Music giants BTS drops their latest album 'Proof', an ode to their glorious past, present and future

It all started on a school bus. And now we are back in it. The typical yellow school bus might just become one of the biggest symbols in the music world with global phenomenon music featuring it in its latest music video to symbolise the past, present and future of their musical journey.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have heard of the South Korean music powergroup BTS and their gigantic fanbase ARMY. Friday, June 10, has become probably one of the most important dates for both parties with the group dropping their most anticipated album.

The music giants have just dropped their latest album ‘Proof’ with a music video for their title track ‘Yet to come’ and it is an emotional roller-coaster ride. The music video - Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment) - is an ode to the struggles, the challenges and the joy in little things the group and their fanbase went through in a career spanning nearly a decade.

The music video is rich with symbolisms and Easter eggs, elements from BTS’ history – like the yellow bus which started it all in their first ever song ‘No More Dream’, the train and the merry go round from ‘Spring Day’, the half-open ride from ‘Run’ and the whole of HYYH, the shipping container from ‘Run’, the fallen angel statue from ‘Blood, Sweat & Tear, and some ‘Smeraldo’ flowers next to SUGA if we are seeing it right.

The music video starts from where probably a crucial moment in their 2015 album HYYH aka ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ ends - with Jungkook looking through his curled fingers. The song moves on to a desert-like area, like the one in ‘Spring Day’ and ‘Not Today’, and some hints of the sea, like most of HYYH. The lyrics explain similar emotions, about their journey and their hopes for the future. The group tells the ARMY how they had some ‘best moments of life’ together and how the best is ‘yet to come’.

For hardcore ARMYs and music fans, it’s nothing short of a trip to nostalgia since the album titled ‘Proof’ is an anthology of the group’s hand-picked songs.

The album and the composition of the disks are intended to represent the past, present and future of the nine-year-old band. Within the mix are three new songs: 'Yet To Come', 'Run BTS' and 'For Youth'. Proof stretches across three CDs and consists of 48 tracks. It is BTS's first physical album since last year's CD single 'Butter' and 'Permission to Dance' and was teased in April with the tagline 'We are Bulletproof'.

The three CDs break down as follows: the first, with 19 tracks, is largely an assembly of hits, including 'Danger', 'Fire', 'DNA', 'Boy With Luv' featuring Halsey, 'Spring Day', 'Fake Love', 'Dynamite' and 'Butter'; the second consists of subunit tracks; the final disc is dedicated to ARMY, the group's activist fans and will include the three new tracks and songs and demo versions of some of the band's past hits.

"As BTS celebrates the ninth anniversary of its debut and is about to open a new chapter in their 10th year as artists, 'Proof' was designed to look back on the group's past activities and ruminate on their meaning," the group's agency Big Hit Music had said in a statement.

The seven-member BTS has become one of the most successful pop acts of all time and represents a breakout for Korean music into the international scene. It has won six American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards and two Grammy nominations. The members have fronted a UNICEF anti-violence campaign, addressed the United Nations general Assembly and recently met with US President Joe Biden.

Over the course of their career, BTS have amassed over 66 million subscribers on their official YouTube channel, making them the third most-subscribed to artist on the platform and have earned six music videos in the platforms' Billion Views Club to date.

The video for 'Butter' amassed 108.2 million views in its first 24 hours and saw over 3.9 million peak concurrent views during its premiere.

Over the last 12 months alone, the band has earned over 14 billion views globally on the platform.
(With IANS inputs)