Kim Namjoon, popularly known as RM from BTS, once asked his fans to use his songs as leverage to love themselves. Ever since that day, I’ve realized how much I’ve grown after I started listening to their music. Although a lot of their songs talk about self-love and acceptance, I’ve listed down my favorite ones below. And if you don’t understand Korean, don’t worry! I’ve added lyric videos so that you all can listen and follow along!
1) ‘“>Epiphany‘
“Epiphany” is a solo song by Jin, one of the vocalists of the group. He sings about the time when he realized that he no longer wants to hide his true self behind a mask. He accepts himself as who he is – not perfect but beautiful either way. He encourages his listeners to not be afraid to face their shortcomings. In the music video, Jin acknowledges the loneliness and depression felt during this journey, but also emphasizes unconditional self-love to be the greatest achievement of all.
2) ‘“>Magic Shop‘
“Magic Shop” talks about the individual struggles of the 7 members and asks us to realize our potential just as they were able to realize theirs through their dedicated fans. They tell us to look inside our hearts to find a ‘Magic Shop’ or a galaxy where the members will be waiting and cheering us on. The hook of this song, “So show me (I’ll show you)”, is repeated several times to encourage us to start this journey of self-love and acceptance.
3) ‘“>I’m Fine‘
“I’m Fine” is a sequel to another song called “Save Me”, which talks about being stuck in codependent relationships. “I’m Fine”, on the other hand, talks about coming out of this mindset after realizing that before anything else, everyone belongs to themselves first. They mention that even though the path appears to be dark, there will always be a faint moonlight guiding you on your way forward. This song encourages listeners to let go of any past hurts and to take time to heal by themselves.
4) ‘“>Paradise‘
“Paradise” talks about running aimlessly in a world that feels like a race. Everybody’s trying to accomplish something, but it’s completely fine if you don’t know what your dreams are or where you want to end up. They mention that small achievements should be appreciated and the fact that you are breathing is a huge accomplishment in itself. They ask us to pause and remove ourselves from this learnt mindset of always needing move forward in life. They mention that the destination is never your paradise, but where you are at this present moment i
5) ‘“>Answer: Love Myself‘
This song goes out to all of their fans who helped BTS appreciate their struggles and see how far they’ve come since their debut. It is a reassuring message for those going through a tough time to see that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Although titled “Answer: Love Myself”, they explain that maybe there is no one answer to self-love, but the journey that you take is the most fulfilling and important aspect of discovering your true self.
Knowing how far BTS has come after almost disbanding due to receiving hate, their songs continue to inspire thousands of people worldwide. I encourage everyone to listen to these songs because I’m sure that you will be able to find a part of yourself represented through their lyrics and stories.