All About Love Yourself Album and Campaign by Bangtan Sonyeodan

Bangtan Sonyeodan or widely known as BTS, is a South Korean K pop group consisting of 7 members, with 3 rappers and 4 vocalists.  Debuted in the year 2013 under Big Hit entertainment, they have now become a global sensation with their name not only known in the music industry but also by other world leaders to the point where they were invited to speak in UN General Assembly two times. They address the issues of young people like mental trauma, abuse, expectations and pressures of society on youth and teenagers, self love etc. In this article, I am going to talk about "self love" which is the most important message of theirs' that struck with me and all about "Love Myself" campaign that they have started in collaboration with UNICEF. 

"LOVE YOURSELF"ALBUM TRILOGY

"Love Yourself"album trilogy, "Love Yourself: Her", "Love Yourself:Tear", "Love Yourself: Answer"of BTS came out during their most difficult period. Their popularity has increased and many people started recognizing them, but all the members were overwhelmed by their sudden rise in popularity and feared that everything was going to tumble down. They were exhausted mentally and physically, with all the tours in addition to all the media scrutiny. It was also the time they were considering whether to renew their contract or not. What V said at that time summarizes the whole situation "We were working on LOVE YOURSELF, but we couldn't love ourselves."Despite everything they have to endure, the LOVE YOURSELF series meant something important to BTS members. All of BTS and Big Hit Entertainment's hopes became a reality as a result of their success, which soared from early 2015 to 2017. Simply put, Pdogg, music producer of Big Hit Entertainment, was able to purchase and install in it his own studio, the identical equipment used by the sound engineers in America, when producing the LOVE YOURSELF series. With this foundation,BTS was able to not only determine the direction they wanted the album's overall sound to go in but also create a detailed illustration for each song. This is described in the book "Beyond the Story:10 Year Record of BTS" released recently in celebration of their 10th anniversary.

"LOVE YOURSELF"is the fourth era of BTS in both Korean and Japanese and the rumors of the era started in 2017 with suspicions of Big Hit Entertainment looking for drama writers, filming locations etc. In August 2017, BTS released the "Highlight Reel," a collection of drama short films telling a variety of stories and starring the members. The highlight reels were put together in four parts, and  based on Kishotenketsu, a conventional framework for story development: introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. This format was also used for the comeback trailers. In the drama shorts, the stories from the "Love Yourself" and "The Most Beautiful Moment In Life" eras are intertwined, ostensibly closing up any loose end. A thorough study of the narrative would go beyond the scope of this page, but let's attempt a general outline: The guys discover via difficulty, pain, or disappointment that loving oneself comes before loving another after beginning alone and (perhaps) falling in love. As a result, "Love Yourself" is more than simply a song's name or a concept; it also represents a story that runs across all of the era's albums. There were four trailers/intros, the same number as the highlight reels. Fans received personally sung songs and music videos from the vocal line, each of which introduced one of the four sections of the story. The series' opening song, "LOVE YOURSELF Her "Serendipity," was delivered by Jimin. Following the release of "DNA" and "MIC Drop," Jungkook released "Euphoria: Theme of LOVE YOURSELF Wonder," which contained numerous allusions to the time period of "The Most Beautiful Moment In Life."A few weeks later, they released "LOVE YOURSELF Tear "Singularity," which gave Taehyung also known as V, his chance to stand out and contribute a more somber, deeper tone. It serves as the third intro, representing the "twist" in the story, and was followed by  "Fake Love." With the release of the album "LOVE YOURSELF :Answer" and the track "IDOL," Jin blessed us with 'Epiphany,''bringing the story to a close and heralding the end of the "Love Yourself" period. Each of the four tracks demonstrates the vocal prowess of the corresponding member.

The promotion for "Love Yourself: Her" in September 2017 included the release of the concept images, divided into "L" and "O" or "V" and "E" variants, in addition to the drama posters and shorts. The boys were depicted in "L" and "O" in a beautiful, vintage environment with faded colors. The "V" and "E" photographs, on the other hand, had more color blocking and were bolder in their use of color. In May 2018, the "Love Yourself: Tear" teaser photographs were unveiled. Versions "O" and "R" opted for the notorious jeans and the black-and-white aesthetic, while versions "Y" and "U" portrayed the band in a romantic environment. In contrast to "Her," particularly the vibrant "V" and "E" versions, "Tear" reveals a more experienced, composed BTS. And you might think it's the group's most seductive concept picture yet after seeing Jimin's denim ensemble (which is only the tip of the iceberg). Moving on to the "Love Yourself: Answer" concept art, the "S" and "E" versions have the guys in diverse sets, including red boxes with hands, eyes, or security cameras for one and fairy-like bubbles for the other. The guys' images in the "L" and "F" versions are split 50/50 between black-and-white and color; the "F" photos show the band members lounging on a jungle gym. The extravagant setups and artifacts featured in this photo shoot concept provide the BTS album concept for the first time in a long time a somewhat different feel from previous ones. In this era, "Love Yourself: Her" has "DNA" and "MIC Drop," "Love Yourself: Tear" has "Fake Love," and "Love Yourself: Answer" has "IDOL" for the corresponding MVs and teasers. "DNA," the first MV of the era, and "IDOL," the last, both have a highly vibrant, colorful idea with playful images and beautiful animations. Both songs similarly have upbeat, encouraging lyrics, but "IDOL" has a stronger, more self-assured message, while "DNA" might only seem upbeat and in love.

Looking at the four-part narrative structure, there are visual and contextual parallels between the two that are based on a shared positive undertone. One begins on an upbeat note, and the other ends with the realization that one should love oneself, passing on a positive, albeit possibly less naive, mindset. The song "IDOL" incorporates traditional Korean themes and blends them with current feelings to portray their individuality as both musicians and individuals, which also fits the idea of finding yourself. In contrast, "Fake Love" obviously has a darker connotation as evidenced by the enigmatic hooded figures, dark hues, and substantial amounts of black. The song represents a very mature, realistic, and possibly cynical outlook on life and love. Both the song and the music video depict the physical and emotional darkness they must endure in order to transition from feelings of hope and optimism in "DNA" to genuine assurance in "IDOL," which corresponds to the "twist" portion of the story structure that was previously discussed. Last but not least, "MIC Drop" combines a very confident mindset even though it may not exactly fit into the narrative pattern created at the start of the era. Although it was released during "Love Yourself: Her," its message applies to "Love Yourself: Answer" rather well, even though "MIC Drop" may have a more arrogant form of self-love than "IDOL." In any case, we're happy that "MIC Drop" has its own music video. It continues the history of BTS's fierce hip-hop side, which we've come to know and love over the years. In conclusion, there is only one thing left to say about the music videos of this era: analytics aside, they are visual fireworks, eye candy for fans, and bait for naive souls. The rap line finally had a chance to shine on their own in "Love Yourself: Answer" with the "Trivia" tracks, much like the vocal line did. These songs might be right up your alley if you enjoyed the restrained or out-of-the-ordinary rap line. With the lively song "Trivia : Just Dance," J-Hope encourages us to dance, while Namjoon pays homage to the most beautiful emotion with "Trivia : Love." Yoongi shows fans he can sing in "Trivia: Seesaw."

BTS had the opportunity to work with many Korean and foreign artists during this time. The Chainsmokers' Andrew Taggart produced "Best Of Me" for "Love Yourself: Her," while Steve Aoki was featured on "MIC Drop" and Desiigner contributed to a remix of the song and a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj for "Love Yourself: Answer" and "IDOL," the album's lead tune.  BTS's collaboration with various artists lead to the introduction of K pop to new fandoms and genres. BTS not only influenced fans all around the world with their music and other works, but they also participated in a number of philanthropic endeavors. BTS and UNICEF collaborated to start the "Love Myself" campaign at the height of the "Love Yourself" movement, with the goal of putting an end to violence against children and teenagers globally. Through the group's social media following and influence, various donations are being gathered into a fund. Through this Big Hit Entertainment and the members demonstrate that they are conscious of their responsibilities and that they won't hesitate to take steps to try and improve the world. 

"LOVE MYSELF" CAMPAIGN

BTS delivers songs about embracing the entire world with love. While continuing to empathize with the issues facing young people, they use music to uplift youth and disseminate social messages. LOVE MYSELF is an extension of their issues. Early in 2017, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment launched their collaborative LOVE MYSELF campaign. They used utmost care when selecting the right partner. They required a partner who could support and empathize with their message via a campaign, philosophy, and leadership built on the appropriate scale, organization, and expertise. Because of their commitment to enhancing human rights and the lives of children and adolescents over the past 70 years as one of the largest worldwide non-profit organizations, the Korean Committee for UNICEF has become an appropriate partner in this way.

The suggestion from BTS was warmly received by the Korean Committee for UNICEF. The members expressed their desire to become the first artists in Korea to raise money as part of a social fund for international campaigns and to donate a portion of their album sales proceeds and 100% of all merchandise sales profits to a variety of social programs, including those that work to prevent violence against children and teenagers as well as those that provide aid to those who have been victimized by it. The #ENDviolence has been promoted for this purpose. The main objectives of #ENDviolence are to discourage violence and protect children and teenagers from it. This goal and the ideals that BTS upholds are mutually supportive. In the year 2021 BTS and Big Hit Entertainment renewed their commitment to UNICEF to end violence and promote the self esteem and well-being of young people. 

“We started LOVE MYSELF as a way to reach young people and help improve their lives and rights,” said BTS. “During the process, we also strove to “LOVE MYSELF” ourselves, and we as a team and as individuals grew as well. We hope that many people felt how the love received from others can become the power that allows them to love themselves." “Find love in myself, embrace people and society in a larger sense with love.” BTS. This simple but powerful message has inspired millions across the world.

"After releasing the “Love Yourself” albums and launching the “Love Myself” campaign,  we started to hear remarkable stories from our fans all over the world,  how our message helped them overcome their hardships in life and start loving themselves. These stories constantly remind us of our responsibility. So, let’s all take one more step. We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to “speak yourself. I would like to ask all of you. What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat?" Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, gender identity: speak yourself."

"Find your name, find your voice by speaking yourself.

"I’m Kim Nam Joon, RM of BTS.

"I’m a hip-hop idol and an artist from a small town in Korea.

"Like most people, I made many mistakes in my life.

"I have many faults and I have many fears, but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I’m starting to love myself, little by little.

"What is your name? Speak Yourself!"( from RM's speech for 'LOVE MYSELF' campaign at UN General Assembly in the year 2018) 

The LOVE MYSELF campaign from BTS and Big Hit has encouraged teenagers all over the world open up about their personal experiences while raising $2.98 million for UNICEF's efforts to stop violence against children and young people since it launched in 2017. BTS has spoken to world leaders and heads of state at the UN General Assembly's annual meeting in New York as a supporter of UNICEF, and the group has also created an exclusive music video in support of UNICEF's initiative to promote love and kindness both virtually and physically. In addition to receiving top-notch mental health and psycho social support services, UNICEF and its partners aim to ensure that every child has access to loving, nourishing, safe, and supportive relationships in the family, school, and community.