#nauicheonsanauisesang

[theangryjikooker]

Hi, TAJ! It's me again 😅 I know it's impossible to please everybody, but I'm seeing such extreme reactions to JK doing Seven (nvm Scooter and the whole payola - I honestly lack the knowledge about this to form an opinion) and the possible rumours of him having an all English album. I've mentioned how fun the mv was and I love listening to it bec it's a bop (for me). I wouldn't look down on JK if he does create/select English songs.

Should people criticize JK if he decides not to create a deep/reflective/emotional album? He's been doing covers of pop songs esp JB's. He was always vocal about his interest in Western pop music. May I ask your thoughts/opinions should he opt to go this direction? Thank you!

(For the record, you ask the most interesting questions. Thanks!)

There’s this prevailing idea that an artist who can insert a piece of themselves into their work is somehow more deserving of the occupation. The demand and expectation for vulnerability from an artist that may prefer not to give into it reeks of entitlement.

“But we’re the reason for his success! We have a right to x!”

Then don’t support him anymore? Move on. All good things come to an end at some point. (Though I believe any pushback from this is a result of sunk cost fallacy a bit.)

If all Jungkook ever wants to do is sing and explore genres, with his only contribution being in the selection process of songs that motivate him and sound good, that’s his prerogative. He could still be just as successful if he chooses to move in that direction, but could it possibly alienate listeners who are expecting more? Sure. Music is a subjective experience, but there are just as many people who don’t care, who love music for music and aren’t so interested in storytelling. To make judgment calls on others that don’t fit your idea of an ideal artist/music listener is so pretentious. It’s not wrong, just pretentious.

Of course, there’s a lot more authenticity and inspiration to be had from artists who write, produce, and/or play instruments for their own songs. It elevates them into a different category of artist, but that doesn’t make someone who chooses not to do any of that less than. And I say “chooses,” because we already know that Jungkook can write his own songs and melodies—that when he actually puts his mind to something (and if he were consistent about it) he can ace it.

But, rationally, even the above can also instill a sense of frustration and/or bitterness because if you have all this so-called talent, the question becomes why aren’t you utilizing it? Why do you get to reap success from “doing nothing” while your other members give their all and aren’t receiving the same kind of recognition (either from a corporate level or from the general public)?

The last question is especially pointed because it’s the current theme of ARMY ire these days. I’m not sure what it was this fandom was expecting. BTS was vocal about how they had to suppress their individuality (I believe in the vein of creative/musical direction) to prioritize the group. What Jungkook has said so far does not surprise me in the slightest; the fact that he has been more expressive about his desired trajectory and that said desires are self-oriented is neither shocking nor offensive.

Sometimes I feel like the OT7 mantra has been warped along the way to be extremely idealistic and, as a result, unrealistic. A lot of observant ARMYs have been aware of this for a long time, and these same people are living their best ARMY life, free of drama.

Anyway, back to the original question: should people be able to criticize him for potentially choosing a more “superficial” path with his upcoming album? Of course they can, but I also feel like this fandom’s response to Jungkook lately has been antagonistic because of how he’s been benefiting from his solo debut. And it’s fair to feel that way, but to then judge him for his preferences and the way he’s navigating his solo career because your fave(s) did more or abided by some arbitrary handbook of self-conduct that he’s not following to the letter is just pointlessly stupid.

There’s a difference between genuinely believing that it’s not the kind of path you were anticipating and that for him to opt for a more generic pop star route is cheating or even lazy, and feeling critical because of how your fave(s) was/were treated or not. It’s retaliatory and misguided, which is how a lot of people are moving right now.

I personally think it would be kind of lame if he does go that route, but only because I know what he’s done and can do, but I don’t care if that’s his choice. I’m also interested to see how far he pushes the boundaries in the genres he wants to sing anyway, so there’s still an element of interest there for me if he remains hands-off. And even then, that doesn’t mean he won’t want to make a more personal and intimate contribution in the future.

Ultimately, I’ve had no concerns with what Jungkook has said or done as of late (I do have a concern for him, but it’s speculative and unrelated to this post). People don’t have to like the direction he’s taking, but I find most of the discourse surrounding it disingenuous because they can usually be traced back to the defense of and anger for a different bias.

[theangryjikooker]

Hey, TAJ! Might be off-topic, but have you had the chance to listen to Namjoon's album? I'm curious to know your thoughts about it, if any. Thank you!

Hello! Happy New Year!

Sorry I've been MIA; I've had almost zero interest in fandom lately. Coupled with work and the holidays, it creates the perfect storm of my absence.

I've seen people say that they weren't vibing with NJ's album, which is surprising. We all have different music tastes, of course, so I'm not judging anyone who wasn't feeling it, but I personally loved it.

I feel like this album is so much more reflective of who he is now in this chapter, and I also love this idea that he's been able to step back from his leadership role of BTS to explore himself musically as Kim Namjoon.

I think I did talk about this briefly at one point, but I was worried the most for NJ–and this was before they revealed they were going to do solo activities. I think it was clear for a long time that all the members were struggling and coming to grips about what the future would hold for them, but I think the burden on NJ seemed a bit more substantial because of how involved his role was as part of seven.

I think, for NJ, the release of his album was really important to him–not only to get this new side of him out but in how his individual creative pursuits would be received.

I will say that of all the solo releases thus far, NJ's release is my current favorite.

[theangryjikooker]

Hey, TAJ!

I highly appreciate your answer. Free passes to the Agust-D concert! I would've begged you to let me tag along 🥺 But, I have to agree that the third installment is far superior. I love listening to the songs from Yoongi as Suga of BTS, Prod. Suga, and Agust-D. Can you share your experience when you attended the concert?

Also, Letter. I listened to it on repeat on YouTube (I know there's no official version, and I'm bummed about that, but the more that I listen to it, the more I fall in love with it. Just all elements from the song and the emotions from Jimin's voice and delivery). If I may ask, what did you think about the live version?

I'm hoping we can still have a second album from Jimin before he does MS, but I'm not rushing. I'm just greedy wanting more music from him.

I think that there's a rumor about when JK's album would probably be released but, still waiting for an official announcement. I loved all the songs that JK either composed/written/majorly contributed to; trying not to set expectations and patiently wait for it.

And this got too long again. Sorry about that! 😅

I'm actually not a huge concertgoer. Ironically, in my new line of work, a solid perk is getting highly coveted concert tickets. My friends definitely reap more out of this than I do.

Is there anything to say about the Agust D concert that hasn't already been said? I just hate to sound repetitive, but Yoongi is 100% my kind of performer. He's very versatile as an artist, and it's fascinating to me that someone who has historically taken a behind-the-scenes approach does exceptionally well on his own.

This is more of a personal preference, and one I put more stock into (for better or worse), but part of what makes him exciting as a performer is that he can dance, rap, and sing, but he can also play his own instruments. I'm not implying that the other members couldn't be as successful just because they don't play instruments, but it's far more engaging to me when an artist can.

And for a "small" human, he takes up a whole stage with ease, and he exuded the same energy you would expect out of an OT7 concert. Genuinely, it was an amazing experience. 10/10 would go again.

As for Jimin's live version of Letter, he literally sounds like his studio version. What's not to love? I have no complaints. I don't mean to come across as dismissive because Letter really is a lovely song, but my music tastes are more of the high energy variety. I maintain that Letter (along with Like Crazy) are my favorite tracks off his album, but JitB and D-Day are more of my speed overall. I also hope Jimin has an opportunity to release a sophomore album, but I don't know if I want it to be released just for it to be released due to time constraints because I think that would be doing him and his abilities a disservice.

Not that you asked, but since you mentioned Jungkook, I'm just going to vaguely vent here about this because I have so many feelings on this. I'm not going into detail about this because there was still a degree of separation, and I didn't hear it from the horse's mouth (a.k.a. take with a grain of salt, but also he sucks), but from what I understood, it seemed very obvious that SB isn't particularly interested in OT7. And I love Jungkook, I do, and he deserves his opportunities, but at the same time, I really don't want SB to sink his claws into Jungkook. I will literally throw hands.

[theangryjikooker]

Hey, TAJ!

How have you been?

I know the past several months have been crazy in all spaces (might be crazier now, if I'm being honest, and I'm talking about everyone), but I'm glad you're back to sharing your thoughts.

Have you had the chance to listen to Face and D-Day? May I know your thoughts about them?

Also, are you anticipating the release of JK's album? I'm wondering what kind of direction he's decided on.

I've been feeling that the timing for the release of the members' albums to be very tight, though, I understand that they have a timeline.

Thank you!

Hi! Everything is great with me, I can’t complain (outside of the Internet anyway lol). Hope all is the same for you. :)

So, disclaimer, my feelings are based on my musical preferences. I just know some people are going to take this personally because they’ve made it their mission that music is not a subjective art form at all.

For some background, my listening pattern tends to be that I loop things for an indeterminate amount of time upon initial release. Eventually, I no longer have the interest to loop things and start getting selective about tracks I really like and shove them into my shuffled BTS playlist. If I really love something, I also add it to my like tracks, which is more extensive and spans different genres. I often switch between my specific and liked playlists because my listening style makes it very easy to get bored.

“Just change it,” one might say.

If I could, I would, but I also don’t want to. I’ve been like this since I was a kid. It’s also very rare that I listen to whole albums and like every single song. I cannot stress this enough, though I can confirm that this has been achieved by several OT7 albums. Prior to these, however, I was raised on classical vinyl records, and I don’t quite count them as “albums” in the way we understand them today. Make of that what you will.

Anyway, point being, my listening style and ultimately how I organize songs after the initial novelty has worn off is definitely a reflection of my long-term interest.

And I should hope that many of you are adult enough to understand that not liking everything an artist puts out does not make someone any less of a fan. Purists are not invited in this house; if you have an issue with it, go to someone who’ll pander to you.

All this said, I’ve listened to both albums.

When FACE and D-Day were released, both followed the aforementioned pattern. I agreed with the sentiment that FACE didn’t sound like your typical Kpop genre. Jimin has always defied expectations in that regard. Visually and conceptually, FACE was excellent, but knowing what Jimin is capable of, I was also expecting something a bit more, musically. I’m not saying the album was bad, but it was different. I think, for that reason, I’ve mostly been undecided, even though I did add the majority of the album to my BTS playlist. Except for “Letter”—shipping aside, it’s very beautiful. It’s a shame it wasn’t released as a stand-alone because I probably would have given it near infinite plays, and it would’ve found a spot in my liked playlist as well.

If I were to take anything away from this, it’s that I’m more interested in what his sophomore album will look and sound like, now that he has a taste of the process and has the experience.

D-Day is a very strong album, but keep in mind that Yoongi (like the hyung line) has a lot of experience under his belt. That’s natural. But for a while, with the exception of “Daechwita” and “People” off D-2, I had a hard time connecting to the tracks released under Agust D. FOR SHAME, I know. It wasn’t until D-Day that I was able to listen to D-2 and the self-titled album with a different mindset, which also affected my renewed appreciation for them. D-Day, however, is the superior installment of the trilogy. Maybe it’s cheating, but I think it also helped immensely that I was given free passes for the Agust D tour, which I hadn’t anticipated on attending. But free is free, what can I say. There’s a reason why music and live performances are crucial to an artist and their art. Sometime ago, a lot of people here assumed Yoongi was my bias, despite how rarely I talked about him. He wasn’t, and over time I gradually accepted that I didn’t really have one. Now? I can say that statement probably resonates with me a lot more these days.

And of course I’m interested in what Jungkook’s cooking up. I maintain that his voice is appealing to big western production, so I’m thinking we might see something that fits that particular palate? But the thing with Jungkook is that he’s been exploring sound and allegedly having a hand in the instrumentals, which only serves to expand his range, so my previous assumptions on his album might already be outdated.

[theangryjikooker]

Hey, Taj! I'm glad to hear from you, and I can't help but shake my head with the asks you've been receiving 😮‍💨 I'm just here to ask if you'd be continuing your Run BTS commentary? I'm interested in reading your thoughts.

I personally love watching those episodes. It gives me time to just empty my mind, forget the stress of daily life, and just laugh at the members' antics and dynamics.

Hi! Yes, I do plan on continuing it because it’s the only thing I can stomach doing in terms of content.

I can only speak for myself, but as someone who has generally been able to ignore the inanity that sometimes goes on in the fandom and shipping spaces for the most part, the fact that I can’t stand it these days is pretty telling. I keep my timelines so curated, and even I can’t stop getting exposed to whatever shit is happening among shippers.

So, I need a bit of lighthearted mindlessness. Hopefully I can distract myself by finishing up the next installment, but I’ve also been traveling a ton for work so it’s slow going.

In due time! 💜

[theangryjikooker]

Hi, TAJ!

Have you had the chance to watch and listen to Seven? The mv was fun, and I had to admit that I laughed a couple of times.

I'm being sidetracked here, but I wanted to ask about that Variety interview with JK. Is it just me, or was the tone passive-aggressive? Every single question just made me pause and rub me the wrong way. I wanted to know your thoughts because maybe I'm being too sensitive about it. Thank you!

Hey!

I really loved the MV! It was visually fun and striking, but the wackiness gave it character. The song itself actually took me a few plays before I got into it, but it definitely has that sound of a standard mainstream hit. But I’m more interested to see what happens when Jungkook contributes to the lyrics and production of his album.

Honestly, I think this fandom has a knee-jerk sensitivity to anything that isn’t overtly positive or praising. This fandom only knows how to deal with extremes.

The one most people seemed to have taken offense to was the question where Jimin was personally identified in a question where it didn’t make sense to do that. I can see how that comes off weird and leading—and it was—but you’d have to know the interviewer to get a sense of what his intentions were with that question.

Overall, the Variety interview didn’t seem passive aggressive to me, but it was very much blah.

[theangryjikooker]

Hi, TAJ!

How have you been? 😊

Please feel free to skip on this ask if it's something that's not really applicable or a topic that you're not comfortable in discussing but I'm quite curious to know if there was a specific year or timeline wherein you felt further or a deeper appreciation of Jimin and JK's bond?

I mean, there's a reason why some of us are genuinely fascinated/appreciative/intrigued of their relationship (whatever that may be) but would you say there was a particular period that highlighted their dynamic on your end?

Thank you for taking the time to read my ask! 💜💜💜

Hello! I've been wonderful, thank you for asking. 💜

There's no real year or specific timeline that I see as the year for Jikook where I felt like, somehow, my appreciation for their dynamic increased. I take into account their chemistry as a whole, and that includes years where their interactions felt stilted (primarily in their youth). 

Of course, there are moments that I’d consider to be my “favorite,” but I don’t believe they’re any more significant than another moment that isn’t perceived as often.

I wouldn’t say there’s a specific period that highlights their dynamic, but there is a type of dynamic between them that intrigues me, and it’s always the moments that feel weirdly tense when there’s zero reason for it whatsoever. They sometimes act in a way where they draw attention to a blurred line that would’ve gone unnoticed had they (or a third party) not acted/said what they did. 

I’ve tried to catch the same tension between the other members, and no one else gets to that level the way Jikook does (I could be wrong; I still haven’t watched every piece of content that HYBE has churned out). The only dynamic that comes close is the “joke” that frequently floats around with Yoongi wanting to hold hands with his members.

Anyway, that’s my brief take on this. Suffice to say, it’s not really the moments between Jikook that I pay attention to but rather their behavior towards one another. 

[theangryjikooker]

Hi TAJ!

Hope you're doing well. First off, I'd like to say how much I love reading your opinions and answers to your asks.

I've heard about BTS since they started but only had a chance to really focus and get to know more about them early this year including their whole discography. I actually started watching original and full content from recent ones first then made my way to the older ones (documentaries, reality shows, bangtan bombs, memories, etc) and didn't explore "introduction" videos of each members which, looking back, I realized was better. Seeing how perceptions can be skewed/affected/influenced.

I've said this because the more I explored and ventured out to other platforms, there was this never-ending narrative that Jungkook hates/is uncomfortable with Jimin which I completely disagree with.

I adore them both especially the close bond that they have. I am leaning towards the opinion that they are highly likely to be threading between close friendship and something romantic (only the two of them can 100% confirm what their relationship truly is). This is because of moments that I perceive to be possibly intimate, have difficulty in finding non-platonic explanation for, made me pause and say interesting, or simply just made me feel like a third wheel (still not over Jimin's bday vlive last year).

Apologies as this got super long but may I ask if you would be comfortable to share moments wherein your scale tipped towards them possibly dating or moments you found interesting between the two that may or may not have made your eyebrow raise? Thank you!

Hello, and same to you! 💜

[...] there was this never-ending narrative that Jungkook hates/is uncomfortable with Jimin which I completely disagree with.

Oddly, I can understand why this narrative existed. It may not have been true in Jungkook's heart of hearts, but I would argue that the nature of their dynamic was perhaps a little volatile when they were younger (due to a host of reasons and not because Jungkook hated/was uncomfortable with Jimin).

I am leaning towards the opinion that they are highly likely to be threading between close friendship and something romantic (only the two of them can 100% confirm what their relationship truly is).

I feel the same way.

But going forward with your actual question:

It wasn't a specific moment, to be honest, sorry to be anticlimactic. It was a combination of everything I was viewing that made me curious enough to pay attention to them. I want to say that Naver Star Cast 2015 triggered it, but MMA 2018 cemented it enough for me like, "Oh yeah, there's something a bit weird there."

Honestly, though, my "indoctrination" to Jikook was a blur because there was never one major moment that spoke to me. Which is still how I feel about them now, really. Plucking a specific moment here and there isn't enough to sway me, but rather the fact that things happen repeatedly that make me think that there's something there that possibly transcends a 100% platonic relationship (which isn't to say that romance is the natural conclusion, just that an attraction—in whatever way it manifests—likely exists).