Hi! It’s Annie!
This is the special Tuesday post I was talking about! Obviously, I had to continue my birthday posts for the boys with Tae! He’s our beloved sass master and absolute king of duality. I was recently watching BTS’s ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ Tour in Wembley and to say that he turned heads during this concert would be a massive understatement. He absolutely murdered everyone in the arena when he performed ‘Singularity’. It was insane. Also, I don’t think there’s a single ARMY that doesn’t have his verse from ‘Jump’ playing in their heads 24/7. Once you hear it the first time, there’s no going back. He’s also our good boy, so there’s the duality I was talking about. Tae has recently skyrocketed in popularity and is possibly the most popular BTS member internationally, which would sound insane but absolutely makes sense for this unique and loveable soul. Also, can we talk about how amazing Tae is at being a spy in Run BTS? I always think I should suspect him because it’s always him and then he convinces me otherwise only for me to find out at the end that it was, in fact, him. Anyways, just like always, I’m going to take a look at just a few of his solo projects and try to find some rhyme or reason in ranking because I love them all so much. (He’s also coming out with a mixtape soon by the way, so there will be much more to come.) Let’s get into it!
4. Stigma
Tae’s voice has always been calming to me. There’s just something so beautiful about his voice and soft in his tone that makes me instantly feel my anxiety slipping away when I hear him sing. (Which is a feat in itself.) Often times I’ll discuss the meaning of specific songs, but I wouldn’t really want to discuss the meaning or even what I might the think the meaning for this song is. Namjoon said in an interview that the song was incredibly personal to Tae and that if Tae wanted to explain the song he should do it himself. I’m going to take this same stance. Stigma hooks you from the very first notes and is one of those songs that will get stuck in your head. But not annoyingly. It’s just incredibly catchy and incredibly calming at the same time. The solo songs from the ‘Wings’ album really do hit hard and this one is no exception.
3. Inner Child
I cried when I watched him perform this for the ‘Map of the Soul: One’ concert. The presence of the little boy and the playfulness and conviction in which Tae sang this made this one of the most emotional numbers in the entire concert. In the song, Tae reflects on hardships he went through in his life and also the hope that he always had that things would be better. The hope in this song is what stood out to me. Especially now, messages of hope or feeling hope in the past are a necessity and it hits right in the heart guts. Tae also has such child-like wonder just in the vocals of the song. His triumphs and the hope that always followed him is infectious. This has the feeling of a song that could change the world, and that’s not just because of the lyrics. It’s still pretty difficult for me to listen to this song and not get at least a little emotional. It’s a song that reminds you to give yourself comfort and to reach out to your own inner child.
2. Singularity
I have to say that I’m a little biased towards this song. I know that when this song came out most people felt that it was sexy, and I guess you could say that. I can see it. But that was definitely not what this song was for me when it first came out. It was before I even joined ARMY and I saw this music video on the recommended page on Youtube. At the time I was dealing with overwhelming anxiety and I was looking for a distraction when I clicked onto this song and experienced an instant sense of calm. I used this song for the sake of calming myself down in several instances afterwards and it never failed to make me feel better. Sometimes I still use it for that purpose. Now, watching Tae perform this song is a completely different experience I will admit. But I will always have a special place in my heart for this song. Never has Tae’s voice been this calming. This mostly recounts the deterioration of some kind of relationship and captures that sadness while still maintaining an amazing strength. It’s still one of my favorite solo BTS songs.
1. Winter Bear
This is the song that we’ve all come to associate with Tae. He’s become our winter bear. This song just exudes everything Tae. It has his soft and calming vocals as well as a message of comfort and love for ARMY that could only come from Tae. You can really feel how much he loves, not just us but in general, through this song. It’s gentle and kind and listening to it makes you feel like Tae is right in the room with you, listening to you and offering you comfort. It’s legitimately one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard and now I’ve come to use this song as comfort just as much as ‘Singularity’. That’s something I never thought would happen. It’s just a reminder that when these boys say they love us, they aren’t lying. It’s absolutely amazing to have this love that goes so strongly both ways between BTS and ARMY.
Seriously, every time I write one of these posts I fall a little bit more in love with these boys. I don’t ever think that it’s possible, but it always is somehow. I’m so glad to be an ARMY finally after a solid year of listening to them before declaring myself one. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I cannot stress this enough, if you are still thinking about listening to BTS, just do it. I know the amount of content can look intimidating, that was definitely one of the reasons why I didn’t listen to them immediately. But it’s more than worth it. Believe me, it will take over part of your life, but it’s totally worth it. Just be ready to fall in love with all seven of them over and over and over again. Happy birthday Taehyung! Thank you for loving us all so much!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 