gently sing with the melodic, calming beat of violins and guitars. The soundscape travels along with OKDAL’S vocals. Their vocals aren’t insanely overpowering, and it’s not really needed for this kind of song. Soft, rich and dulcet, their vocals harmonise well with the melody.  Of course, the ‘La La La’ hook cannot be missed, with its carefree, sweet delivery. Before the last part of the song, violins playfully bounce around. After this the song quietens down signalling the end. Before this, the song goes up a key emphasising the jovial nature of the song. We are sung out to the sweet voices of OKDAL and strings.

Despite this not being written or sung by BTS the lyrics very much resonate with their story. The lyrics that stood out to me were

‘When tomorrows felt uncertain you said we can do it if we are together’ and

‘Lalalalala things will become better’

The stories of BTS’ brotherhood and mentality towards their dreams are highlighted through the lyrics.

OKDAL have the ability to bring a brightness to the song that isn’t overwhelming but calming and peaceful. Again, for a game OST the quality is outstanding, and the project has showcased the talent of the artists involved. A folky, ballad-esque song, ‘La La La’ is a wonderful choice as an OST.

You Are Here by Michayla

There may be some of you that might not know who Lee Hyun is, so I thought that would be a great place to start because it will explain why he features on the soundtrack for BTS World.
Lee Hyun is signed to BigHit as a solo artist and has been a member of the vocal group ‘8Eight’ and the duo ‘Homme’ both of which have now disbanded. 
The song ‘You Are Here’ was written by Kang Minkook and Jung Ji Chan and once you read the lyrics, you will fall even more in love with it. As if the ballad itself isn’t enough to create intense feelings, the lyrics are just sensational with a profound meaning behind them and then we are gifted with an instrumental version too.
Hyun could be seen as the big brother of BTS, being that he is 36 years old with a lot of experience in the industry and ‘You Are Here’ certainly speaks as a message from him to his ‘little brothers.’ It has a really personal feel to the words that almost make me feel like I am intruding on a special moment, which, thankfully, BigHit wanted to share with the world.

‘You Are Here’ encompasses how much love, trust and respect there is between BTS and Hyun, something we have seen through moments in Bangtan Bombs and also in tweets (the most recent being a photo on Twitter of Hyun with Jin and Yoongi, after they had been fishing).

This song is emotionally charged, musically, starting off with a simple piano solo before the beat kicks in and gives it that dramatic feel. Once the pace of the song intensifies, it soars, reminding me of that massive moment in a movie where the whole storyline reaches a climax and your heart feels like it is going to burst. ‘You Are Here’ is the ultimate love story, happy ending soundtrack song, brought to life by the passionate vocals of Lee Hyun.

I am almost left speechless when I consider the fact that this song is on the soundtrack for a mobile game and I think this review would not be complete if I didn’t include the lyrics. Once you have read them, listen again, to both versions on the album and tell me that knowing the meaning behind the song, doesn’t take it to a whole new level of fantastic.

‘When I was a boy dreaming little dreams 

The world was like a big giant

 I spent my days worrying

What I wanted, Where I was heading

You are here, I have you here

For being the light in the dark of dawn, thank you

I believe that you are always behind me

For always being next to me, thank you

When I felt exhausted by an unknown burden

What was most helpful to me was the time we spent laughing about our stories

About us, who's closer with each other than anyone else

You are here, I have you here

For being the light in the dark of dawn, thank you

I believe that you are always behind me

For always being next to me, thank you

You are here, I have you here

Look after me, thank you

The meaning of "us" has looked out for me

The times we spent together are precious

I will promise now

Without change, I will walk one step at a time with you

Until the day we all shine together’

That completes the reviews of the songs on the soundtrack album, however a review of the OST wouldn't be complete without discussing the lovable instrumentals produced for each member, look out for that piece later 💜

We hope you enjoyed the reviews, let us know whether you agreed or not, which is your favourite OST song?

All the tracks are available to purchase and stream on all platforms. BTS Radio UK have created a playlist where you can listen and stream the OST tracks as well as Persona at the following link: spotify.com/playlist

Image sources:

BTS World OST - @BTSW_official

OKDAL - Apple Music

Lee Hyun - nautiljon.com