The Odd One Out: BTS-Style Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bragging about alcohol and drug use

As is the case with most K-pop formations, a large number of BTS's fans are teenagers and young adults. Accordingly, the topics of alcohol and drug use are not seen as appropriate.

Rapping to a distinctive beat - oftentimes one composed by the members themselves - is particularly characteristic of the band's earlier work. While some of their songs explore more "typical" pop topics, such as love and relationships, others, such as "No More Dream", "N.O", "DOPE" and "Crow Tit"/"Silver Spoon" ("Baepsae") feature more sociocritical lyrics. Their focus are problems the younger Korean generation face, such as the pressure to study hard and get a good education, or the unrealistic expectations of the older generation towards Millennials.

Answer: Jin

RM, SUGA and j-hope are known as the BTS rap line. RM (Kim Namjoon) and SUGA (Min Yoongi) started out as underground rappers before signing up with Big Hit Entertainment (now HYBE). As such, they were familiar with creating their own material from early on. As a matter of fact, SUGA initially auditioned to join the company as a producer, though he was ultimately convinced to train as a performer. The third rap line member, j-hope (Jung Hoseok) was a street dancer before starting as a trainee. He joined the group at the point when its members were still preparing to be hip-hop artists. Accordingly, he gained experience as a songwriter even before BTS debuted. All three rap line members have been credited as writers on each BTS album (at the point of writing, up to 2020's "BE"). As of 2021, RM and SUGA have each released two solo mixtapes, while j-hope has released one. As such, their membership in the Korean Copyright Association is well deserved.

Jin (Kim Seokjin) is sometimes referred to as the group's "visual", since out of the seven he best embodies traditional Korean male beauty ideals. He was scouted in the street based on his looks. Since debut, Jin has earned many accolades for his emotional range. With the help of his fellow members, he has released several of his own songs. Despite these achievements, his work as a songwriter is not on the same scale as that of the rap line.

Answer: Dynamite

In their attempt to feature hip-hop elements in K-pop, after their debut BTS faced hostility on two different fronts. People in the underground hip-hop community, where members RM and SUGA had been active and well respected pre-debut, saw them as being not "true" rappers for wearing make-up, or as sell-outs for deciding on a career as pop "idols". On the other hand, the K-pop industry put little faith in a band from a, at the time, small and unknown company succeeding. Members RM (hired as a talented rapper) and j-hope (with his background in street dance) were criticised for their looks, which didn't fit with the common K-pop visuals. Some of the band's early appearances on music shows were cancelled last-minute or only took place after the televised part of the show had ended. BTS's later success and the respect they earned both in South Korea and internationally proved their critics wrong, but the sting remained - thus the "diss tracks" proved an outlet for those feelings of frustration.

2020's "Dynamite", in the other hand, was created as an expression of BTS's wish to cheer the fans up during the COVID-19 pandemic. The light-hearted, Grammy-nominated track, sung completely in English, enjoyed greater mainstream success globally than their earlier, mainly Korean-language work. As such, for many it was the first time hearing BTS sing.

Answer: V

The so-called BTS vocal line comprises of the members who primarily sing, rather than rap - vocalists Jin (Kim Seokjin), Jimin (Park Jimin), V (Kim Taehyung) and Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook). As high-pitched songs are common in K-pop, vocalists are typically tenors, as is indeed the case with Jin, Jimin and Jungkook. By contrast, V is a baritone. Particularly in BTS's more hip-hop oriented early albums, V would often sing characteristic lower-register parts.

These include the introductory part of "Boy in Luv", the beginning of the third verse of "Boyz With Fun" or the chorus of "Spine Breaker".

The band's more recent works tend to be higher-pitched, so V often sings in a falsetto.

Answer: DNA

The three songs "First Love", "Awake" and "MAMA" off of 2016's album "Wings" are personal songs with lyrics relating to the respective member performing them. Though the title "First Love" suggests a romantic story, it is in fact a song about SUGA's feelings for his piano and, by extension, for music. "Awake" deals with Jin's fears of not being good enough, compared to the other six BTS members, but also of his determination to persevere. "MAMA" is j-hope's thank you to his mother, who supported him through difficulties and helped him to achieve his dream.

"DNA" is the lead single from the 2017 album "Love Yourself: Her". It is significant as it was BTS's debut at the American Music Awards. They would later become the first Asian artists in the AMA's history to be nominated for and then win the "Artist of the Year" award. "DNA" itself is an EDM-pop track performed by the entire group.

Answer: Michael Jackson

Having passed away in 2009 - four years before BTS debuted - Michael Jackson wouldn't have had any opportunity to collaborate with the band. However, the 2021 single "Butter" pays homage to the "King of Pop". The track's opening lyrics "Smooth like butter/like a criminal undercover" allude to Jackson's "Smooth Criminal". The song's choreography and the suits worn in many of the live performances were also inspired by the late musician's style. Michael Jackson's son Prince said in an interview that it was "really gratifying and really heart-warming to see" his father's influence on their song.

The 2019 single "Boy With Luv" was co-written and performed together with American singer Halsey. British singer Ed Sheeran was the co-composer of two separate BTS songs: "Make It Right" in 2019 and "Permission to Dance" in 2021. Coldplay collaborated with BTS on the song "My Universe", which features on the British band's 2021 album "Music of the Spheres".

Answer: An ancient Egyptian creation myth

The title of the song "Whalien 52" is a portmanteau of the words "whale" and "alien". It tells the story of the so-called "52-hertz whale" - a whale emitting a call ("whale song") at a much higher frequency than other recorded specimens. It is used as a metaphor for being lonely and misunderstood, as it is assumed that other whales either can't hear this call, or else can't understand it well.

The album "Wings" and its lead single "Blood, Sweat & Tears" are inspired by Hesse's Bildungsroman "Demian". In an interview, the group's leader RM said that they "felt that there were a lot of similarities between parts of 'Demian' and the things [BTS] wanted to say". The album's intro, "Boy Meets Evil", parallels the story of the novel's protagonist Sinclair meeting the mysterious Demian. Themes featured in "Wings" include loss of innocence, growing up, temptation and sin.

Dr Murray Stein's book "Jung's Map of the Soul" - an introduction to analytical psychology as developed by Carl Jung - is the inspiration behind BTS's 2019 album "Map of the Soul: Persona", as well as its 2020 follow-up, "Map of the Soul: 7". The two albums explore different topics connected to Jungian psychology, such as the "Persona", "Shadow" and "Ego" archetypes (in the albums' intro, interlude and outro, respectively).

As BTS's sources of inspiration are quite eclectic, it can't be ruled out completely that at some future point those might include an ancient Egyptian creation myth. However, as the group focuses more on exploring the human psyche than the origins of the universe, it seems highly unlikely to happen and (as of 2021) hasn't been the case.

Answer: "MIC Drop" - theremin

A short eight-tone melody whistled by BTS member Jungkook serves as the leitmotif of "DNA" - one of the band's most popular songs (over 1,3 billion views on YouTube as of October 2021). Another fan favourite, "IDOL" achieves its global feel by combining electronic sounds and African beats with traditional Korean instruments like kkwaenggwari (brass gong), gakgung (horn bow), and janggu (traditional drum). A saxophone solo serves as the central theme in the chorus of "DOPE". Interestingly, BTS member V (Kim Taehyung) is a saxophone player and has mentioned in multiple interviews that this would have been an alternative career option for him, had he not become a K-pop idol.

The theremin is a contactless electronic instrument from the 1920s. Its eerie sound has been used in film and television to create an otherworldly atmosphere, for example in sci-fi productions. However, it has never been used by BTS and, given that it is both very specific-sounding and quite uncommon, it is unlikely that it ever will be. "MIC Drop" is another popular BTS hip-hop track with EDM-trap remix versions by Steve Aoki and Desiigner. Its heavy beats and lyrics full of swagger wouldn't fit with the theremin sound. Instead, an interesting feature of the song is the use of sampled gunshots.

Answer: French

Though still more of an exception than a rule, songs sung in languages other than English have been popular in the West before BTS came along in 2013. With the availability of websites offering English translations and even explanations of song lyrics, understanding a song's message without understanding its language isn't as difficult as it might have been twenty or thirty years ago. Factor in the music itself, which can be felt and appreciated regardless of the language, and you get a pretty good explanation for the fact BTS's mostly Korean songs are so popular around the world.

Nonetheless, English in particular can help international artists rise to prominence in the West. This is evidenced by the fact that out of the first six BTS tracks to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, three ("Dynamite", "Butter" and "Permission to Dance") are sung entirely in English, two ("Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)" and "My Universe") are collaborations with Western artists and only one ("Life Goes On") is predominantly in Korean.

As K-pop acts generally aim to achieve success beyond their home country, English lyrics interspersed with the Korean are a general feature of their music. With Japan being one of the biggest markets of K-pop artists, songs in Japanese are also a common feature - something BTS has also done. The group has recorded both Japanese-language versions of their popular hits, as well as songs written specifically in Japanese (such as "Stay Gold", "Lights" and "Film Out").

Spanish hasn't been featured as prominently in BTS's work. Still, there are two examples of Spanish phrases: "mi casa" in "HOME" and "el Mariachi" in "Airplane Pt. 2". As for French, while it has been used for a song title ("Jamais Vu"), the lyrics themselves are mostly Korean, with a few English word and phrases.

Answer: We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal

Known as "FESTA", the anniversary of BTS's debut is celebrated each year in the days surrounding the actual date, the 13th of June. This involves specially recorded interviews and other video content, new pictures and, in many cases, new songs. It is a way for the band's members to express their gratitude to their fans, collectively known as ARMY, for their loyalty and support.
One particularly good example of this is the song "We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal" and its music video. The lyrics talk of the many struggles BTS faced to achieve the success they have and juxtaposes their humble beginnings with the massive fandom they have managed to acquire by 2020. As stated in the pre-chorus, "we were only seven/... but we have you all now". The video itself looks back on the seven years of the band's work. It shows the members as cartoon characters with the clothes and hairstyles of many of their previous videos. They revisit many settings of older BTS videos, including those from the three wrong answers: a car tunnel from "Run", a frozen field with a leafless tree from "Spring Day", and a white long table and white chairs against a brightly coloured background from "Blood, Sweat & Tears".
Initially, the individual members are shown separately, each one with his own struggles - represented visually as thorns, shards of glass or colour swirls. In the course of the video, they unite and by the end are joined by a multitude of glowing purple-coloured dots - the purple being a long-standing symbol of ARMY.