8 Years with BTS: the Outstanding Difference 8 Years Makes
Another year has passed, ARMY. I don’t know about you, but I get a bit emotional when BTS have their anniversary. Of course, this comes from how much they’ve grown every year. Looking back at all they’ve been through as an ARMY fills me with pride. Because they’ve done it, they’ve achieved their dreams. And I couldn’t be happier for them. If you’re like me and you’d like to take a look at how far BTS has come, let’s glance through some moments during the past 8 years with BTS. And you might want to ready your tissues because we’re going to be visiting a lot of heart-clenching moments.
Table of Contents
8 Years with BTS: the Beginning
The Hardships:
We’ve talked a lot about the biggest moments throughout BTS’ career, but we haven’t addressed the hardships they’ve gone through. Though BTS seems so big and so untouchable now, it wasn’t always like this. With a classic underdog story, BTS came from nothing to be who they are today. They’ve been through a lot, much more than we’ll ever know as fans. And if we’re going to be talking about the past 8 years with BTS, then we need to address the hard times too.
Image from BTS’ Twitter
One Bedroom Dorm
Like many other K-pop groups, BTS started off small. Because they came from a small company, BTS also had a small living space. They’ve talked about this before in interviews, but BTS used to live in a rather small dorm.
In their appearance on You Quiz on the Block, RM talks about how there were as many as nine trainees in their two-bedroom dorm at one time.
But, once the seven members of BTS were chosen, they actually ended up sleeping in one room. With bunk beds.
You can get a closer look at their room in the reality show Rookie King that they put out in 2013. This show is on Viki, but you need to have a VikiPass Plus account to watch.
Asking People to Come to Their Free Concert in LA
Back in 2014, BTS put out their reality show American Hustle Life. This show, while one of the more disliked shows throughout the fandom—because of the rude treatment the members received and a few other things—brought a lot of good moments. There are a lot of iconic lines from this show. Including RM’s “Jimin, you got no jams” and Suga’s “Three dollars.”
Throughout the show, the group does a few different tasks and completes various missions. In the last episode of the show, BTS are tasked with marketing their own free concert to the people of LA. The maknae line were given a stack of flyers and sent out to Hollywood Boulevard.
This moment, while for a mission, shows how far they’ve come today. Even a year after their debut—when this show was filmed—BTS were still nobodies. The group had to nearly beg people to come to their free concert. You wouldn’t see anything like that today.
The Hard Work
While I’m not saying other groups haven’t worked hard or been through some tough stuff—I know plenty of groups go through their own struggles, especially groups from small companies—I am saying that BTS succeeded despite the hard times. And that’s because of the hard work they put into this right from the beginning. The past 8 years with BTS, and even before, were years of hard work and persistence.
Before their debut, BTS put out short logs to talk about what they’re up to. In j-hope’s March 24, 2013 log, he scans through the group’s official blog to read comments from fans. But he’s left a bit disappointed when he realizes that he hadn’t gotten a message.
(You can find an English-subtitle version here.)
For April 10, 2013, Suga put out a 1:33-minute log. In this log, he talks about working on their title track. He talks about his continuous work with it and how he’s reached the point where he has no choice but to go to sleep in the morning since there’s a lot to do still.
(Again, you can find an English-subtitle version here.)
And, lastly, in j-hope’s May 2, 2013 log, he talks about the continuous amount of work they’re putting in. It’s not only 3:20 in the morning when he’s recording the log, but he’s still working on a song at that time. He mentions how much their schedule has picked up; they dance for eight hours a day, then go to a recording, and the cycle repeats.
(You can find the English-subtitle version here.)
And, as a cute video and a video showing the members working hard… you can watch this one:
The Hopefulness:
Even when they were struggling to get through the hard times, there have been a lot of moments through the past 8 years with BTS that were full of hope. Moments where BTS looked to ARMY, moments where they looked to each other, and moments where they dreamed for things they thought were impossible.
Rookie of the Year – 2013 MMA
On November 14, 2013, BTS went to the Melon Music Awards with a nomination for the “Best New Artist” award. In the behind-the-scenes Episode BTS released a few days later, you can see that they didn’t think they’d win the award. They were nervous, of course, but they never thought they would win.
But they did.
You can see in the video, after they won the award, how happy they were. They came running down the hall, cheering and smiling so widely—a great contrast to how they were before the award. You can find the English-subtitle version here.
ARMY always have your backs BTS
Throughout the past 8 years with BTS, they haven’t been standing alone. No, actually, ARMY have been with them since the very beginning. Sure there weren’t a lot, but they were still there.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the actual source of this clip, but I do remember watching it a while ago.
Screenshot from This Video
After the release of their song “Boy In Luv,” BTS released a behind-the-scenes DVD. Now, I don’t know if this DVD is from a Muster making film or another DVD they happened to release. What I do know is that they’re really young in it.
In this clip, the boys had just finished practicing and were beyond exhausted. They’re all sprawled out on the floor trying to catch their breaths. After a moment, they decide to check the recent picture they posted and see how many ARMY replied. They had gotten 2,012 retweets and were extremely happy. They promised not to disappoint ARMY and went back to practicing.
Though this scene isn’t much, this scene shows how much BTS has cared for ARMY since the beginning. And the happiness they got from seeing they had over 2,000 retweets was heart-warming. Don’t worry BTS, you get more than 300 times more than that now…
2nd Anniversary – Jamsil Stadium?
For their second anniversary, Festa 2015, BTS sat down and had a nice talk about their goals for the future.
Around the 19:00-minute mark, Suga says, “For us, we want to perform at the bigger place. Really, you have to dream big. Maybe… at the Jamsil Stadium?” And then BTS all laugh, because it seems so unrealistic. Even Suga thinks it’s too much to ask, saying a second later “I know that was too big, I apologize.”
Though they move on from this point, the hopefulness in such a statement shows. Even if it’s “dreaming big” for them at the time, it shows that they’re hopeful for a big future.
(Spoiler alert Suga: BTS perform in Jamsil Stadium for the first time in 2019. Three nights, all sold-out shows. It wasn’t too big of a dream.)
8 Years with BTS: the Turning Point
After the beginning hardships and shy hope, BTS finally hit a point in their career that can be considered the turning point. If you read our “8 Biggest Moments” blog for BTS, you’ll already know this first one. (If you haven’t, you can click here to read it.)
First Music Show #1 – “I Need U” Win
Their first #1 on a music show came from their song “I Need U” in 2015.
They received this first win on May 5, 2015 with shocked faces and unexplainable emotions. In the behind-the-scenes video, RM gets a bit emotional with it all and Jimin is there to bring the mood up.
A couple of days after this first win, “I Need U” grabs another #1. This one is almost more emotional than the first. And sillier. As the other groups are walking off the stage, BTS begins putting on red lipstick. And when they come off the stage themselves, they’re still emotional. Jimin cries a little bit. (But it’s okay Jimin, we totally didn’t see it with you hiding down the dark hallway…)
“I Need U” went on to win a total of five #1’s.
For a bit obvious reasons, this is one of the biggest turning points for BTS. Not only was it the first time their song won a music show, but it was a time where they began showing a new side to them. Rather than a hip-hop group with a soft side, BTS were showing a bit more of their true identity.
Album of the Year Award – 2016 MMA
The first Daesang BTS ever won came in 2016 at the Melon Music Awards (MMA). They won Best Album of the Year.
Image from BTS’ Twitter
Though they were crying a bit on stage, RM gave an excited speech where he thanked ARMY first. Jin and j-hope stand off to the side, tears filling their eyes so visibly. Like their first award, the Rookie of the Year award in 2013, BTS never expected to win this award.
You can watch it in the behind-the-scenes Episode from BTS.
They had just gotten done performing on stage, just settling in their seats again, when their name rang out. After they come off stage, the members talk about how in shock they were and thank ARMY a million times. All the while Jin and j-hope are still overwhelmed with their emotions.
Even after so many years, this is one moment from the 8 years with BTS that never fails to make me tear up myself. You can watch the episode with English subtitles here.
Artist of the Year Award – 2016 MAMA
Another major turning point for BTS was their first Artist of the Year award.
Image from BTS’ Twitter
This win meant everything to BTS and ARMY, being the second Daesang that they had won. When accepting the awards, the members burst into tears one by one. Even Suga, who typically keeps his emotions in check during award shows, couldn’t help but cry.
RM, who could barely get his words out, started the speech by thanking ARMY and talking about how much they dreamed about this moment. He even took a moment to thank international ARMY in English. You can watch the award speech here.
In a BTS Episode showing the members talking after winning this award, Suga explains a bit why he was crying. He mentions a memory of him and RM watching the MAMAs during their trainee days and wondering when they’d get to that point—debuting and appearing at award shows. Backstage here, they share a hug that tells a thousand stories of what they’ve gone through to get to this point. They went through a lot, and this moment proved it was worth it.
Unfortunately, BTS took this video off of their YouTube channel. However, you can still find an English-subtitle version. You can watch it here:
8 Years with BTS: the Present
The Pressure of the Unknown:
Though things started to pick up with BTS, their success gave room for more struggles. In all of the 8 years with BTS, there has never been a moment where anything was easy. Not that there needs to be. But, as an ARMY, we need to recognize that even the high place we are at right now comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of things we do not see.
The 2018 Disbanding Talk
One of the more heart-wrenching points throughout these past 8 years with BTS has to be their 2018 MAMA Artist of the Year speech. This speech quite literally had everyone in tears.
When they won the award, they were all beyond excited. Fun fact: BTS also made history this night as the first artist in history to win three out of the four daesangs.
However, once they got to the stage their emotions overflowed. J-hope, who spoke first during the speech, started off smiling. But halfway through the speech, his smile wavered and he couldn’t stop the emotions that took over him.
One by one, each member spoke about how grateful they were for this award while trying their best not to cry. When it got to Jin’s turn to speak, he said something we weren’t expecting.
Image from BTS’ Twitter
In his speech, he says, “Earlier this year, we were mentally having a really hard time. So we talked amongst ourselves and thought really hard over whether or not to disband.” Of course, this sudden mention shocked everyone. And V, who had just gotten his emotions in check from his own speech, put his head down to hide his tears.
This moment is so heartbreaking because we, as fans, had no idea they felt like this. It was a very eye-opening moment for all of us. BTS weren’t just music machines who only felt the good things, but they were people who still fought through so many things. Even if we didn’t know it.
Break the Silence Interviews
In 2020, BTS participated in a Weverse special called “Break the Silence.” This show includes eight episodes, all ranging around the thirty-minute mark. In it, we get exclusive behind-the-scenes of their stages, individual interviews with the members, and insight on what went on throughout the Love Yourself Tour and Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour.
At the end of episode two, RM talks about the pressure they used to hold for continuing this kind of life. He concludes the episode by saying: “Focusing on the present and doing my best to live for tomorrow and the next day are the only things I can do now. The future is the future because it hasn’t arrived yet.”
In episode three of the show, j-hope is giving an interview where he talks about how he feels being an idol. He says, “Of course, being an idol… It makes you shine brightly, but it’s accompanied by fear. Sometimes I want to hide or avoid it. At times, I want to let it go.” Then the scene changes to the other members talking about how unreal it felt to do certain things—like go to the Grammys.
Both of these quotes speak volumes about what they’ve gone through. Of course, they’ll always be afraid of what comes next because they don’t know what comes next. But they’re learning to enjoy it.
To watch this series, you need to buy the package on the Weverse Shop.
SUGA’s “Interlude: Shadow”
In all of the 8 years with BTS, they had never been as vulnerable with ARMY as they were in their Map of the Soul: 7 album. On January 9, 2020, BTS release the comeback trailer “Interlude: Shadow.”
With this song, SUGA raps about wanting to reach the top but being afraid because of the shadow that grows with him. Some of the more powerful lyrics include: “Shadow at my feet. Look down, it’s gotten even bigger. I run but the shadow follows. As dark as the light’s intense. I’m afraid, flying high is terrifying. No one told me how lonely it is up here.”
In the music video, there’s even a reference to an art piece called “Svayambh” by the artist Anish Kapoor.
This art piece represents the loss of parts of yourself when you go through something. The fact that Suga includes this imagery in the music video is telling. And when the lyrics switch from “I wanna be a rap star, I wanna be the top, I wanna be a rockstar, I want it all mine” to “Please don’t let me shine, don’t let me down, don’t let me fly,” it instills the point Suga is trying to get across. He wanted to be at the top, but he’s gone through so much and lost so much of himself that he’s now afraid of it.
With this song, I believe ARMY realized what true impact BTS’ popularity had on the group. And we were suddenly seeing a lot of the pressure we hadn’t before. It was eye-opening in more ways than one.
The Success and the Recognition
Despite all of the hardships and the fear, BTS did it. They accomplished their goals and they’re still on the rise. That’s not to say there still won’t be hard times or sad moments, but it’s to say that their hard work paid off. At the very beginning, they didn’t see any results from their hard work. But now, after these 8 years with BTS, we’ve finally seen the success and recognition for it. And with everything they’ve been through, they deserve it.
Image from BTS’ Facebook
The 2019 All-Sweep of Daesangs at MMA and MAMA
We talked about this a bit in our “8 Biggest Moments with BTS” blog, but we should talk briefly about it here, too.
With the growth of BTS, it should be of no surprise that they start to win a lot of awards. However, no one would have guessed that BTS would break history. At the 2018 MAMA, BTS first made history by being the first act to win three out of the four Daesangs. In 2019, they broke their own record by being the first group to win all four Daesangs.
Image from BTS’ Twitter
Further, they were even more shocked when they earned all eight Daesangs from the MMAs and MAMA. This moment, this clean-sweep of all the awards, proved how much BTS deserved the recognition they were getting. Sure ARMY can tell BTS how much we love them and their music, and we can show their numbers of album sales and streams. But winning an award like this proves that it was real. It shows that they finally made it.
You can read more about this moment in our “8 Biggest Moments with BTS” here.
Billboard Hot100 Chart
The first time a BTS song appeared on the Billboard Hot100 chart was in 2017 with their song “DNA.” This song stayed on the chart for four weeks but only reached the #67 spot. A couple months after this, their remix of “Mic Drop” reached the #28 spot on the chart.
Slowly, one by one, ARMY were able to bring BTS closer to the #1 spot on the chart. It wasn’t until “Dynamite” came out that we were able to succeed. On its debut on the chart, “Dynamite” was #1 on the Billboard Hot100 Chart.
Image from Billboard’s Twitter
It was not only the first time for a BTS song to hit the #1 spot, but it was one of the small number of songs that debuted in that position.
Granted, the antis tried to play this off as a #1 position because of the multitude of versions released and the English lyrics. But once ARMY knew we could reach number one, we did it again with their next title track “Life Goes On.”
Image from Billboard’s Twitter
Not only did this prove that BTS was getting bigger, it proves that BTS were making an impact in the American music scene. Of course, they don’t have to prove anything to America. But this was a goal the group wanted to reach—they wanted the number one spot because it meant something important to them.
You can read more about this moment in our blog that details the record-breaking “Dynamite.”
The UNICEF Speech and the Cultural Merit Award
Alongside their music, BTS has always spoken up about important things. In 2017, they joined forces with UNICEF for their “Love Myself” campaign. This campaign aims at giving hope and faith to young adults and children around the world.
And, in 2018, BTS became the first K-pop group honored to speak at the United Nations. RM made an impactful speech—in English—about speaking yourself and being yourself. You can watch this speech here:
A month after this, BTS became the youngest recipients of the Cultural Merit Award. This award is a high honor and for those who help spread Korean culture and the Korean language. It’s such a high honor that BTS received it from the president of South Korea!
Image from BTS’ Twitter
Like a few other moments I’ve mentioned, this one was also talked about in our “8 Biggest Moments with BTS.” So you can read more about this in that blog.
What 8 Years with BTS have Brought Us: Happiness
As an ARMY, every year BTS celebrate their anniversary is a year that they’ve provided unimaginable happiness. As a group and individual, they provide moments of comfort, joy, and even recognition. Because BTS sees us, their fans, as people they can rely on and people that they cherish. With this, we try to give it back in any way we can.
For the past few years, ARMY have been gathering to write BTS a song. This year, ARMY wrote “Before the Storm.” The lyrics talk about being there for BTS even through the hard times of the pandemic. You can watch this video here:
With this last post, ARMY, we close off BTS Week at KWorld Now. Thank you for spending it with us! If you’d like to read the other posts we’ve written during this week, you can either check out our Blog Page or you can scroll through the schedule we’ve written for this past week. The links for each blog are on the dates, so you can scan through the schedule to find whichever blog you need.
Lastly, happy 8th anniversary BTS. These past eight years have been a whirlwind of highs and lows, but I hope there are many more to come. Remember, ARMY will always be behind you!
