It’s not often that a BTS comeback overlaps with Festa — the anniversary of their June 2013 debut — but when it does, we are inundated with a wealth of fan content, dance performances, and music that demonstrates the eternal gratitude BTS has towards their fans. Case in point: Jungkook released a song for ARMY and BTS gave a live performance of their new music from Proof, all in less than 24 hours.
At midnight on June 13 KST, Jungkook released a solo fan-dedicated song “My You” as part of the Festa celebrations. The song was composed by Jungkook and produced together with Hiss Noise. “My You” is a soft, pop track driven by an acoustic guitar that matches nicely with Jungkook’s smooth and warm vocals as he sings about the “shining purple light” of ARMY.
In a letter to fans translated by Soompi, Jungkook explained the meaning of the song: “When I think of all of you, these feelings that stir inside me are so overwhelming that I have occasionally thought, ‘What if all of this disappears? Or what if this is all a dream?’ So I wrote this song based on those thoughts, and because I worried that the song’s vibe might become too depressing, I tried to fill the lyrics with pretty words.”
The “My Time” singer continued, “This song is solely for you, and I hope that it becomes a song that can give hope, light, and strength to both me, who wrote the song and you, who listen to it. I’m always grateful to ARMY, and let’s make lots of even better memories in the future! My ARMY, I love you.”
Meanwhile, BTS continued their comeback traditions with a pre-recorded performance of songs from their newly released anthology album Proof. The show began in the desert with their set conducted in a similar vein to their MTV Unplugged and BBC Live Lounge performances.
The emotionally charged track “Born Singer,” which samples J.Cole’s hit song “Born Sinner,” kicked off the festivities. BTS breathed new life into their 2013 song with the help of a live band, backup singers, and slight lyric changes that showed how far the septet has come since recording the unofficial version nine years ago.
The obvious highlight of the performance was the special guest that BTS had been teasing since the week prior.
Fans were thrilled to see that the first live rendition of the group’s new single “Yet To Come” was enhanced by the drumming of the talented Anderson .Paak.
After singing the pop-R&B ballad, the ‘Leave The Door Open’ singer (who is also of Korean descent) spoke to the septet in Korean and English to share how he became a fan of BTS through his son. When asked about his thoughts of “Yet To Come,” the Grammy award-winning singer and one-half of Silk Sonic perfectly described the song: “I love it. It reminds me of church.”
The obvious highlight of the performance was the special guest that BTS had been teasing since the week prior. Fans were thrilled to see that the first live rendition of the group’s new single “Yet To Come” was enhanced by the drumming of the talented Anderson .Paak.
After singing the pop-R&B ballad, the “Leave The Door Open” singer (who is also of Korean descent) spoke to the septet in Korean and English to share how he became a fan of BTS through his son. When asked about his thoughts of “Yet To Come,” the Grammy award-winning singer and one-half of Silk Sonic perfectly described the song: “I love it. It reminds me of church.”
It’s not so surprising that BTS would receive a compliment that is associated with traditional Black gospel music. The group has always credited their roots in Black culture, from Hip-Hop to the South African dance Gwara Gwara in their “Idol” music video. The Proof live performance also incorporated Black musicians, led by music director Duane Benjamin (who directed the marching band for “ON”) and backup singers such as Summer Greer, who did the backing vocals for “Outro: Ego.”
RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook are known for being as chaotically playful as they are seriously reflective, so it was expected that they broke up their 25-minute set with anecdotes about their most beautiful moments in life — their first concert and what it was like to join the group living right alongside jokes about seeing each other cry.
As BTS closed out the show with For Youth — a vocal-heavy performance with beautiful adlibs and classic gospel organ chords — it was difficult to think of anything else but the remarkable journey BTS has been on over the past eight years.
From reaching their goals of Billboard charts and award wins to traversing uncharted waters for Korean artists including Las Vegas residencies, United Nations, and the White House, BTS has achieved so much greatness. But when it comes to BTS, the best is yet to come.