Evolution of BTS: From grungy, cute to being badass boys
K-Pop boy band BTS wowed everyone at Sunday night's Grammy Awards as they performed a new rendition of Butter. Although the Grammy-nominated song lost to Doja Cat's Kiss Me More, it remains a fan favorite. BTS' journey to the Grammys has also been nothing short of remarkable. The band has evolved drastically over time. Here's a quick look at the evolution of BTS.
If you watch BTS's debut music video, No More Dream from 2013, you will be stunned. The boys had a grungy look with mostly rock music and a hint of rap. They wore deep black eyeliner and hardly ever smiled through their videos. We Are Bulletproof Pt.2 is also of the same genre. What's familiar is the killer dance moves and well-shot videos.
The boys were no more just musicians, they were storytellers, too. Videos like Boy in Luv and Just One Day thrived on their storylines as much as they did on music and dance. Their black-leather clothes changed to white cardigans, and they became more relatable.
In 2015, the Bangtan Boys gave us the Bangtan Universe. A fictional universe with music videos and short films inspired by members of the band, the universe solidified the connection between BTS and Army and it dealt with intense, sometimes dark themes, in videos like I Need U. It also introduced the tasteful use of green screen by the band, which continues to date.
In 2016, BTS released Epilogue: Young Forever which still remains an Army anthem. The video style changed somewhat, with the use of grainy texture to match the serious mood. 2017 was the year BTS went global. We saw the fun factor coming in with a shift in energy with DNA. This also had them changing their look, with the boys getting funky hair colors.
BTS' first English single Dynamite solidified their stature as global icons. The grungy darkness completely vanished and was replaced with light pastel colors and big smiles. The dance moves got more intense and the signature big finale sequence took the green-screen use a notch higher.
BTS's 2021 single is a testament to how it changed the whole K-Pop landscape that made it a global phenomenon. The band members aren't just cute boys-next-door, but also are risque men. They wear suits and basketball jerseys with equal ease and make the Army go weak in the knees with the various tributes they pay, like Jungkook kissing his Army tattoo multiple times.
