Amanda Schreiber
Staff Writer
With new albums and videos being released by popular Western artists, people tend to
neglect the fact that there are also major, record-breaking releases from other artists worldwide.
In recent news, a seven-member group from South Korea, called BTS, released their newest
album, “Love Yourself: Her”, internationally on Monday, September 18 th . This album, dealing
with the concepts of having self-love and also being in love, consisted of nine initial songs along
with two hidden tracks, and this album has been taking the world, and the U.S. iTunes charts, by
storm.
Upon the album’s release, it didn’t take long for “Her” to reach the Number 1 spot on the
iTunes album chart in 73 countries, while simultaneously being the first K-Pop act to reach over
a million pre-orders. Alongside their album, the group also released a music video for their title
song, “DNA”, which also broke records as the fastest K-Pop video to reach 10 million views on
YouTube, taking about eight hours. By the end of a 24-hour period, “DNA” had reached 21
million views, ranking them at Number 11 on the list of most viewed videos in the first 24 hours,
knocking Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” down to Number 12.
“Her” is a combination of the group’s pop and hip-hop sounds with their track list
weaving the two together into a cohesive element. The album opens with their song
“Serendipity”, a smooth, soothing solo performed by a single member of the group. As a striking
change, the album shifts to their title song “DNA”, which boasts an upbeat, EDM sound. The
following three songs—"Best of Me”, “Dimple”, and “Pied Piper”—all emphasize the group’s
pop influences, putting forward catchy dance tracks that would have anyone bobbing their head
along. The album then shifts again to a bit of a break, where BTS includes a vocal skit, titled
“Billboard Music Awards Speech”, which is a throwback to May of 2017, where the group
became the first K-Pop act to win a Billboard award at the BBMAs. The skit consists of the
vocals that were recorded at the show as the group’s leader gives a speech upon receiving the
award. Another dynamic shift occurs at the conclusion of the vocal skit, where the group’s Hip-
Hop sound begins to shine through. These final three songs of the initial nine songs are
dominated by strong performances by the group’s three rappers, along with support from the
remaining four vocalists. “MIC Drop”, a diss against haters, consists of thumping beats, whereas
the following song, “Go Go” has more of a reggae-influenced sound to it. The final track of the
initial nine songs, “Outro: Her”, closes out the album with a light rap track with a 90s vibe to it.
BTS truly stuck to their roots to create an album that highlighted love in its various
forms. With songs about a person being your whole world, or ingrained in your DNA, or being
the best part of you, this group created a meaningful and entertaining list of songs that has
something for everyone. Whether you’re interested in smooth, melodic sounds or catchy tunes
with toe-tapping beats, consider taking a look outside of the United States, because “Love
Yourself: Her” by BTS is definitely worth checking out.