As I'm reading everyone's responses, I wonder if one thing that could help us is broadening the amount of music we're exposed to.
Many of us find comfort in BTS, and that's completely understandable. But when we're trying to bring BTS into wider music conversations, it can be helpful to understand the projects, artists, and releases being discussed alongside them. It gives us more context and allows us to contribute more thoughtfully to the conversation.
Personally, listening to other releases from the same period (non kp0p) has only made me appreciate ARIRANG more. It also helps me understand the wider musical landscape and why certain discussions are happening in the first place.
I sometimes think one reason ARMY can appear "isolated" to outsiders is that we tend to stay within BTS-centered spaces. There's nothing wrong with that, but stepping outside of them occasionally can be really valuable.
I'm not saying anyone has to stream or become a fan of other artists. But listening with an open mind, forming your own opinions, and engaging in conversations beyond our usual circles can be rewarding. It may even help more people understand where we're coming from when we talk about BTS.
Those conversations aren't always easy, and they can quickly run into prejudice or dismissiveness. But I think they're still worth having when possible.
RECRUITING ๐ฃ
One thing I've noticed recently is that we've become very good at defending BTS, but I don't know if we've become equally good at discussing them.
The music. The artistry. The songwriting. The performances. The industry conversations surrounding them.
A lot of online discourse feels reactive now, and we'd love to hear from people who are interested in more thoughtful conversations about BTS and music as a whole.
We've made a short form below and your participation would be very appreciated. Trust me, its VERY important.
docs.google.com/forms/d/1ruNโฆ