behind-the-screen-of-bangtan

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Hey! New fan here. I'm not quite sure where to start. There's so much content. Any tips?

Hello there, I'm so sorry, it took me an eternity to answer you...

First of all, welcome to the fandom! When it comes to managing the gigantic amount of BTS content that exists, I can only advise you to take your time: navigate the content, watch what catches your eye, and leave the rest, maybe for later. For a long time now, Big Hit has aimed to offer a variety of fan experiences so no matter who you are, you can find something you really enjoy. Maybe it'll be the documentaries following the group during world tours or the cooking game with chibi versions of the members, it's up to you.

I'll try to give a few tips depending on what you may be interested in:

1 - You're here for the music

YouTube, streaming apps, and albums are your friends!

An easy start is the Hybe playlist since it has all their main tracks. Then if there's a song you really like, you can try and go for the album.

If you want more info about a song/album, you can check my blog post about it, it should have lyrics translations, filming places, a list of the referenced works and nods to other things, as well as some more trivia.

Then it's time for the documentaries (they're listed here among other shows) and the special performances to witness unique versions of your favorite songs paired with incredible choreo. Lastly, collaborations with other artists complete their discography.

2 - You're here for the members' personality:

Their variety shows, behind-the-scene videos, and socials are the way to go!

The iconic one is of course Run BTS!, which started in 2015 and is still going strong nowadays with the Run Jin! version, a show packed with laughter, treason, and games no one understands. But the true OG remains the Bangtan Bombs (Eng trans). Each video is a time capsule of the boys at each point of their career.

Once you've gone through all that free stuff (should take you some time though), the paid content is the logical next step: from the adventurous Bon Voyage to the relaxing In The Soop, you once again have the freedom of choice.

3- You're here to collect:

Merch and characters are the rabbit hole you're looking for!

BTS merch, products advertised by BTS, HipHop Monsters, BT21, TinyTan, you can buy them all! If you're like... super duper rich

4 - You believe there are rabbits baking cakes on the moon:

Welcome to the theorists' world (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ a.k.a the BU.

It's pretty much dead now, some people expect new things for 2025 but there's no guarantee. It's a fiction set up in the BTS MVs that then got extended through web comics, novels, and a web series.

That should be it. I didn't mention a lot of things (the Festa, the solo works, the DVD packages…) but it should cover your bases and it's mostly free and easily available. I think you'll naturally come across the rest during your time in the fandom (there are tons of compilations and curated extracts). I think that's one of the nice things about BTS, you always discover something you had never heard before even when you're an experienced fan!

To stay up-to-date, don't hesitate to follow official accounts, as well as a few translators. You can also check r/bangtan on Reddit, there are often new fans asking for help/recommendations there, it's probably more complete than what I could come up with on my own.

And of course if you want to ask something else, I'm still here (and promise, I'll try to answer sooner)

See you! 💜

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Are you going to do anything for Are You Sure?!

Good question. Usually with this kind of show, I try to find the filming locations but since I have neither a Disney+ subscription nor that much free time, it might be hard to do. If you're interested in the locations I can recommend you btsmap1 on Instagram, though they're also busy lately...

Also, note that I prioritize the music over the shows so I'll rather complete the album and MV posts first (and oh boy, am I late...).

But if you want to know something specific about Are you sure?!, do ask, I'll try to look for the answer!

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Baby ARMY here... I just discovered this blog and what an amazing resource! Thank you so much for the time and energy you put into this!

Aaw thank you! It's a big project that took a while (8 years soon and still going, though I'm way less active nowadays…) so take your time, feel free to check the resources page and I hope you can find interesting things!

I wish you a pleasant dive into BTS' world and hope you enjoy it!💜

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Updates

Okay this update rhythm is getting ridiculous, sorry everyone. I must confess that between my current daily life and a form of fandom fatigue, it's been hard to invest myself in just appreciating Bangtan content (so imagine how hard it was to work on my blog).

Anyway, I'm mostly working on Chapter 2 to complete each post. I still have hundreds of likes to organize into each post, yet I have the silly hope that slowly but surely, I'll succeed. Here's roughly where we are:

The posts for Jack in th Box, "The Astronaut", Indigo, "on the street", Face, "Closer Than This" and "FRI(END)S" are complete, I think

Still have a few things to add in D-Day and Layover but they're probably almost good.

We don't talk about the rest (juste assume there's a lot to do)

MUSE post is up to date at the moment and I'll try my to keep up as content is released.

Oh, also, we passed 1,000 followers here too! (Twitter was first, sorry) I hope you all can find funny and/or interesting things while going through those posts, even though the quality may have declined in the last years.

Hope you're good (or as good as can be) and I'll see you next time! Bye~

Things you didn’t notice in BTS MVs

You like Bangtan and you want to know more about their works? Well, you’re in the right place!

This blog aims to be a sort of BTS encyclopedia where you can find details about everything. The main focus is the artistic direction of the MV but there are also explanations about nods in songs, lists of posters in the background, and maps of filming locations. You can check below the read more or go this content page for a complete summary of the blog posts.

You can send me a message or an ask if you have questions. You can also participate by sharing any trivia you know.

Updates of the blog are notified on Twitter in real time, and on an occasional post on Tumblr.

Keep reading

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

MUSE

Release date : 19 July 2024

Official page

Announcement

Pre-order notice

Teaser

Promotion Schedule

Highlight medley

Recording Behind

Official YouTube playlist

Official Merch

Thanks to Eng translation

Jimin's second release after this first solo album FACE. Several parts of the concept reference the smeraldo flower, a fictional plant from the Bangtan Universe (BU)

Right before the announcement, a discussion channel was opened on the official BTS account on Instagram to tease it. It featured a picture of a music sheet titled "La Lettra", that ended up being "전하지 못한 진심" (the truth untold) (src #1, src #2, src #3) from the album Love Yourself 轉 Tear. As for the "You will always find the first letter" hint, it was implying to check the first letter of each circled word to get "Closer Than This", a track of the album released in December 2023. The last picture sent on the channel is of a handwritten letter (eng trans).

It seems Jimin worked on MUSE and FACE at the same time since in the documentary Jimin's Production Diary that followed Jimin during FACE conception, he has the same nails as in the MUSE teaser (see this Bangtan Bomb at 0:13, cr.). In addition, there was a handwritten letter in the documentary that was titled 전하지 못한 진심(The Truth Untold) (src).

People also pointed out that in his Festa letter, released just a few days before the announcement, Jimin promised to come back with a letter, possibly hinting at the "La Lettra" music sheet (src).

On the day of the album release, the BT21 account posted a cute video of Chimmy (the character created by Jimin) with a smeraldo flower.

The album comes in two versions : BLOOMING and SERENADE. There is also an exclusive Weverse version. On the BLOOMING ver. the ME letters are bigger while on the SERENADE ver. the US letters are.

Tracklist

The pre-release track and the main track titles were teased through a crossword poster on the Instagram channel (archive).

Rebirth (intro)

Interlude : showtime

Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco)

Slow Dance (feat. Sofia Carson)

Be Mine

Who

Closer Than This (see this post)

You can find all the lyrics and their translation on Bangtan Subs website, here.

Colin made a thread with his lyrics translations.

Mood Photo, concept photo & concept clips

Release date: 21-22 June, 6-7 July 2024

Mood Photo - BLOOMING ver. (BTS💜ARMY Weverse post)

Mood Photo - SERENADE Ver.

Concept Photo & Concept Clip - SERENADE ver.

Photo Sketch

Jacket Shoot Sketch

Melon exclusive photos (archive)

Outfit and accessories : belt (cr. BangtanStyling)

Smeraldo Garden Marching Band video

Release date: 28 June 2024

Lyrics

Teaser clip

Behind

Photo Sketch

Outfits & accessories: black suit

Jimin mentioned this title in the Jimin's Production Diary documentary (src). It's also mentioned in the Weverse magazine article "When you look into Jimin’s heart, this is what you find".

The concept is inspired by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album from the Beatles (src).

Like in the choreo for "Permission to Dance", the dance here features some sign language that says "love" (src #1, src #2).

Who

Release date: 19 July 2024

Teaser

Photo Sketch

Shoot Sketch

Dance analysis by JiminUncut

The MV was filmed on the New York backlot street at Korda Studio, in Hungary (src).

The Truth Untold : 전하지 못한 진심' 전시 개최 안내

Held on: 11 October - 3 November 2024

Announcement

Promotion, articles, and interviews

Nylon: "Jimin shares a new photo to go with his sunny, just-released single - exclusive"

Weverse Magazine: "Producers for Jimin’s album MUSE Pdogg and GHSTLOOP: “In that sense, love becomes his muse”"

NME: "Jimin – ‘Muse’ review: in the mood for love"

'Who' @ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (teaser, Instagram post with pictures of the set, the performance was filmed at Suanbo Waikiki Hotel (src))

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

BTS 2024 Festa

←BTS 2023 Festa

The Festa is the celebration of BTS’ debut on 13 June 2013. It takes place in the first half of June, with something being released almost every day. There are usually dance practices, songs, photo albums, and members’ profiles.

Here’s the timeline for the 2024 Festa:

The Festa logo features an upside down 7 (the S) and the ARMY logo (the A) (src)

0602

"Never Let Go" announcement (see below)

0604

방.방.콘 (BANGBANGCON) poster (see below)

0605

BTS 2013-2023 PHOTO COLLECTION

0607

"Never Let Go"

Announcement

Lyric video

Jung Kook Weverse post (eng trans)

0608

방.방.콘 (BANGBANGCON)

Poster

Three concerts were broadcasted with a few MVs, live performances and exclusive videos in between, that were later released on the BANGTANTV YouTube channel:

[BANGTAN BOMB] Ji. Jin. Jung RADIO Behind the Scenes

[BANGTAN BOMB] Billboard Hot 100 No.1 Skit Recording Sketch

"Anpanman" Stage CAM (BTS focus) @ TODAY Citi Music Series

"Life Goes On" (in the forest ver.)

Messages from the members

Between each video, messages from the members were shown. They were titled "Dear. ARMY, From. BTS" (eng trans)

0612 BTS MV Replay : Timeline (notice)

0613

BTS debut birthday

Poster

Sketch

Episode

Naver blog post

A letter (eng trans) from j-hope was posted on Twitter to celebrate the occasion.

A festival was also held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. It featured a ground event (Notice, Official merch) with several pop-up stands and an in-person event (Notice, #오늘의방탄 tweet) starring a freshly-released-from-the-military Jin.

This second one was split in two sessions. The first one, “Jin’s Greetings”, was a series of hugs from Jin to a 1000 ARMY. The second one, “Message from Jin : June 13 2024,☀️”, was a performance of Jin's solo songs :

"The Astronaut"

"슈퍼 참치" (Super Tuna) ([BANGTAN BOMB])

"Moon"

"Seven" (this is a cover from Jung Kook's song)

Jin concluded the show with an Eat Jin bit. Later, he posted pictures of the event on Instagram (#1, #2).

All the members shared their feelings with ARMY through letters (eng trans: lyssy, Colin (RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook)).

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Right Place, Wrong Person (RPWP)

Release date: 24 May 2024

Official page

Announcement

Pre-order notice

Promotion schedule

Tracklist

Photo Sketch

The whole project has been teased through the mysterious rpwprpwprpwp Instagram account, where pictures were regularly posted, often featuring RM.

A poster campaign in several cities around the world also advertised the project (see this tweet from Geffen Records for example). The poster features White cat with pink bow by Doris Carroll.

The main art of the album was made by Martin Groch (cr.).

Tracklist

Right People, Wrong Place

Nuts

out of love

Domodachi (feat. Little Simz)

? (Interlude)

Groin

Heaven

LOST!

Around the world in a day (feat. Moses Sumney)

ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll)

Come back to me

You can find lyrics and their translation ni English for the whole album on the BTS-trans website, here.

The woman singign at the beginning of "LOST!" is Jclef, an artist who is in the sam music collective as eaeon, with whom RM worked several times before (src).

Concept Photo

Concept Photo 1

Concept Photo 2

Concept Photo 3

The first concept was shot by Wing Shya (src) in Seoul, the second one by Takahiro Mizushima in Tokyo, and the third one by Rosie Marks in London (Instagram post #1, #2).

The exterior shots were snapped by the Thames, near the Tower Bridge, see this map for exact locations.

The cat's name is Newt and he has an Instagram.

Come back to me

Release date: 10 May 2024

Poster (Instagram exclusive poster)

MV teaser

MV Photo Sketch

The MV was directed by Lee Sung Jin (src), creator of the series Beef, which was possibly referenced in Jung Kook's "Seven" MV (src).

LOST!

Release date: 24 May 2024

Poster

Teaser

MV Photo Sketch

Behind-the-scenes: Ioana Tudorache (climbing scene), Natallia Bulynia (blond TV host, #1, #2, #3, #4), Audrey Kang (overconfident persona, MV reaction, Day 1, Day 1.5, Day 2, Day 2.2, Day 2.4, Day 2.6, Day 2.8, Day 3, Day 3.2, Day 3.4, Day 3.6, Day 3.8)

The MV was filmed by a local team in Romania in Buftea (src). You can find more details about the production in this video from Euronews Romania (4:08 to 4:47). The MV also won the "craft : cinematography" prize at the 2024 Berlin Commercial Awards.

The show

The name is in reference to all the American evening TV shows, like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon which is probably the inspiration for the title The Lost! Show starring RM.

The text on the hosts' mugs says 남준 한에 (inside Namjoon, src).

The stage, also featured in the Poster, is a labyrinth with no connected exits. You go in and out through the same opening.

In this setting, RM appears disguised as the only two women we see: the anchor and the director.

During the climbing scene, we see what's below the show stage. There are carton boxes and two trophies on the left, while it's suitcases and an abacus on the right.

The elevator

From this point, RM is accompanied by four personas (src): an overconfident one (played by Audrey Kang), an anxious one (played by Hee Sin (second Instagram post)), a jaded one (played by Stephany Yujin Hong (second Instagram post)) and a goofy one (played by David H Lee).

The elevator has lots of details, notably graffiti:

Lost in several languages: Pierdut (Romanian), perdu (French), lost, 로스트 (lost again but written in Hangul), 길을 잃... (Korean, possibly 길을 잃었 땅에서, based on the lyrics but it's hard to confirm)

BTS-related words: BTS (written in a heart), 남주니 ♡3♡ (Namjoonie), 金南俊 (RM's name in hanja, src)

어쩔TV

산얀 바보 (San Yawn is a silly guy)

천재 석준 왔다감 (genius Seokjun is here, note that the "genius" is written differently than the rest)

JAM

Care, urs (hard to confirm those two but urs is bear in Romanian, so it could stand for "care bear", src)

まち (town in Japanese)

ghost (a reference to the lyrics)

わすれちゃ (forgetting/I forgot in Japanese)

There are also several details on the buttons.

The numbers are arranged randomly (note that the clock visible in the credits also has randomly arranged numbers) and the destination names are mostly jokes:

12 5232 22

42 (42 is famously known in pop-culture for being the answer to the Universe, a nod to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

화장실 (washroom)

Pierdut (lost in Romanian)

Nowhere

We can note that there's a smiley on buttons 81 and 73. And there are two dots on button 98, then three on button 150. There's also a heart on button 3.

The offices

At 03:41, the persona played by David H Lee uses an extinctor directly on his face... after being the one who emptied the water tank on his face.

Groin

Release date: 28 May 2024

The MV was filmed in London:

the street parts are at Franklyn Rd (src)

the tunnel parts are at the Greenwich foot tunnel (src)

the closed road is Northwall Rd, along the Olympic Velodrome (src)

See this map for exact locations.

As the Army Film Club account pointed out, all the effects in the video are practical. They used mirrors and see-through objects, as confirmed by line producer Mia Foo in an Instagram story (archive).

'Nuts' Live Video

Release date: 30 May 2024

Domodachi

Release date : 31 May 2024

Poster

ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll)

Release date : 10 June 2024

Fans noticed that the release date for this MV was exactly one year apart from RM's enlistment end.

RM: Right People, Wrong Place

Release date: October 2024

Announcement

Special Trailer

A documentary movie that premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. You can find an English translation of the program note here.

Articles, interviews, and performances

Rolling Stone Japan: "BTS・RMの「チームプレイ」を考察、韓国のオルタナティブな才能がソロ傑作に集った意義" (Considering BTS and RM's "team play", the significance of South Korea's alternative talents coming together for a solo masterpiece) (eng trans)

Teen Vogue: "RM Right Place, Wrong Person Album Review: BTS Leader Defies Expectations"

Weverse magazine: "RM writes place"

Weverse magazine: "The alternative artists RM collaborated with on Right Place, Wrong Person"

TBS <ジェーン・スー生活は踊る>: "East Asian indie rock through BTS leader RM's new album." (Eng trans transcript)

Ssense: "“WE ARE JUST THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE WRONG PLACE”: INSIDE TEAM RM" (teaser tweet)

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Hi. I am a representative at Ha Vu fanzine project. I am reaching out to you today to express our admiration for your posts on BTS and to inquire about the possibility of translating it into Vietnamese for the fanzine, all of the profit from selling those fanzines will donated to low-income people in Vietnam. We want to ensure that we have your permission to translate your post. If you grant us permission to translate your analysis, please let us know if there are any specific terms or condition

Hi there,

Sure! All my posts are opened for translations from anyone. You don't even have to ask (though I love being informed about those projects) and I don't have any specific condition or anything.

Just know that sometimes I update old posts when I find new stuff but I try to inform my followers with an update post (I know, I'm late, and I'm very sorry about that).

I hope your fanzine project will meet great success! It's a noble initiative and I hope you can help many people with it.

See ya!

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

FRI(END)S

Release date: 15 March 2024

Official page

Announcement

Promotion Schedule

Short Film

Concept Photo: #1, #2

Teasers: #1, #2

Flash Video

MV reaction: #1, #2, #3

MV Photo Sketch

MV Making (Short Film)

Official Instagram stories

Official Youtube playlist

Official Merch

The song was teased right before the announcement with an Instagram story. V also made two posts, one in December 2023, maybe around the time it was filmed, and one around the release.

Samuel Bradley posted pictures on Instagram, including some about the planning of the diner scene.

Locations

Everything was made in London. You can check this map for details.

The Concept Photo 1 and the diner scenes were shot at Ace Cafe (src).

The Concept Photo 2 and the bus stop scenes were filmed on Longton Avenue (src).

The supermarket is the Pick N Save on Kenton Road.

Words

Several words appear in the Short Film, as well as in the Flash Video. It's usually "Friends" turning into "end" but the following words are also shown:

dead

feed

siren

dine

desire

define

Newspaper

The Daily News newspaper appears several times in the Short Film and the Flash Video. The normal text is a lorem ipsum but the main title is "A relationship that becomes eternal by ending". The paragraph below is actually the first paragraph of Layover's announcement:

“Layover consists of six tracks in total - five tracks and a bonus track. To fully appreciate the album’s flow, we recommend listening to it in sequence from start to finish.”

There's also a crossword with the following text:

ACROSS 1 a final part of something, especially a period of time, an activity, or a story Please visit the URL of Daily News to check the winner of the last issue of the puzzle.

Miscellaneous

Bangtan Greenhouse identified plants in the flat and at the cafe.

The car that runs over V is a 1982 Ford Escort, sold at an auction in 2021 (auction webpage).

The love interest is played by Ruby Sear.

They used the fennel & propolis toothpaste from Green People.

The red bus is an RF 512 model and the signboard of the fake bus stop indicates:

BUS STOP 463 to Town centre CARNSHAM Burstock Road - Stop G

Someone from the Army film club account pointed out that the camera is always stationary, which reminds of Wes Anderson's style..

Promotion

NME: "BTS’ V attempts to get out of the friend zone on addictive new single ‘Fri(end)s’"

Live performance at W Korea

The live performance was filmed at the Maison Cheongdam La Résidence of Cartier (src). It's revealed in the description box of the video that V had made the song two years prior to releasing it (src).

V also prerecorded 3 voice messages that fans could listen to during the FRI(END)S party (src). You can find a Korean thread about the party here.

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1

Release date: 29 March 2024

Official page

Video teaser

Photo teaser

Announcement

Pre-order notice

Promotion schedule

HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1 on delivery

Preview Cut

Album Preview: PRELUDE, INTERLUDE

Highlight Medley

Dance videos: HIP-POP, POPPING, HOUSE

Official Youtube playlist

Official merch

The name is a reference to Hope On The Street, a series of videos where j-hope filmed himself dancing and talking about dance.

Here's the list:

Twitter (another one with Jaesang)

Youtube:

Hope on the street @150920

Hope on the street @151008 - 1

Hope on the street @151008 - 2

Vlive (now on Weverse):

160126 BTS Hope On The Street Live

160126 BTS Hope On The Street Live 2

160413 BTS Hope On The Street Live

The teasers for this project were released on j-hope's birthday, on February 18th. Concerning the picture, it's a photomontage notably using this stock picture taken in Itaewon and showing the Namsan tower. A plane has also been added as a nod to "Airplane" a song from j-hope's first mixtape Hope World.

Some text is also visible on the card box picture on the official page, a table of contents:

(Prologue) The beginning Chapter 1 Origin Chapter 2 Soul Chapter 3 Playground Chapter 4 Motivation Chapter 5 Art Just raw and real (Epilogue)

and a citation:

nobody came went up on stage just danced. moment was incredibly exhilarating and unforgettable. It was a great feeling to have all eyes and lights on me. And all reactions and cheers made my heart race. That moment led to where I am now

There are two versions of the album : Prelude and Interlude.

Tracklist

1. on the street (solo version)

Lyrics

See this post for the version featuring J. Cole

2. i wonder... (with Jung Kook of BTS)

Lyrics

3. lock / unlock (with benny blanco, Nile Rodgers)

Lyrics

4. i don't know (with HUH YUNJIN of LE SSERAFIM)

Lyrics

5. what if... (dance mix with JINBO the SuperFreak)

Lyrics

6. NEURON (with Gaeko, yoonmirae)

Lyrics

NEURON (with Gaeko, yoonmirae)

Official Motion Picture teaser

Official Motion Picture

Docuseries

Release date: 28 March 2024

Teaser Poster

Announcement

Teaser trailer

Main Poster

Main Trailer

Preview: #1, #2

Collage Poster

Behind-the-scenes pictures: Billboard, Hypebeast

The docuseries follows j-hope around the world as he meets various dancers and shares moves with them.

Army Film Club pointed out that the camera they chose allowed dynamic movement, adapted for filming dance sequences.

In the teaser trailer, we see these locations:

- Seoul:

Common ground (website) (0:15)

- Osaka - Paris:

Rue Marietta Alboni (0:42, 0:57)

Pont Alexandre III (0:44, 0:58)

Place de Varsovie (0:56)

45 Rue Claude Bernard (Main Trailer 0:37)

9 Rue de la Corderie (Main Trailer 0:37, 1:23)

Café Philippe (Main Trailer 1:01)

Pont de Bir Hakeim (Main Trailer 0:39, 1:22)

- New York:

Crossroad between Union square and E 17th St (0:47, 0:58)

200 W 48th St (0:58)

- Gwangju:

5.18 democracy square (1:00)

Promotion, interviews, and performances

A pop-up shop was opened in Seoul, at a location hinted by QR codes. The shop appeared in Naver maps with more details.

A mural was painted in Bushwick, in New York, to promote the album. It's the same neighborhood where Jimin filmed "Closer Than This" (src #1, src #2).

Official album release parties have also been organized in the United States.

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Do you think you could help me find the artist behind jhope's jack in the box concert graphics for lollapalooza? I've been searching and think it must be in in-house hybe team... but I owuld love to know which artists worked on it

Hey there,

Lollapalooza, like pretty much all festivals and concerts, doesn't have a credit section...

It could have ended here but we're lucky enough to have the j-hope in the Box documentary! I checked the credits and it appears the stage video was made by a Korean group named Motion E&T (they posted on Facebook about Lolla, here, with the details of everyone involved).

They also worked on RM's live in Seoul (check the credits in the video description), on SUGA's Agust D tour 'D-DAY' (FB post), on Jung Kook's GOLDEN Live On Stage (FB post), and probably more.

I found almost nothing else about them sadly but I hope this can already brings you some satisfaction😊💜

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Closer Than This

Release date: 22 December 2023

Announcement

Official links

Lyrics

Colin's notes

Official MV

Jimin teased the song in one of his #ThisIsJimin dance videos (Bangtan Bomb).

In the MV, he's seen composing the song in Pdogg's flat and recording it. There are also old videos retracing his career:

His debut with BTS on June 13, 2013 (Episode of the pre-recording, Episode of the showcase)

The naming of the ARMY fandom on July 9, 2013

The 花樣年華 on Stage: Epilogue concerts

The 3rd muster: ARMY.Zip +

The 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards where BTS won their second daesang (Episode) (the first one was at the Melon Music Awards, 13 days earlier). Note that the sketch of him dancing next to the video seems to be from his "I NEED U" dance at the 2019 Melon Music Awards)

The BTS World Tour - Love Yourself tour, including his birthday in Amsterdam on October 13, 2018

The BTS World Tour - Love Yourself : Speak Yourself tour, including the "Serendipity" and the "00:00" performances, as well as the fireworks ending the show

The 2017 Billboard Music Awards where BTS won their first notable Award in the USA, Top Social Artist (Episode). The sketch next to the video is based on this photograph

The 2017 American Music Awards where they made their official debut in the US, with "DNA" (Episode)

The 2018 Billboard Music Awards (Episode)

"Like Crazy" Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, the first of his solo career

His walk in Brooklyn in 2018 is also shown. He had already posted photographs on Twitter (tweet #1, tweet #2, tweet #3). He's mostly seen in Ingraham St and in Troutman St (454 and 445). He's also here at 0:37 and here at 0:39.

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

GOLDEN

Release date: 3 November 2023

Official page

Announcement

Pre-order notice

Promotion schedule, Promotion schedule 2, Promotion schedule 3

Tracklist

The Tracks: part Ⅰ, part Ⅱ

Preview

'GOLDEN' photo

GOLDEN AGE

'GOLDEN (US Exclusive)’ Unboxing Video with Jung Kook (Eng trans)

Official Youtube playlist

Official merch and artist frame from photoism

After teasing us with two tracks, Jung Kook released his first solo album, titled GOLDEN, in reference to his Golden maknae nickname (because he's the super-talented younger member of BTS).

Concept photo

Release date: 6-8 October 2023

SHINE

SOLID

SUBSTANCE

Jacket Shoot Sketch

Melon exclusive photo

In the SUBSTANCE concept, the graffiti in the background are based on Jung Kook's tattoos on his right arm, including:

0613: BTS' debut date (June 13, 2013)

"ARMY"

"Winners never quit"

"Truth"

Emojis

Crowns

"Make hay while the sun shine"

"Rather be the dead than cool"

A microphone

"花樣年華": The Most Beautiful Moment in Life in hanja, a reference to the eponymous album series by BTS

A snake

Chains

"XCVII": 97 in Roman numbers, a nod to 1997 Jung Kook's birth year

A tiger lily: Jung Kook's birth flower

G clef

A clock

Chains

Tracklist

3D (feat. Jack Harlow) (see this post)

Closer to You (feat. Major Lazer): lyrics

Seven (feat. Latto) - Explicit Ver. (see this post)

Standing Next to You (see below)

Yes or No: lyrics

Please Don't Change (feat. DJ Snake): lyrics

Hate You: lyrics

Somebody: lyrics

Too Sad to Dance: lyrics

Shot Glass of Tears: lyrics

Seven (feat. Latto) - Clean Ver.

Preview

It seems the whole video was filmed in the same warehouse, though I couldn't confirm it for "Closer to You".

We can see 6 posters on the cinema set:

Three of them are Halloween posters created by the Nasa: Galactic Graveyard, The Roasted Planet, Gamma Ray Ghouls

A poster for the movie Footfalls

An anti-rumour poster

Standing Next to You

Release date: 3 November 2023

Poster

Teaser

Lyrics

Other versions: Choreography ver., Lyric Video

Dance Practice

MV Photo Sketch

MV Shoot Sketch

Official Youtube playlist

The MV was filmed in Hungary., in an abandoned plant, Kelenföldi erőmű, and on the Hungaroring racetrack (src).

The female character is played by Pasha Harulia (Instagram).

Tanu Muiño, the MV director, explained in an Instagram post that the MV is inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet. Several fans noticed similarities between the MV and the movie Romeo + Juliet. Baz Luhrmann, director of the movie, himself acknowledged the inspiration. You can refer to Lyna's thread for a more complete analysis.

The background is decorated with graffiti and posters referencing both Romeo + Juliet and the lyrics.

The limousines all have the same type of plate, from X001 to X014.

Version featuring Usher

Release date: 15 December 2023

Video teaser

Performance Video

Photo Sketch

Official Performance Video Sketch

Behind The Scenes

Usher's tweet

They filmed at 516 Anderson (website), an abandoned warehouse in Los Angeles (cr.).

The song is featured on Usher's album Coming Home.

GOLDEN : The Moments

Held on : 30 August - 22 September 2024

Notice

Official tweets

SamsungTV tweets

According to the notice, this exhibition is about recording "the moments in which [Jung Kook] presented his musical world to an even wider world through the “GOLDEN” album"."

JUNG KOOK : I AM STILL

Release date: 18 September 2024

Main Trailer

Official Photo 1

Sneak Peek

Official tweets

Special posters

The movie follows Jung Kook during his promotion for GOLDEN.

Promotion, interviews, and performances

Weverse magazine: "The artists who collaborated with Jung Kook on “Seven” and “3D”"

231013 Music Bank (Bonus ver.), Behind Photo #1, #2

[슈취타] EP.21 SUGA with 정국 Ⅱ

231105 @ iHeartRadio LIVE: 'Seven', 'Standing Next to You', interview

231107 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: interview, "Standing Next to You" performance

231110 Jung Kook Live at TSX, Times Square

231114 Audacy live with Jung Kook

231116 MCountdown

'GOLDEN' LIVE ON STAGE

Rolling Stone: "Jung Kook Shares Solemn New Video for His Ballad ‘Hate You’"

Spotify: Billions Club: The Series featuring Jung Kook, tweet from Spotify K-pop, tweet from Today's Top Hits

[EPISODE] Music Show Promotions Sketch

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

3D

Release date: 29 September 2023

Official page

Announcement

Hero Film 01, Hero Film 02

Photo (see below)

Timeline Photo Sketch: #1, #2

Fanchant

Outfits and accessories

BTS official tweet

Jack Harlow's tweets: #1, #2

David Stewart's tweet

The second release from Jung Kook, this time featuring Jack Harlow. The track was teased after Jung Kook's performance at the Global Citizen Festival 2023.

It was noticed that the lyrics contain a reference to the movie Boyz n the Hood (src).

Photo

Release date: 24-25 September 2023

1D

2D

Jacket Behind Short Film

Jacket Shoot Sketch

The pictures for 1D evoked both the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and 1990s pop RnB MVs (src #1, src #2).

MV

Teaser

Official Live Performance Video

Dance Practice

MV Behind Short Film

MV Shoot Sketch

The MV was filmed in the business district lot of Allied Studios near Los Angeles (src btsmap1).

Urban Wyatt shared some of the pictures he took on Twitter and Instagram.

You can spot Coast live oak in the MV and several other plants in the performance video, identified by Bangtan Greenhouse here and here.

Promotion, interviews, and performances

Single Introduction

Consequence: "Jung Kook of BTS Breaks Down His “Fun, Playful” New Single “3D” feat. Jack Harlow: Exclusive"

Audacy Check In: Jung Kook

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Layover (part 2)

(←Layover part 1)

Slow Dancing

(end of the section, see part 1 for the rest please)

Several artificial details seem to hint the beach scene are a virtual reality created by the animator character we already saw in "Rainy Days" (cr.).

We notably have Yeontan's face in the trees (cr. #1, cr. #2), all the people being replaced by V on the polaroid (cr.), as well as a constellation made of the swimmers and representing a dancing couple (cr.).

The snails and jellyfishes we see throughout the video tell the same story : we have references in V's workroom, virtual templates on the TV and the actual rendition in the summer scenes.

Bangtan Greenhouse identified the flowers eaten by Quique (daisies, possibly chamomile) (Quique mentioned in an Insta story that he was called "flower-eating guy" in the script) as well as the ones in V's workroom (peace lily).

The scenes on the sailboat were filmed in the bay of Palma, aboard the Rafael Verdera, Spain's oldest functioning boat (website).

Slow Dancing (FRNK Remix)' Official MV

This MV features B-shots of the other MVs as well as snippets from 1930s cartoons:

Circus Capers

Tom and Jerry: The Tuba Tooter

Felix the Cat: April Maze

The Booze Hangs High

Mighty Mouse: Wolf! Wolf!

Santa and the Three Bears (1970, at 27:27)

Note that another scene from the Mighty Mouse episode could be seen in "Rainy Days" MV.

Blue

Release date: 13 September 2023

Teaser 1, Teaser 2

Lyrics

The MV was also filmed in Carabanchel.

Bangtan Greenhouse identified the plants appearing in the MV here.

For Us

Release date: 16 September 2023

Teaser

Lyrics

Fanchant

The MV is a mix of several behind-the-scene videos for Layover.

Promotion, interviews, and performances

W Korea Vol. 9: announcement, tweets, Instagram reels #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, digital content schedule, V's Instagram post, interview, Q&A (transcription)

POP Magazine: Instagram post #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, V's Instagram post

Weverse magazine: "V’s vocals evoke a world of fantasy"

Layover Introduction

Rolling Stone: "V Shares The Journey That Led to Layover – And How His BTS Members Helped Get Him There"

NME: "V – ‘Layover’ review: suave sophistication with a twist"

Weverse magazine: "V the visualist"

Spotify: tweets, "V makes it rain at Spotipoly", "V makes V poses and the world is good again | UNBOXING SHOW"

NAVER POP: teaser (eng), tweets, day 1 performance, day 2 performance, 'Slow Dancing', 'Love Me Again', 'Rainy Days', 'Blue'

230910 Inkigayo: "Slow Dancing", "Rainy Days"

슈취타: EP.18 SUGA with V

IU's Palette🎨: 'V'egin Again (With V) Ep.24

230914 M Countdown: teaser, "Love Me Again", "Slow Dancing", Yeontan Fancam, "Slow Dancing" behind

230915 Music Bank: "For Us", "Slow Dancing", Winner's ceremony

Tiny Desk Korea: tweets, performance, V's Instagram post

The First Take: tweets, performance

V's 20 second LIVE @ Gangneung

Band session: 'Love Me Again', 'Slow Dancing', V's Instagram post, Band & Dance Practice Behind

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Layover

Release date: 8 September 2023

Official page

Official Weverse page

Announcement

Pre-order

Preview

Promotion Schedule: part 1, part 2

MV Making Film

V-hind 1, V-hind 2

Official merch

V's Instagram posts: album, MVs, stories (archive), in Carabanchel

Exclusive pictures on Melon

Kim Eunyoug's Instagram post

V is the seventh member to have a solo release. The creation of the whole album featured Min Heejin (src). She explained she wanted to keep things simple to better show V's splendor (src).

There are also several appearances from Yeontan, V's pomeranian. Note however that he was replaced by another dog in "Rainy Days" MV because V couldn't take him to Spain (src). The dog in question is named Rocky and has an Instagram.

On the pre-order notice, we have a glimpse of a handwritten letter from V. Lyssy translated it here.

An exclusive photocard was featured if you bought the album at Barnes and Noble (src). The back shows the songs, not in the album order but in the release order (cr.). Another photocard shows a fake tickets with easter eggs like V's birthday (December, 30) or the release date of Layover (September 8, 2023) (src).

Tracklist

Rainy Days

Blue

Love Me Again

Slow Dancing

For Us

Slow Dancing (piano ver.) (lyrics)

Photos

Release date: 11, 16, 29 August, 6 September 2023

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Outfits and accessories

Min Heejin's Instagram Reel

The pictures feature several texts:

Be humble enough

Mistake =)

Find sun (not sure about this one)

Jazz is freedom

Bangtan Greenhouse made threads identifying the plants appearing in the pictures: plants in Photo 1, plants in Photo 2.

Concerning the two car posters, they show the custom Porsche 911SC made by Denny Kahler in 1987 (src) and a Ferrari Testarossa from 1984.

In this picture, V also wears an outfit reminding of Angus Young, the guitarist of AC/DC. The fact he has a guitar in one of the pictures accentuates the nod.

Most pictures were taken between Yeonnam-dong and Yeonhui-dong, in the northwest of Seoul. They notably went to the shop 사운즈굿 (SOUNDS GOOD STORE, they posted on Instagram) (src #1), to 매덕스피자 (Maddux Pizza) (src #1), to 미도파 (Midopa coffee house) (src #1, src #2, src #3, src #4), a cafe that was holding an exposition titled Videorama during the shooting (see their Instagram post) and to 피프에스프레소바 (Pfiff Espresso Bar).

The picture taken in the middle of a street in the second series was snapped here (src). As for the next one, it was taken nearby and there's another one taken two steps away, right in front of the gas station. And the two pictures with a vegetal background were taken on the street behind (here (src) and here). Please refer to this Google map (Chapter 2 > Layover's concept photo), for the location of these different places.

Thanks to the testimony of the owners and based on V's outfit, @jellda0 managed to reconstitute the path the team may have followed during the shooting.

Love Me Again

Release date: 10 August 2023

Lyrics

Special picture for Melon and Spotify (archive)

Outfits and accessories: tweets from BangtanStyling

The video was filmed in the Caves of Drach in Mallorca, Spain (src).

Rainy Days

Release date: 11 August 2023

Lyrics

Min Heejin's Instagram post: #1, #2, #3

Outfits and accessories: tweets from BangtanStyling

The MV was filmed in the penthouse of the Torres Blancas in Madrid (src).

The video starts with the following text:

When you listen really carefully Loops go wheeling Cozy and stuck,

The birds fly in a V formation but backward to what they would do naturally (the point of the V is supposed to be at the front, not the opposite, though it can happen as a transitory thing). Several people interpreted it in relation to the lyrics about being stuck in the past.

The cartoon we see at 1:33 is an episode from Mighty Mouse titled "Wolf! Wolf!", released in the 1940s. A lamb is tricked into a wolf's den by following jazz music, reminding of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story.

The next extract shows a red fox cub from a European documentary released in the 1970s (and now available as a stock video on Shutterstock).

Lastly, the blooming rose comes from this stock video.

All the videos show symbols reminding The Little Prince (cr.). The Little Prince asks the narrator to draw a lamb, he becomes friends with a fox and he loves a rose. You can check @JKs_Waist's thread on Twitter for more details.

Several hints show V is an animator and his flat is his studio. @ halogen_803 made a great thread about it.

V uses a baguette to paint. On the left, you can notice a rotating picture that seems to come from the concept photo.

Slow Dancing

Release date: 8 September 2023

Teaser

Lyrics

Fanchant

Min Heejin's Instagram post

Rachel JM. A's Instagram post: #1, #2, #3

Shin Dongle's Instagram post

Outfit and accessories: white shirt

They were again in Mallorca and Madrid for the filming. They filmed the beach scenes at Portals Vells and the street scenes in Carabanchel (see this map for details).

We know the identity of most of the extras who played in the MV:

Sergio Pérez: Instagram post, Reel

Bryan Montero: Instagram post

FEBO

Amelia Pinillos: Instagram post

yuantao: Instagram post

Emilio and José León: Instagram post

Karel López: Instagram post

Benedict Justin (the person filming in the background during the dance scene)

Quique Muro López: Instagram post, highlights

Alberto Tosco: Instagram post

(see part 2 → for the rest)

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Seven

Release date: 14 July 2023

Announcement

Official page

Promotion Schedule

Concept Photo (see below)

Short Film

BTS (Behind-The-Scenes) Film

Recording Film Preview

Recording Film

Official Performance Video

Performance Video Behind

Dance Practice

Dance Practice Behind

Other versions: Weekday Ver. including the band ver. and the Summer Mix (Visualizer), Weekend Ver. including the Festival Mix (Visualizer), the Island Mix (Visualizer), the Nightfall Mix (Visualizer), and the Lofi Mix (Visualizer), Alesso Remix (Visualizer)

Latto's first and second tweets

Challenge Compilation Video

Fanchant

Jung Kook is the sixth member to have a solo release. The invigorating summer song has notably been promoted through posters stuck on several city walls around the world (Bangkok, Chicago, Paris).

Concept Photo

Release date: 6 July 2023

Outfits and accessories

The pictures used for the promotional posters were part of the concept photo.

MV

Release date: 14 July 2023

Teaser

MV Photo Sketch

Episode of the MV Shoot Sketch

Outfits and accessories: tweets of Jung Kook's and Han Sohee's outfits by @BangtanStyling, tweets from theclosetofjk

The MV was filmed at the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles, on the Wall Street backlot (Google Maps). You can find detailed credits for the MV on Jason Baum's Instagram post. Josh Hensley also named several members of the lighting team in his own post.

The other lead character is played by Han So-hee (Wikipedia page).

Wednesday (laundromat)

The clock shows it's 10:05 in the evening.

You can see several signs such as these (#1 src, #2 src, #3 src):

There also seem to be several yellow bottles of Tide laundry detergent.

We see a vending machine at 01:28, which contains snacks such as

Whizzers

Utz chips, both original and salt'n vinegar

Snak Club nuts or candies

Two elements could be nods to the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once:

The "family washers" sign, which is identical

The laundry vending machine, that seems identical (hard to confirm)

A lady dressed as Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh)

There could be references to other media but we don't have as concrete proof as with Everything Everywhere All At Once. People mostly mentioned Titanic (for the flood and the couple staying together, cr.) but Beef (for the similar intro, cr.), as well as Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" (for the man running after the girl and the storm, cr.), were also talked about. There are also theories about each day being a different reference (cr.)

Friday (storm)

The movies shown at the theater are Seven Daggers in Seven Days and Lovesick Mambo.

Saturday (funeral)

The picture used during Jung Kook's fake funeral is from Proof Collector's Edition.

Interviews, press releases, and promotion

Spotify: Jung Kook’s on a mission to wish ARMY sweet dreams | Spotipoly Game (Behind the Scenes) and Jung Kook dives into a ball pit to answer ARMY’s burning questions | Ball-terview

Weverse Magazine: "Jung Kook: “I’ve been changing a bit”"

Good Morning America: tweets, "Euphoria" performance, "Dynamite" performance, interview, "Seven" performance

Elvis Duran Show: "Jung Kook On "Seven" And Performing On The Moon"

BBC Radio 1: tweets, 'Seven' in the Live Lounge (video on BANGTANTV), 'Let There Be Love' in the Live Lounge (video on BANGTANTV)

Z100 New York: tweets, Jung Kook Explains Why He Thinks Fans Liked Watching Him Sleep

The One Show: 'Seven' Live from London (video on BANGTANTV), Stage CAM

Rolling Stones: "Check out our exclusive images as Jung Kook tells us about solo summer anthem ‘Seven’"

Weverse Magazine: "Jung Kook shatters records with “Seven (feat. Latto)”"

Audacy Check In

230730 Inkigayo: "Seven", encore

Ask Anything Chat