7: Comeback Diaries: Charlie Murray (Phase 1 & 2)

MOTS: 7 - Phases 1 & 2:

12am KST phobia is still alive!

by

Charlie Murray

In the run-up to the comeback announcement, many “baby ARMYs” on Twitter were asking for advice on how this comeback would be, as they haven’t experienced one before. I have been through a good few comebacks in my time, but once the Comeback Map was released I knew (after a few re-reads of it to truly process it and what on Earth was going on and what is Connect BTS?) that this was no ordinary comeback.

BTS Official Twitter

Initially, the things that stood out to me were the Connect BTS dates (especially as the first one was in London, as these were complete mysteries to me) and the fact that they would release a first single before the album release, and then the music video for the lead single a week after the album release, as opposed to releasing all of them at once. This seems to be more of a thing that Western artists do, and hence could be seen as a way in which BTS are removing themselves from the K-pop label. Whatever their reasons, the comeback map certainly threw me for a loop.

Phase 1 began with the Shadow Comeback Trailer. As predicted, Yoongi was the one who rapped on this track, and I remember trying my best to keep my cool and remain stoic as I watched it, as my brother was in the room with me and prepared to judge me. 

Big Hit Labels

Yoongi sets the tone for Map of the Soul: 7 as an album that is more about the darker thoughts BTS have about their fame, compared to Map of the Soul: Persona’s tender and touching yet optimistic and healing songs dedicated to ARMY. However, we still have Ego to look forward to, and knowing that this true banger is not even the only comeback trailer let alone our first preview of the album is quite daunting.

Connect: BTS was something that I could never have expected. Big Hit announced at their last conference that they were aiming to make the fan experience about more than just the music, but other forms of media, and with Connect: BTS, they delivered on this. This was due to start on the 14th January. At 3pm GMT on the 13th January, it hit midnight of the 14th of January in Korea, which led to many ARMYs thinking that something (although we had no idea what) was about to drop at that moment. It also resulted in an adorable display of dedicated UK ARMYs gathering at Piccadilly Circus thinking that something would happen on the screens there.

My lecture started at that exact time, so I was secretly thankful when nothing in fact dropped, and instead the Connect, BTS website launched at 9am the next day, or 6pm KST. What I was met with when I was thankfully able to access the website (which many couldn’t do at first due to it of course crashing) gave me a rush of pride: The Connect: BTS project turned out to be a series of exhibitions all over the world, in 4 continents, of pieces of art that resonate with BTS’s message. My favourite so far has to be the London exhibition, as I am in love with the calming vibe of Catharsis, despite how nature-orientated it is for more of an indoor person such as me. This virtual reality experience of a tranquil nature scene is very satisfying to watch, and for me it encapsulates the “music and artist for healing” mission statement that Big Hit has been pursuing from the start.

It is now that I move onto the “1st Single Release & Art Film performed by MN Dance Company”, a.k.a. Black Swan, the song that needs no introduction. 

Big Hit Labels

This song has completely shook ARMYs recently, and for good reason: the orchestral version of the song used in the moving dance video was something completely original that distinguishes BTS from many other artists. The studio version, which was released at the same time, has more of a chilled feel to it. As a continuation from Shadow, there is synergy with the two songs: Shadow is about achieving all the fame you ever wanted and still feeling greedy for more and somewhat unsatisfied, and Black Swan is an even further fall from that: It is about losing your love for your passion altogether, and striving to get it back and figure out what your “thing” is once again. It solidifies the fact that while I wait for Map of the Soul: 7, I must prepare for a dark concept that might make me see things about BTS that they have not shared before, and might be quite a lot to take in. My anticipation is high, but so are my nerves.

One would have thought that BTS detailing the dates when the tracklist and comeback trailers were released would have reduced the 12KST-phobia within ARMYs, but it is still there and we still have new updates every day, so for the next 2 phases of the comeback, we shall expect even more surprises from our Bangtan boys.