Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people!
It is June 13th and that means that it is BTS' 8th anniversary! I am honestly quite new to the fandom and it's taken me about 3 years before I became a fan (or rather should I say an air conditioner!), however I am grateful to BTS and ARMY. Let's go down memory lane and let me tell you how I came to know of BTS and why I love them so!
I was introduced to BTS, back in 2017 through my older sister, Nqaba. She had discovered the boy band through the song, ''Blood, Sweat and Tears'', and man was she hooked! She was the perfect fan in my eyes, she was passionate and even with her poor knowledge of the Korean language, she belted out every word with such confidence. I, on the other hand could not relate to her excitement. I was confused and conflicted as I did not understand the aesthetic of the music video. I did not understand why the members were floating in mid-air, kissing statues or had such a variety of hair colours. All-in-all I had concluded that I was not a fan and forgot that they existed for about two years!
I am a huge fan of Halsey and so when I found out that she had collaborated with BTS on a song, I was ecstatic to say the least! Within the first few seconds, I was hooked. I loved the colour scheme, the pinks and peaches, I was a little obsessed to say the least! The chorus was so catchy, I mean I was singing, '' Oh my my my, oh my my my, you got me high so fast kljfingoubfhn'', for days! I was really impressed and I soon realized that I liked this boy band, they were cute, talented and had really good taste but that wasn't enough for me🤨. So I made myself forget about them🤯. Now, why did I do that? Looking back in hindsight I have asked myself that exact same question.
Well I was looking for more than just talented, handsome, hardworking artists to stan honestly. I wanted to get to know them and support them but over all I was kind of tired of the music industry being about sex appeal. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to be flirty and open with your fans but I just feel like it's gone too far. So that was my reason. I was afraid of liking them because millions of others were. I was afraid of liking them and then down the road being disappointed because my love for them was skin deep or perhaps they were only skin deep. So out of fear, I dropped them like a hot potato and it worked for about six months.
The year 2020 began and so did covid! It was a hard year for everyone, I'm sure and I had begun to spend a lot more time online. I then began to see ARMY everywhere, I mean from Youtube to Twitter. They are a force to be reckoned with! I became very intrigued as there seemed to be so much love, admiration, respect and yet playfulness in their relationship with BTS. The curiosity was eating me alive, I had to discover what was so special about their relationship 'cos there's magic there! I discovered that BTS were performing for the class of 2020 on Youtube and man, I marked my calendar and was set!
The only song that I knew other than ''Blood, Sweat and Tears'', was ''Boy with Luv.'' So after I finished grooving, I become observant, no I'm lying I was scrutinizing them , badly. I wanted to see what was so magical about them, there was something there and I was yet to uncover it. I wanted to know whether they were hyped up by millions of young girls because of how good they looked or was there more🤨 ? I watched them like a hawk! I observed to see whether they looked happy, happy to be there, did they look like they would rather be somewhere else? I observed to see if there was any animosity between them, was there a sense of brotherhood, friendship? Did they work as a unit? Would they try to overpower each other? Were they greedy for spotlight? Did they seem to love their job? After what felt like forever which honestly was not that long but with the way I was observing them, I was replaying certain scenes, checking and rechecking facial expressions, you name it I most probably did it😂!
All-in-all I concluded that I liked them and that they were good people! I then went on to explore the banner (the genesis of it all, I'm telling you😂) that wrote,' 'BANGTAN TV.'' I clicked it and I was gone, hook, line and sinker! I mean, '' DNA , NOT TODAY, MIC DROP, IDOL..." the list goes on I was jammin'! I then realized that I was a fan and like most people, I googled them as to learn their names, ages, to basically be able to identify them and not just be like, ''the bleach blondie'' (she then proceeds to blush and laugh hysterically😂). I had purchased a school diary, the ones that have pictures of celebrities in every couple of pages. I found it quite ironic that there were pictures of both Halsey and BTS in the same book. I took as a sign, a blessing to stan them. It was a photograph of BTS at the 2019 Grammy Awards and that, ladies and gentleman is how I learnt their names.
I liked them a lot but I did not love them yet. I loved their upbeat music and amazing choreography but it kinda ended there. They seemed like good people who were passionate about their craft but I was not as deep as I am now. So how I did get here? From the girl who had zero interest to the girl who watches their music videos ten times not to ''observe them'' but as to see my favourite parts and each member.
I discovered Spotify pretty late and man have I missed out! I had discovered older music that was not promoted as much because it's not as recent but I found it to be golden. I found it to be a crutch, a resting place, a place of tranquility. I discovered songs such as, '' Magic Shop, 00:00, Love Myself, Euphoria, Epiphany, Make it Right, Coffee, Paradise, Wings, Dope, I Need U, No More Dream, I could go on. These were songs that provided so much comfort in such a dark time in my life that I am so grateful. I developed great respect for them and their art because it's nice to have a collection of songs to get down to. To have songs that one can cry to but can also lift one's spirits. Wow! I have no words and as I got to know them better, I discovered, V Live, BTS Run and as I did I got to see them as people. Getting to know their stories, how BTS was formed, their courage, perseverance and loyalty. I was blown away and encouraged to pursue my own dreams!
Dear BTS: It's been quite a journey of ups and downs and you have given so much of your effort, love and strength. I want to say by mere fate, if you are to read this, salanghae 사랑해 truly. 대단히 감사합니다 Daedanhi gamsahabnida!🙇 I never thought that I would randomly think and pray for others' well-being. I know that it was by no accident that you were placed together. By divine will, you have brought love, light and comfort to me, a young girl in South Africa. You have brought millions of strangers from all over planet Earth together, thank you! Your music has brought healing, hope and courage to so many. I hope you know how valued and loved all seven of you are. You have shown that music has no barriers, be it language or genre! Know that your impact is great and I am grateful that you are aware of the magnitude of your influence and you don't take it lightly. You all work so hard but please take care of yourselves too! I am honoured to know you even though you don't know me, please know how blessed you are! If you do end up going to the military, know that ARMY will gladly wait for you as you do South Korea a great service by performing your duties. As you continue to age and grow, know that we look forward to seeing you settle down and grow old! I think I speak on behalf of ARMY when I say that we want you all to be happy! Your strength, humility, openness and generosity has won my heart! I hope and pray that there will be many more anniversaries to come! I pray that one day I can meet you in person!
To ARMY, I am so lucky and blessed to be apart of this family! This determined, hilarious, faithful, courageous fandom that I am proud to call, family. From laughing at memes to encouraging messages in the comment section, it's the little things. Borahae💜!
PS. I have never written so much in my life and if you have made it this far, please leave a comment below, thank you for your time!
Thank you for being here exactly as you are!🙏
I love you all so dearly!
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