It was a momentous year for BTS with several highs, but the inability to perform in front of their fans was something the members kept circling back to.
BTS misses live performances, concerts, and their fans — the ARMY. This was amply evident through the special episode of MTV Unplugged, featuring the Korean-pop (K-pop) septet, which aired early on Wednesday morning.
In India, the special was premiered through VOOT Select and Vh1 India.
Their MTV Unplugged appearance comes hot on the heels of their album BE (Essential Edition) which dropped on February 19. In November last year, BTS had released BE (Deluxe edition) which featured 8 tracks including their smash hit English song Dynamite.
In several past interviews, BTS members RM, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, V, Jimin and Jungkook have spoken about how the album reflects their thoughts and feelings through the COVID-19 pandemic. This set too is peppered with some anecdotes about how some of the songs came to be.
A visibly thrilled RM said that it was an honour to be a part of the MTV Unplugged legacy and to share tracks from the album BE, which they cherish. The iconic MTV Unplugged format through the years has featured musicians renowned worldwide performing acoustic or ‘unplugged’ versions of their songs.
A spirited performance of Telepathy from BE kickstarted their set. The lyrics of the song, Suga shared, described their current situation of temporarily not being able to meet their fans, and being apart from each other due to the pandemic.
Speaking about the very soulful Blue and Grey which they performed for the very first time, V said that he had attempted to express his sadness and uncertainty through the lyrics of the pop ballad track — a song that was very close to his heart.
The real surprise though was BTS going on to perform an old favourite — Fix You by Coldplay. The song, Jimin shared, was one that gave them comfort through the difficult times they all went through last year. It truly is going to be hard for several fans to keep from tearing up when they hear BTS’ stunning cover of the song.
Life Goes on and Dynamite have been the songs that BTS has extensively performed over the last few months virtually, and they were the perfect picks to round off their set. For a song that they’ve performed numerous times since its release, it truly was amazing to see their infectious enthusiasm and energy while performing the Grammy-nominated Dynamite.
It was a momentous year for BTS with several highs, but the inability to perform in front of their fans was something the members kept circling back to. While J-Hope said that he was waiting for the day he could sing for the fans in person, Jungkook said that they would continue to stay by the ARMY’s side with good music. Jin said that he hoped the fans enjoyed their first ever performances of the ‘b side’ tracks from their album.
“In 2021, we’ll continue to be who we are and as BTS and bring great music, comfort, and healing,” said V, towards the end of their set. This perfectly encapsulated their heartfelt, intimate performance — as one where the group infused comfort, cheer and healing into their music which endears them to millions of fans world over.
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