It is devastating how an invisible virus causes such a noticeable impact as it entraps the entire world and how almost nothing has been the same since COVID-19 made its appearance. With the disappearance of the life that we used to call normal from the past that now seems like a dream, it is as if even time is also on quarantine and all of us is waiting for the earth to start spinning again, as if we were in the never-ending present. Inside time that seems like it is frozen, our bodies are pinned down in-between the concrete walls of our houses, forced to resume the things that we used to do outside in our space, while our minds are trapped in anxiety, stress or even despair.

During this time that we are feeling restricted in many ways, people probably cannot help but have doubts about who they can be or what to do next with their lives. It is especially so for musicians, whose career cannot be separated from being in the public or engaging with the public. On top of the frustration of being locked behind doors, the feeling of being lost and clueless can creep in as their minds ponder anxiously - who are they when they cannot do their usual routines like performing in front of real people? The process of producing music and writing songs may not go through big changes, and artists still have the platform to express themselves, but what can be the most fulfilling and direct way to feel the impact of their works on their audience if not from witnessing the cheers and excitements below the stages? In their latest album, BTS invite listeners to join in their personal yet universal journey within their rooms, their physical prisons, and their mind, their emotional prisons, as they contemplate an existential question about where they stand as an artist in such a time when our existence is limited.

Consisting of 7 Korean members, namely RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook, BTS started off their career with music that has its focus on the sound of hip-hop, and then have come to adapt more genres especially pop into their discography over the years, as it is shown in the versatility in their recent album, BE. Climbing their way up from being an artist from a small K-pop company in 2013 to a recently Grammy-nominated artist, their journey makes a good classic story of an underdog who becomes successful, especially in breaking into foreign market like USA without help from the industry such as major playlisting on streaming platforms or boosts in radio plays, and tactics practiced by western artists such as album bundles. Apart from catchy beats and striking choreography, they are able to capture the hearts of millions of fans around the world by using their platform to speak about struggles that young people face, such as making criticism against the oppressive educational system in “N.O” from Dark & Wild album, and they are not afraid to address the topics considered taboo in their home country, such as suicides and mental health, especially in their Love Yourself series which encourage listeners on the journey to find self-love. The hopeful characteristics that make BTS stand out from their peers are apparent still in their latest work.

Even as a worldwide super star who have reached a stable point of their career, BTS cannot run away from the grips of coronavirus at the bottom of their tower trying to shake its foundation. Despite the success of their previous album, Map of the soul: 7, on music charts and in becoming one of the top albums of 2020, mainly thanks to their dedicated fandom, there was still a big disappointment both from the fans and the artist when Map of the Soul Tour had to be cancelled unavoidably to meet the safety measures of the pandemic. It was devastating for the band not only because they could not get to show the world what they had prepared for the performances, but also because their chance of seeing the fans has also been stolen away from them, as the members have expressed on many occasions such as their official global press conference on the day of BE’s release. Contact with actual audience that had been anticipated for may be more than just a part of the jobs for BTS, as shown in many songs dedicated for the fanbase, ARMY, which speak on the connection the band have with their fans who have given encouragement and support since the beginning of their journey that has not been filled with roses. And for many listeners as well, BTS’ music has given them joy and comfort. Without the opportunity to sing and dance in the presence of the fans, it can be hard for the artist to imagine how their works bring them together and uplift the spirit of both sides. With the last plan crumbled, at least until the situation improves, BTS are oblique to hold themselves together and keep the wheel of creativity going again to compensate for what is lost. The result is BE, the album centering around what they feel and do during the pandemic. It is a diary containing BTS’ self-introspection that in the end may also persuade listeners to reflect on how they are affected by the on-going condition and how they can cope with it.

Compared to their other albums, which are often accompanied by elaborate or complicate concepts and storylines, coupled with high production music videos and performances, the BE era may be described by some as something simpler or more laid-back, which is partly an inevitable result of the current circumstances. Particularly for the fans, it may feel like changing from the usual excitement of a fantasy movie to a slice-of-life movie where not much is going on in the screens. From the comments under the videos of the songs in the album or on social media like Twitter, however, this sudden adaptation is appreciated well for how the band deliver an album that “feels like a rest” and adds calmness to your mind amidst the chaos we are living in. Moreover, a closer look at BE can reveal how it is not at all lacking in its colorfulness and powerful meanings.

The title of the album holds the key to the understanding of what BE is about– it is the representation of our existence inside the cage of COVID-19. The word “be” is usually a canvas of countless possibilities, which allows us the freedom to creates who we are or decides who we want to be, like when we write a sentence using the verb. But when the pandemic came, we are left with only little to do or to become. We are stuck in the time where everything just stays still, separated from what once “was’” and uncertain of what “will be;” we can only “be,” without anything attached behind. BTS, too, are trapped inside a square of walls, like the square space that is the cover of the album. And inside this space called BE is a look at what they face and how they try to overcome this blockage or obstacle, something that has been happening in many forms and following them since the beginning of their path.

The lack of unity in terms of tones and genres in the album can depict various scattered emotions sprung from the pandemic, much like a pile of stuff on the floor of our rooms. After opening with “Life Goes On,” an important track that is to be discussed later, the band starts right off the bat with honest confession about their encounter with the feeling of hopelessness in “Blue & Grey.” The old school hip-hop track, “Dis-ease,” also addresses the discomfort of not being able to rest while being forced to rest as a form of disease. Like how SUGA describes his room in “Fly to my room” as “a trash can of emotions, but it embraces me,” this album is where the struggles BTS experience within their confinement are shoved down into, but it also shows how they embrace these feelings that we cannot escape, the feelings that are tied to our being, especially in the condition of the present.

At the same time, “Telepathy” and “Stay” are upbeat songs that communicate the artist’s desire to be on stage and the longing for the familiar presence of audience. The retro sound of Telepathy can signify the feeling of nostalgia for the time before COVID, the past that we want to go back to, or “The blue ocean where we used to romp around together” as the lyrics calls it. BTS tell the listeners to lay down the worries and escape the present by reminiscing about the old memories, while affirming that “Although we’re apart now, our hearts are the same.” The EDM sound of “Stay” makes it suitable to be played in avenues or public spaces where people can have fun together. Although that is impossible now, it shows how the band try their best to remind listeners to be optimistic, to at least dream that a better future may be waiting for us. And as much as these messages are for their fans, it was BTS trying to comfort themselves as well. As the word “stay” repeats itself in the lyrics, the artists pray that by the time things come back to normal, their audience will be there to welcome them.

BTS’ attempts to be hopeful is highlighted in “Life Goes On,” the main track of the album, the string that tied all the songs in BE together. The song is about how things in our lives still happen despite the confusing condition all of us are facing. “Let’s live on,” as BTS suggest in the song, is not only an affirmation to listeners but the artist that even though they are overwhelmed and confused, they will stay committed to their crafts, to making music that heal and give hope to people. Ending the album with a light-hearted and upbeat disco track such as “Dynamite” further emphasizes a sense of hope that they will, again, rise above their obstacles, as they always do. It is a cliché remark, but it may be the only thing we can say to console ourselves for the time being.   

This unexpected album that comes out of the unexpected condition of the pandemic can unexpectedly embody BTS’ legacy better than any of their works has ever done, by showing how they stay true themselves and move forward even with anxiety and hardships. The review on the website of RollingStone also comments that “BE may be the most on-brand album BTS has ever made, recognizing hardship while offering healing and hope and away to look past our current pain.” As much as communicating comforting messages BTS try to tell their fans and general audience, this album is a statement of how they try to their best to exist, to BE themselves, within a limiting circumstance – and it is not wrong to say that their effort and sincerity shine through.

Points: 8.5 / 10