University Malaya is hosting a global conference to study BTS. And it’s VERY academic

To start off today’s article, we’ve got a very important question for you guys.

If you read that in Seokjin’s bird-sweet voice, then by all means, you’re an Army. But even if you’re not a fan, most of you would’ve probably heard of the K-pop group, BTS. After all, they’re only like the biggest boyband in the world like, ever… with like… super good looks and flawlessly synchronized hip thrusts…

Ahem.

Lol, ok, for real tho– beyond their stunning visuals, BTS are actually pretty well known for their thought provoking lyrics and encouraging messages, i.e. their song Paradise talks about the struggles of pursuing something as simple as happiness. And it’s really this sincere and heartfelt approach that BTS has towards their music that makes fans truly appreciate their work.

But still, being fan of an artist is nothing quite so special… except these BTS fans actually dedicate their time and energy into studying BTS academically 😮

Yes, you read that right– there’s gonna be a conference studying BTS and it’s happening right here at University Malaya. But take note that these academics aren’t your average Ahmad or Muthu, they’re in fact the crème de la BTS of the scholarly world i.e. experts and students from prestigious universities! Which makes it all the more mind boggling, right? Like why on earth would scholars and researches gather to discuss a boyband? What could possibly be so intriguing?

Well, the thing about BTS, is that in addition to their catchy tunes…

BTS’ songs reference literature, social ideologies and philosophical concepts

In a landscape that’s filled with songs about girls, drugs and having a solid good time, BTS is a pink purple rose among thorns. Seriously, how often do you hear of singers drawing inspiration from such mediums? Just look at the some these studies people have done.

The first topic is in reference to a BTS song called Dionysus, which is named after the Greek god of fertility and wine, and patron of the arts. The song is essentially about the creative process of making art, which BTS likens to getting drunk since art itself can be as intoxicating especially when you live and breathe it. And all throughout the song, there are subtle nods to Dionysian motifs, like references to thyrsus, a staff belonging to Dionysus, and clever wordplays connecting art and alcohol.

Now notice in topic 2, the mention of Nietzsche. We know some of you skeptics out there are raising your eyebrows, cos seriously… a German philosopher and a K-pop group? What an unlikely pairing! But the fact is, Nietzsche has actually featured in several of BTS’s works, most notably in their song Blood, Sweat and Tears where they quoted a line from his book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra: one must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star. 

It was from an era where BTS was transitioning from youths to adults and their songs were about the temptations of sin that are too strong to ignore. And ultimately, with this quote, BTS was saying that it’s not about ignoring those sins, but embracing them. Cos to be a true artist, a person will have to confront, accept and continuously struggle with the the dark sides of their lives.

Pretty impressive, huh? Now unfortunately, we couldn’t find the presentations mentioned above, but it’s likely they explored all these different influences and inspirations. Sure, that’s a lot of homework for a mere song but it’s this entire thing where BTS works are really opening doors to so many interesting discussions which just grows and grows with everyone’s interpretations and input.

In fact, BTS’ influence extends far beyond just music and lyrics.

Inspired by BTS’s message, Brazilian fans rallied their fellow citizens to vote

The one thing you’ve probably heard about BTS is how large their fanbase is. And during the previous conference, author Paulo Coelho highlighted the real power behind those numbers. He shared how Brazilian fans were so inspired by BTS’s message to ‘speak yourself’ that they successfully encouraged the people in their country to vote.

“(Because of BTS,) Armys do not shy away from commitment… I have the biggest admiration for them (BTS),” Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, via the 3rd Global Conference in Seoul

And one of the things these fans  did was hang up posters quoting BTS’ lyrics. It may seem a bit unbelievable at first that such a small thing could make a difference. But the thing about BTS is that they started out as underdogs in the K-pop world, and had to literally crawl their way up the ladder facing all sorts of discrimination along the way. That is to say, they speak from experience and that’s why their messages resonate so much with their fans.

And while that event was in itself something really special, BTS still affects change even when it’s on a smaller, more contained scale. There’s thing called One In An Army, which is basically a fan-led fundraising organization inspired by BTS’s own charity work. Every year, on each of the BTS members’ birthdays, they fundraise and distribute the proceeds to charity foundations all over the world.

Like just imagine the amount of positive work the entire community has done simply by being fans of BTS. It’s crazy, right? In fact, their impact and success is so crazy and so unprecedented, that people are studying how they actually achieved all of this.

BTS marketing strategies serve as a guide to stand out in a saturated industry

In 2020, there was an entire session on BTS’ marketing strategy to crack the code on their worldwide success. But to truly grasp the significance of their approach, we kinda have to go over how the K-pop industry works.

As most of you would know, K-pop is a very manufactured industry and mainstream groups, aka idols, follow a blueprint that shapes their aesthetics, their dancing and singing abilities and even their public persona. That is to say, a person doesn’t have to be naturally talented, they just had to be trained well.

Now BTS broke out of that mould from the get-go. Instead of conforming to industry norms, they made their own music, wrote their own lyrics and experimented with a wide variety of genres (seriously, they have alt rock, pop, r&b, jazz, and rap that goes so hard your ears bleed).

And where back then, most idols were relying on local variety shows to gain public attention, BTS hopped straight onto the social media train and leveraged on those free platforms. And it was that choice that exposed them to a wider audience range beyond that of their home country. And from there, they kept posting content consistently while keeping their interactions genuine, which certainly helped foster the bond they have with their fans today.

“BTS basically flipped the table on this and began to embrace social almost immediately. While it’s true that the timing was beneficial to them (they debuted at a time when Twitter and Instagram already existed), BTS has been known for having a particularly intimate interaction strategy with their fans,” –Kushaan Shah, a marketer via Medium

Btw if you’re looking for a more thorough breakdown on BTS’s whole marketing strategy, feel free to check out this case study by the Harvard Business School…👀 And if you wanna know more more…

Fans from all over the world will be gathering in Malaysia for the BTS Conference happening in August

So how bout that? A conference by BTS fans, for BTS fans, discussing all things BTS. Could you imagine spending your time any better? 😌

And while attending a conference like this would be a worthwhile experience, it’s worth noting that discussions like these have been happening since forever and for free on social media like Twitter and Reddit. Granted, the challenge is in finding the right community since not everyone shares the same level of enthusiasm for these topics.

But if you’re looking for a reason to go, at the very least, an international conference is a pretty rad thing to have on your CV. If so, relevant details can be found here.