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BTS: The Review

Youngdae Kim,

H.J. Chung (Translator),

Uha (Illustrator)

4.57 · Rating details · 179 ratings · 13 reviews

What Sets BTS Apart? The Music Behind BTS' Phenomenal Popularity.

What is the secret to BTS' exceptional worldwide popularity, referred as the "BTS Phenomenon"? Is it because of the seven members' X-factor, their amazing talent and explosive energy on stage? How can they be understood within and without the context of K-pop? What do the ARMYs, their loyal brigade of worldw ...more

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Paperback, First, 334 pages

Published March 27th 2019 by RH Korea

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Apr 26, 2019 Lily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a must read if you are a. a fan (but an older, more intellectual one) or b. interested in pop culture/musical from an analytic/critical framework. As someone who is both, I loved it!

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Dec 21, 2019 Lise rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: music, non-fiction

I expected quite a lot of this book as Youngdae Kim is a noted music critic and author who serves as a member of the Selection Committee for the Korean Music Awards. He is born and raised in South Korea but completed his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington and is currently living in the USA where he is a critical column writer for MTV and Vulture by New York Magazine among other things.

He has always been interested in and proud of BTS and I thought that with this book BTS wo I expected quite a lot of this book as Youngdae Kim is a noted music critic and author who serves as a member of the Selection Committee for the Korean Music Awards. He is born and raised in South Korea but completed his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington and is currently living in the USA where he is a critical column writer for MTV and Vulture by New York Magazine among other things.

He has always been interested in and proud of BTS and I thought that with this book BTS would finally get what they deserve: a serious, scholarly look at their music from their debut in 2013 up onto early 2019 when the book was written. With the subtitle “A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS” that was what the book seemed to promise its reader, but I must say that I was somehow disappointed.

Yes, Kim does review every single BTS album and solo albums of the different members too, but the reviews are short and mostly concentrated on the ballads as that seems to be the genre that Kim prefers. By doing so, he neglects to give in-depths analyses of the backbone of BTS’ music production as BTS started out as a hip-hop team and it is still the three rappers who write the majority of songs that also include funk, r&b, jazz, Latin, EDM and many other genres. In the same way the rappers take a backseat to the vocalists in this book which is quite strange as the rappers are the fundament of the band that existed as a trainee group before any of the vocalists were added.

As you can probably see, I’m not that thrilled with the reviews, but then again, the reviews only make up a small part of the book. Most of it are interviews with people in and around the Korean music industry, whereof most of them have nothing to do with BTS. There is an interview with the Korean hip-hop journalist Bonghyeon Kim, the Literary Critic Hyeongcheol Shin, the Chairman of the KMA Selection Committee Changnam Kim, the popera tenor Hyungjoo Lim and Billboard’s K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin who more or less backstabbed BTS as soon as he was paid to promote another Korean band. Also the composer brother Su is interviewed and at least he worked with BTS especially in their early days, but he also worked with many other k-pop acts. Of course, the people interviewed mention BTS, but most of the interviews are about K-pop as such or about the interviewees. There are no interviews with BTS themselves, with the founder of their company Big Hit, Bang Sihyuk (Hitman Bang) or with their main producer Pdogg, which is very disappointing. After having read the book, I think the subtitle should have been, “A Comprehensive Look at K-pop and how BTS fit into it” instead. At least, that would have been closer to the truth!

Youngdae Kim also mentions the very unique relationship between BTS and their fans, ARMY, but throughout the book he insists that their fans are teenagers or people in their twenties and that they are all girls. In the last chapters of the book, he finally acknowledges that the band has middle-aged fans as well, but not that they have male fans. Seeing the latest Korean statistics that have been widely quoted in the western press too, at least 55% of BTS fans are 30+, and these statistics don’t include fans over 70, so the true number is probably 60%, which makes the core audience quite different from the general audience of other K-pop acts. Besides, about 20% are males of all ages, but for some reason they are hardly ever included in statistics!

All in all, I have to say that I think “BTS – the Review” is a rather misleading description of BTS. Of course it is not as bad as what we are used to see written by people who don’t know anything about BTS, but at the same time it is also more annoying as the author should have know better than painting a picture of BTS as a band that is mostly carried by their ballads and their vocalists and that has mainly female teenage fans. I was very disappointed, even though Kim in the epilogue correctly concludes that the BTS phenomenon is a movement that BTS and ARMY created together.

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May 26, 2019 Wei Ning rated it it was amazing

I really recommend this book to ARMYs and even those who are interested in music culture. Diving into the BTS Phenomenon, Kim showed insightful analysis and in-depth views on BTS music and their art. This book is really interesting in a way that nobody(so far) have ever written such a comprehensive book solely focusing on the success of BTS through their music. Kim was able to portray and explain his view, as a music critic on why BTS became successful and his views were truly eye-opening for me ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Haira rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

I finally finish this book and get the answer of the reason for the BTS phenomenon in the popular music industry.

It is obvious and may not be easily accepted by the general population who are into pop music and fandoms. But it is what it is.

I am glad that I am part of this exciting world.

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Sep 01, 2019 Teresa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction

This book is in my opinion a very interesting, and as it says, comprehensive review of the 'BTS phenomenon'. The author goes through BTS's career and rising fame as well as takes a look at their albums and solo mixtapes. It's already been outpaced by BTS's accomplishments however, being finished before the release of Map of the Soul: Persona, BTS's worldwide stadium tour this year, which included two historic nights at Wembley stadium, and BTS's wins at the BBMAs this year in the Top Social Arti ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Marissa rated it it was amazing

An analysis of BTS that puts its money where its mouth is by looking at their music all the way from debut up to the conclusion of their Love Yourself series in 2018, including the rappers’ individual mixtapes.

I enjoyed it, particularly the columns on BTS’ integration of their Korean roots with a Hip-Hop sensibility, and the conclusion that rather than hail from a long line of Boy Bands, BTS is more on par with the likes of yes, The Beatles, but also Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury for thei ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Bungluna rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

I enjoy reading about pop culture but too often it is either sensationalized or trivialized by the so-called critics who write about it. Fortunately, this book did not fall into either category.

This was an interesting book which looked at the BTS phenomenon from a more critical pov. The author made a valiant effort to review every single track in every single album put out by BTS and its members, tough not all of it in great detail, (imo that would have been nigh impossible.)

There are also essay ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 samantha rated it really liked it

I liked the idea behind this book - track by track reviews of BTS’s discography? Interviews and in-depth discussions about BTS’s success? Sign me the fuck up!

The actual execution was great too, I liked the pretty illustrations and although it’s basically a fact-based book, something I usually find boring, this wasn’t too dry.

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Sep 22, 2020 Huaaa97 rated it really liked it

Recommended for New ARMY! It would help you to appreciate each era of BTS and album by understanding the story behind each production, development of the artist capabilities in producing music along with insight of those who have been working with them.

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Jun 08, 2020 Ning rated it it was amazing

Youngdae took us on a ride through Bangtan's discography up until mono. Really enjoyed an academic/critic's perspective on the BTS phenomena. ...more

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Feb 24, 2021 Tu Cam rated it it was amazing

a nice overview of the group's musical progress. it's interesting to both hear the changes in their direction as a fan and read about it from the view of an expert ...more

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Jun 25, 2020 Evita Yudistianti rated it liked it

I'm an ARMY but most of the contents in this book are just like a compilation of news articles that continuously just praising BTS. However, the interview parts with the music producers, the Grammy voting member, etc. are what makes the book good. ...more

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