While much has been written and/or documented about BTS’s unprecedented rise to global fame, most of these have been “unofficial” narratives designed to cash in on BTS’s popularity. Through their reality TV shows including In The Soop (2020 – ) as well as the documentary TV series, Bring the Soul (2019) and Break the Silence (2020), the members of arguably the biggest boy group, have often talked about their lives, and the pressures that their global success has brought. However, Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS is the first official sustained narrative that documents BTS’s experiences from pre-debut to globally recognised superstars. It allows the voices of Jin, RM, Suga, J-hope, V, Jimin, and Jungkook to reappropriate that which has been appropriated by news and other types of media. The book is neither salacious nor scandalous; it is no exposé of the K-Pop idol industry. In fact, BTS have always expressed pride in coming from South Korea and have sought to enhance K-Pop’s global image. Instead, though through, appropriately enough, seven chapters, the reader is taken on a largely chronological journey through BTS’s history of hit-making from 2013 to 2022: Chapter 1: “Seoul”, Chapter 2: “Why We Exist”, Chapter 3: “Love, Hate, ARMY”; Chapter 4: “Inside Out”, Chapter 5: “A Flight that Never Lands”; Chapter 6: “The World of BTS”; and Chapter 7:  “We Are”. An intimate exploration of members’ feelings and thoughts throughout their career, BTS: Beyond the Story is a document of BTS’s “first chapter”. While mandatory military enlistment is responsible for the beginning of the “second chapter”, there are personal reasons for the members choosing to focus on developing their art individually during this ‘hiatus’ which are explored here. 

Written by Myeongseok Kang and BTS, the book was published globally on 9th July 2023 and immediately topped numerous best-seller lists. It is available in multiple formats: as a print book, an e-book, and an audiobook, and in 23 languages. The English translation is by Anton Hur in collaboration with Clare Richards and Slin Jung and the audiobook is narrated by Kim Young-Gi and Park Chan-won. The e-book uses endnotes to link the reader to blogs, music videos, performances, and other audio-visual media that document BTS’s journey during that particular time period which is discussed in chapters. The print book uses Q codes instead. While the audiobook is limited to the main narrative, it makes the book fully accessible, which is a bonus given the diversity of the fandom as well as that of the general public who may know very little about the history of BTS. The formats that are reviewed here are the English language Kindle e-book and the Audible audiobook (if you have both formats, then you can listen to the book and read it simultaneously).

The first chapter “Seoul” covers BTS members’ pre-debut life, giving the reader an insight into how the K-Pop industry works from the margins rather than the centre; trainees living and practising together until a final decision is made on who will debut, and of course, who will not debut. Being a trainee, even in one of the major entertainment companies in South Korea does not guarantee that you will debut. While individual skill and charm are important, group cohesiveness is more so. There is also the need to have members slot into a predetermined role including the main dancer, lead dancer, main vocalist, lead vocalist, visual, centre, the face of the group, and leader. While RM is the leader of the group, the other roles are much more fluid in BTS with members switching roles depending on the needs of a particular song, or performance. This opening chapter details how the individual members came together and what their initial impressions of each other were, as well as the rigorous regime that idols need to maintain leading up to debut and after, through countless albums and promotions. The remaining chapters are chronological, examining their discography and giving voice to the thoughts and feelings of the members at the time, as well as their reflections looking back. 

Chapter 2: “Why We Exist” covers the first four Korean albums: 2 Cool 4 Skool, O!RUL8,2,?, Skool Luv Affair, and Dark & Wild. The commentary here illuminates that BTS’s journey from industry outsiders to global superstars was not one marked by a linear progression of increasing sales of successive albums as it would appear to be, but rather in RM’s words an oscillation of “sweet, bitter, sweet, bitter” (p. 840) in which the success of one album would not be shared by the next one and therefore the future uncertain. The following Chapter 3: “Love, Hate, ARMY” focuses on The Most Beautiful Moment in Life trilogy and Suga’s realisation of the importance of their fandom, or ARMY, in his own words: “I believe they’re the reason for my existence, these people” (p. 162). ARMY are the LOVE referred to in the title, while HATE refers to the constant cyberbullying that BTS underwent as their popularity soared, perhaps most aptly demonstrated by the #BREAKWINGS campaign by anti-fans which accompanied BTS’s 2016 album Wings release (p. 165).  

Chapter 4, “Inside Out“, focuses on Wings and You Will Never Walk Alone, which marked the beginning of BTS’s meteoric rise to fame, both locally and globally, and explores the deepening relationship between the group and their fans, ARMY, in part in relation to the construction of the Bangtan Universe (or BU as it is known). Chapter 5: “A Flight That Never Lands” reflects on the Love Yourself Trilogy, and BTS’s growing stateside success, as marked by their first Billboard 200 number one with Love Yourself: Tear. But this success hid behind it, the group’s growing anxiety, according to Suga: “We all wanted to say, “Let’s quit,” but none of us could bring ourselves to do it” (p. 254). The relentless production and promotion, and endless touring, left the members exhausted (p. 266). Or as V states: “We were working on LOVE YOURSELF, but we couldn’t love ourselves”. This chapter also explores the member’s growth as individual artists as they undertake solo songs for the first time. 

Chapter 6: “The World of BTS”, covers Map of the Soul: Persona and Map of the Soul: 7, exploring why what was originally planned to be a trilogy became a ‘duology’. These were also the years that saw BTS branch out from music to engage their fans in ever more interactive ways, first by ARMYPEDIA and secondly with #ConnectBTS. However, these years were not without controversy. Jungkook implicitly addresses the criticism that accompanied their: “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” concerts in Saudi Arabia stating: “Every country has their own culture, but I had hoped during our performances at least, our audiences would allow themselves to express everything in their hearts in that moment” (p. 352). This chapter also explores the member’s growing need for individuation as they hit what seemed to be the height of success. 

The final chapter, 7: “We Are”, covers the years of the pandemic, BTS’s self-produced album BE and their English-language singles: “Dynamite”, “Butter” and “Permission to Dance”. J-Hope comments on 2020; “I don’t know why this year is so horrifying” (p. 432). It also explores BTS’s experiences in the United States and the somewhat telling responses of other artists to them. While this chapter covers BTS’s Grammy nominations, it does not go into too much detail about what must have been painful experiences for the group, losing two years in a row. But it also foregrounds their realisation that they had got to a point in their career where awards were nice but no longer necessary to either the group or their fans to justify their existence or popularity. The final words are J-hope’s: “I always want to express my thanks to the other members, and we keep running ahead with the thought of, ‘If ARMY can smile and rejoice, that is our ultimate happiness’ ‘ (p. 496). 

While much of what is here is already part of the record of BTS, the context offered by the authors helps the reader to more fully appreciate the significance of BTS’s success as well as the inner workings of the K-pop industry. The book makes clear how the group and their company, Big Hit Entertainment (HYBE), challenged and changed the industry from within, in many ways acting as trailblazers for those idols that debuted after them. There are also interesting little-known facts about the members that are divulged here, for example, the reasons why Jungkook called his studio “Golden Studio”, which make the book worth reading even for those who already know the history of the group.

While the Kindle e-book (and by association the print book) offer a more fully immersive experiential experience, allowing the reader to visit or revisit the group’s original content, the audiobook also has its positives with the narrators bringing the lives and words of BTS to life. Comparing the e-book to the print book; the e-book is a more seamless experience, while the print book provides more visual documentary evidence including photo cards (which appeal to fans rather than the general public). If you are looking for inside gossip on the K-Pop industry or intimate details of the members’ personal lives, then this is not the book for you. It is largely informative, offering context to BTS’s meteoric rise, fully humanising them in the process.

The translators and the narrators do a great job here. The enjoyment of a book that has been translated is not just down to the content but rather how the content is organised and makes sense in the translated language. Both the e-book and audiobook make the act of translation invisible which is very much down to the use of skilled translators and narrators.

Rating:

Written by Dr Colette Balmain

Featured image ©  BIGHIT Entertainment

_{View of the Arts is a British online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.}