BTS FESTA 2021: RM — "Bicycle"

Pedalling with my two feet

I face you, whom I can't see

These few centimetres of excitement

That you always give me

I wanna keep the bass down low

My heart is already in weekend mode

I don't see no open cars, no open bars

It's not bad, it's just me on this road

People's hearts floating like islands

The night that seems like it won't come

Walk along the horizon and pedal along again

Towards that vanishing point we've decided on

If you're sad, ride your bike

Leave the wind beneath your two feet

Oh, let's ride our bikes

Spread your two arms freely

Na na-na-na na-na-na

Na-na-na-na-na

Na-na-na na-na-na na-na-na

Na-na-na-na-na

Sometimes I let it roll along

Just like the wheels on a bicycle

There's something to look for

Just like an afternoon snack

I think I've lived to get to these small moments

Above these two wheels, everything is like my

Very own midday dream

Feel the roof, smell the truth

Miracles aren't too far away

Whatever face you're making, right now it's okay

Things that are truly precious can't be seen by the eye

Take your feet off the ground

Be like the birds

Float like an island

Dance with the wind

Yeah, it's okay to cry

Happiness usually comes with sadness

If you're sad, ride your bike

Leave the wind beneath your two feet

Oh, let's ride our bikes

Spread your two arms freely

Na na-na-na na-na-na

Na-na-na-na-na

Na-na-na na-na-na na-na-na

Na-na-na-na-na

Na-na-na na-na-na

La-la-la-la-la

Na-na-na na-na-na

La-la-la-la-la

(Translations: Bangtan Subs)

(Listen to this song on Soundcloud)

(Read RM's "Bicycle" blog post here)

This might be the most wholesome song I have ever listened to. It's literally about riding your bicycle and the feeling of freedom and lightheartedness that it brings, but to me, it's a very gentle, calming song that gives a feeling-the-warm-summer-breeze-at-night kind of vibe. Definitely adding it to my mellow night-time jams playlist. (Similarly, I could see this song as the background music in a romantic K-drama scene wherein the two main characters are getting to know each other better over a couple drinks at an outdoor patio in the middle of summer. And yes, there are fairy lights all around. Because this song demands fairy lights.)

JUNGKOOK - 10,000 Hours (Cover)

BTS · 10000 Hours (cover) by JK of BTS

Jungkook gave us a sneak peek of this song on Twitter yesterday (which he promptly deleted because the tweet said "Twitter for iPhone" and BTS are ambassadors for Samsung... whoops) and actually surprised us by releasing it on SoundCloud today! Quite frankly, this is the only way I'd ever listen to a Shay + Dan/Justin Bieber song.

BTS FESTA 2020: Jungkook — Still With You

BTS · Still With You by JK of BTS

At first listen, this song immediately made me feel nostalgic. I'm not really sure why, because it sounds like a slower, piano jazzy version of an anime theme song, and I don't really listen to jazz or watch anime, but for some reason, it reminds me of my childhood. (I'll have to figure this out later. I literally looked up theme songs to Astro Boy, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball Z — the only anime I ever watched growing up — and I'm not sure where I got this anime vibe from. But that's literally the first thing this song conjured up in my mind.)

Naturally, Kookie's vocals are like honey butter (smooth, sweet, and delicious) and this song is gorgeous, but I get a distinctly bittersweet, contemplative mood. So I looked up the lyrics. And of course, Kookie wrote a whole song just about missing us. Since the world's activities have halted and their tour has been postponed indefinitely, Kookie has been particularly quiet. No tweets, no posts on Weverse, no selcas, no livestreams. But we know from the other members that they've all been feeling depressed and restless. And it seems like Kookie has decided to focus on writing and recording music instead. I've said this before and I'll say it again: when Kookie finally releases his mixtape, it will be some of the most beautiful music to grace our ears and will absolutely, undoubtedly shatter records across the world.


That faint voice of yours that brushes past me
Please call my name just once more
Even though I'm at a standstill under the
frozen glow of the setting sun
I'll walk towards you step by step
Still with you

There isn't a single light in this dark room
I shouldn't get used to this
But it's so familiar

The low noise I hear
Coming from the air conditioner
If I didn't even have this,
I think I'd actually fall apart

Laughing together and crying together
I guess these simple emotions
Were everything to me

When will that day come?
When I meet you again
I want to look you in the eyes and tell you
I missed you

In the memories, once so brilliant
The rain falls, even as I dance alone
When the fog clears
I will run to you with drenched feet
Please hug me then

Because the moon looks lonely
Because it seems to be crying radiant tears in the night sky
Even though I knew that morning would come eventually
I wanted to stay in your sky like a star

Those days, those moments
If I had known they would end up like this
I would have gathered and held on to more of them

When will that day come?
When I meet you again
I want to look you in the eyes and tell you
I missed you

In the memories, once so brilliant
The rain falls, even as I dance alone
When the fog clears
I will run to you with drenched feet
Please hug me then

I want to paint the beautiful purple light
Behind the faint smiles that gaze at me
Even though our footsteps might not match
I want to walk this path together with you
Still with you

(Translations by: Bangtan Translations and Wisha)

V — Winter Bear

The first full English song by our very own Kim Taehyung. Gorgeous melody, lovely lyrics, stunning visuals. The gentle cadence of Tae's voice is so heavenly; the sentiment so pure of heart. What a beautiful surprise this morning. 💜💜💜

She looks like a blue parrot

Would you come fly to me

I want some

Good day, good day, good day

Good day, good day

Looks like a winter bear

You sleep so happily

I wish you

Good night, good night, good night

Good night, good night

Imagine your face

Say hello to me

Then all the bad days

They’re nothing to me

With you

Winter bear

Sleep like a winter bear

Sleep like a winter bear

BTS FESTA 2019: Euphoria (DJ Swivel Forever Mix)

Okay, we knew that the ballad version of "Euphoria" was coming, 'cause DJ Swivel actually stated it on his Twitter in February. And it's finally here, guys, for FESTA 2019. "Euphoria" is one of those songs that sound equally as good when it's high-energy like the official album version on Love Yourself: Answer, and when it's slow and mellow, like the version that was released today. However, the lyrics end up taking on a different meaning when the beat and the instrumental changes. In its original form, the song has a very happy, optimistic, light-hearted meaning. But in the ballad form, the subject of the lyrics almost seem... bittersweet and haunting. In a word, it's gorgeous. What I especially appreciate about this version is that you can really hear the clarity and intonation of Kookie's vocals. It's another reason why he's the main vocalist of BTS.

You are the sunlight that rose again in my life

The second coming of the dreams from my youth

I don’t know what this emotion is

Perhaps this is also the inside of a dream

A dream is the blue mirage of the desert

Deep inside of me, a priori

I become happy to the point of being unable to breathe

The surroundings, bit by bit, become clearer

The sea can be heard from far away

Across the dream and over the woods

I go to the place that is becoming clearer

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Euphoria

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Euphoria

Close the door now

When I’m with you, I’m in utopia

Would I have wandered to find a dream that disappears like a rainbow

It’s different from a common word like "destiny"

Your painful gaze and I are looking to the same place

Won’t you please stay in dreams

The sea can be heard from far away

Across the dream and over the woods

I go to the place that is becoming clearer

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Euphoria

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Even if the surface of the desert splits apart

Even if someone shakes up this world

Don’t ever let go of the grasped hand

Please don’t wake up from the dream

The sea can be heard from far away

Across the dream and over the woods

I go to the place that is becoming clearer

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Euphoria

Euphoria

Take my hands now

You are the cause of my euphoria

Euphoria

Close the door now

When I’m with you, I’m in utopia

(Translation by: Bangtan Translations)

BTS FESTA 2019: Jin — Tonight (이 밤)

When BigHit announced this year's FESTA activities, "By Jin" was listed as the event for today, so we knew that the self-composed song he hinted at for several months was finally going to drop. Jin's specialty is ballads as his voice has a smooth, honey-like quality, so I was already expecting a slower, more emotional song, but what I wasn't expecting was the actual sentiment of the song. He wrote the song about missing his "companion animals," his beloved pets that passed away over the last year. We've seen him get emotional first hand while talking about his pets in this V Live, and it was somewhat jolting to see him that way because he's normally such a happy, optimistic, funny guy. I love that we get to see this facet of Jin, the side that puts in so much love and care into those closest to him. The downtempo electronic beats, reminiscent to those in Troye Sivan's "Happy Little Pill," also somehow makes it more melancholy. It's such a pure, beautiful song; relatable for anyone who is missing someone who is no longer with us. Thank you, Jin, for sharing your heart.


If this night passes
I'm scared I won't be able to see you again
Even that ever-transparent gaze
Even that touch I had gotten used to
Even the face that used to look at me and smile, now
Will I no longer be able to see you again?

In my every day
You are there
In your every day
I am there
If that moon falls and the sun rises
You, who were together with me,
Will you no longer be there?

If I close my eyes
I think I will remember our times together
If I close my eyes, once again,
I think I will only think about our happy memories

If this night passes
I'm scared I won't be able to see you again
If this night passes
I'm scared I'll be left on my own

(Translation by @cafe_army)

V — Scenery (풍경)

V released his first fully self-composed solo song just now, the one he hinted at Seoul Music Awards a couple weeks ago; the one inspired by his photography, which is inspired by ARMY. The depth of his voice, the pure sentiment of the lyrics, the gentleness of his delivery... What a wonderful thing to wake up to today.


On the street filled with flowers
Today, too, I see you
Will I be able to contain you?

In the park where the moon at dawn has passed
I contain my current feelings
This song goes towards you

Listen to the sound of the film
Shone in the night sky moon

I still wonder, wonder
Beautiful story
Still wonder, wonder
Best part
I still wander, wander
Next story
I want to make you mine

That very moment, that time, that appearance
Having missed it, my emotions feel sad
I regret it, I hope that very moment exists again

I will gather pieces of the moonlight one by one
And create a light
So with the same appearance of yesterday
Please come in front of me

I still wonder, wonder
Beautiful story
Still wonder, wonder
Best part
I still wander, wander
Next story
I want to make you mine

I still wonder, wonder
Beautiful story
Still wonder, wonder
Best part
I still wander, wander
Next story
I want to make you mine

If you depart, leaving your footprints behind
I will protect that warmth
And save it in black and white

(Translation by: @cafe_army)

JUNGKOOK — Ending Scene (이런 엔딩)

Ah, do these boys ever take a rest? First, we got Jimin's "Promise" a few weeks ago, then we got Yoongi's feature in Lee Sora's "Song Request" yesterday, and now Kookie has released not one, but two versions of his cover of IU's "Ending Scene." (He did tweet a clip of him covering this song last month, but we didn't know if he would actually release a full version of it. As it turns out, he did two because, you know, Kookie is the Golden Maknae and he's always in overachiever mode.) Kookie's vocal colour is unprecedented in my opinion. RM used to say that Kookie is an amazing singer with great range and breath control, but he needed to work on the depth and emotion of his voice. And, at 21, I genuinely think that he's aced it. When he sings, I find that his voice portrays emotion so well that it can paint a picture of the exact feeling and sentiment behind the song. (When he sings the first "But I still want you" in "The Truth Untold," it literally brings people to tears.) Main vocalist, indeed.

Jimin — Promise (약속)

We were all anticipating Jimin's first self-composed song but he surprised all of us by dropping it today and it's already become the fastest streamed solo song on their SoundCloud. This, to me, is perfection — in the way that it conveys his thoughts and emotions, in the clarity and refinement of his voice, in the simple background of acoustic guitar that embraces the pain and sincerity of the lyrics. I love and appreciate all of BTS' vocals, but Jimin's range, tone, and colour have always been my favourite. Someone called this song a "surround sound paradise," and I couldn't have worded it better myself. This really, truly is the perfect ending to the year. Thank you, Park Jimin, for giving us this gift. It's beautiful.

Sitting alone, my thoughts are becoming bigger

Since when did you start causing me pain?

You yourself don't know

You are hurting, too, 'cause you're mine

I just wanna blow your mind

You are moving further away like this

I'm fine

Although I say it, the fact is

I might not be

I want you to be your light, baby

You should be your light

For no more pain

For you to smile

I want you to be your night, baby

You could be your night

So this night can be honest with you
You are hurting, too, 'cause you're mine

I just wanna blow your mind

You are moving further away like this

I'm fine

Although I say it, the fact is

I might not be

I want you to be your light, baby

You should be your light

For no more pain

For you to smile

I want you to be your night, baby

You could be your night

So this night can be honest with you

Now promise me

No matter how many times a day

You feel that you're alone

Do not throw yourself away

Stop here for just a while

Intertwine our pinkies

Now promise me

(Translation by @JK_Glitters)

RM — mono.

RM released his second mixtape, mono., today, and all seven songs are 100% my aesthetic. Whereas RM's first mixtape, Rap Monster, and AgustD's self-titled mixtape are aggressive and hard, and J-Hope's Hope World is high energy and playful, RM's second highly-anticipated mixtape is smooth, mellow, poignant, and contemplative. All would fit perfectly in my "night time jams" playlist.

BTS Festa 2018: DD Ceremony — "땡 (Ddaeng)" by RM, Suga, and J-Hope

Ever wonder what traditional Asian instrumentals would sound like in a hip-hop diss track? Yeah, I didn't, either. But BTS released this today and it is a straight-up savage bop.

BTS Festa 2018: Interlude Ceremony — "Autumn Outside the Post Office" (Cover) by Jin

BTS released the Interlude Ceremony for Festa 2018 today! It features Jin covering "Autumn Outside the Post Office" by Yoon Do Hyun. I'm so glad Jin is getting more opportunities to show his vocals; he's truly the most underrated in BTS' vocal line.

BTS Festa 2018: Opening Ceremony — Brit Rock Remix for "Spring Day"

BTS Festa has officially begun!