I’m writing this blog post while feeling deprived of quality time with the one and only Jeon Jung Kook. I got so used to spending time with him on his live streams, but now that he is away, a happy part of my life seems to be missing. Luckily, we can go back and watch his recordings anytime we want until Jung Kook returns to us in June of 2025.

As we continue exploring the landmark album WINGS, this week features more incredible music that focuses on exploring the duality of self, and looking inward to find what’s important for learning and growth. We’ll also touch on some absolutely legendary moments in BTS history, such as moments from backstage and VLives that are responsible for countless memes and inside jokes.

Kim Taehyung, the man behind the stage name "V," is a force to be reckoned with. Born on December 30, 1995 (the same year as his fellow 95 liner, Jimin), in Daegu, South Korea (the same hometown as Suga), V's journey to stardom began with a deep-seated passion for music and performance, and although he attended the try-out to support a friend, it was Tae who was pulled from the crowd and asked to audition. And whoever spotted him - the world would like to thank you.

In BTS's album WINGS, there are many references to the book Demian: The Story of Boyhood. This blog post explores the connection between the two. The book is about a boy named Sinclair who loses his childhood innocence and goes on a journey of self-discovery. The album WINGS is full of symbolism that reflects these themes, such as good vs. evil, temptation, and sin.

As we continue our exploration of WINGS, we dive into the rest of the album’s solo songs. They’re all uniquely tailored to the member performing them. Each song also continues to deal with how ‘facing temptation’ affects the struggle between appearances and self-realization, and how important it is to embrace duality.

What started as a simple book club concept grew into a beautiful website with daily content, a shop with fun merchandise designed by us!), an awe-inspiring map where over 4200 members of ARMY in 143 countries and territories have pinned their location so they can be found by other ARMY looking to make connections! We are always looking for new ways to connect ARMY with BTS content and each other.

Released on October 10, 2016, WINGS was BTS’ second full-length studio album, and their most ambitious to date. It contains 15 tracks, including (for the first time ever) a solo song from each member. The theme this time—what happens when ‘youth’ faces temptation?

I could start and end with just that sentence alone, and anyone who has watched this man over the last ten-plus years would agree. He's an angel on earth. A place of safety, acceptance, and pure love for many. And everyone who has been exposed to THE Park Jimin agrees that once you JimIN, you can't JimOut.

As 2016, and promotions for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever, continued, BTS was busier than ever. They continued to explore the VLIVE experience and have fun interacting with ARMY. This week we’ll explore the unique parts of HYYH: Young Forever with remixes of previous songs, more live performances, and the group’s iconic FIRST ever Daesang win.