Hi! It’s Annie!
It has been FAR too long since I talked about my ultimate bias from any group. The one and only, Park Jimin. The man who originally pulled me into ARMY. Can you blame me? He’s an absolute sweetheart and a genius performer. And I think Jimin’s solo work is a perfect example of just how good of a performer he truly is. Jimin is well known for some of his solo work on stage including; his solo piece of the ‘Idol’ cultural fan dance (which he received a cultural award for), Jimin’s contemporary dance introduction at the 2019 MAMAs, his solo contemporary dance for ‘Black Swan’, his blindfolded dance with Hobi in ‘Boy Meets Evil’, and the entire intricate dance he also did partially blindfolded in ‘Lie’. Jimin has trended several times for his work, with people unfamiliar with him and his work wondering who he was after being unable to take their eyes off of him. And after ‘Map of the Soul: One’, Jimin’s performances of ‘Filter’ were forever added to this list of unforgettable Jimin performances. If you haven’t watched his performance of ‘Filter’ you are seriously missing out, even if you don’t like BTS. It feels like this one is still talked about just as much as it was when it was first seen. And for good reason. But I want to talk about the differences between the two performances for each day of the concert as well as the song itself; because there is so much depth behind why this was so great.
‘Filter’ Song:
For fans who are very familiar with all the boys singularly (which you don’t have to do to be a fan), you’ll know that the boys write their own solo songs. This means the songs are often extremely personal to them. Jimin has been very open about his struggle with accepting himself and figuring out who he is. ‘Lie’ covered this topic in such a raw way that Jimin sometimes struggled to perform the song and ‘Promise’ was Jimin’s song that helped people who were struggling with the same thing as him. In that song he asked people to be a light for themselves. ‘Filter’ feels like another song building up on that exact idea. In the song, Jimin refers to himself as someone easily changeable, asking the audience to choose a filter for him. He reminds us in the song that he’s not necessarily who we think he is because we don’t know him personally. He becomes anything we want to be because of our tendency to romanticize idols. You don’t always find idols who address their expectancy to be a certain way from fans and their sense of self as comparatively as Jimin does in the song. In yet another way, Jimin addressed his journey with finding himself by acknowledging that he isn’t necessarily what people make out him to be either. But also, in a more positive light, saying that he wants to express many different sides of himself. He’s not telling you not to choose a filter, in fact he says the opposite. But that doesn’t change the fact that he isn’t completely any of those.
‘Filter’ Day 1:
This was not the day of the concert that I attended, so I only saw videos of this from afterwards. But it was obviously amazing. This day Jimin’s hair was pushed back, the mannequin was wearing mostly white, and Jimin’s suit was red. The picture above is for this day, if you were interested. ‘Filter’ begins with Jimin trying on different clothes from a mannequin and then it moves on to his clothes being thrown back to reveal him in a suit. I still have absolutely no idea how this costume change was accomplished and I don’t think many people actually do. It takes place in only a couple seconds. The performances for each song were amazing every day of the concert, but the boys have talked about how the first day of this concert felt more awkward to them. And can you blame them? This was their first fully fledged concert without an audience. And with their most recent concert, ‘Sowoozoo’, it was an outdoor arena that featured ARMY on screens where the audience would be. All of them admitted to that feeling much more natural. With this concert, it understandably took a bit of getting used to. Jimin’s performance on this day was absolutely flawless, but it wasn’t as playful as we usually see him on stage. But literally any performance you see from any of the members, even on bad days, will be one of the best performances you’ve ever seen in your life.
‘Filter’ Day 2:
This was the concert day I attended and is generally accepted to be the best for most of the performances. This isn’t because these performances were worlds better, but because all of the boys felt more comfortable this day. This day Jimin’s hair was down, the mannequin’s clothes were black, and the suit he changed into was purple. And this was definitely a more playful Jimin. Jimin looked a little less focused and a little more flirtatious. Watching either performance is dangerous, but this one just about killed me. Especially towards the end of the song. If you’re only planning on watching one performance of ‘Filter’, I would probably recommend this one. Though both are amazing and absolutely worth watching. And if you’re also wondering how I’m still alive since this was the concert I attended, I have been asking myself the exact same question. Jimin’s expressions during this performance were insane. And his dancing was even more confident as well. I feel like every member of BTS has a few performances where, even if they aren’t actually your bias, they are your bias when you’re watching it. This was one of those for Jimin.
All in all, Jimin is one of the best performers you will ever see. Between his amazing voice, his ability to flawlessly dance several styles (sometimes blindfolded), and his legendary expressions, he’s really a once in a lifetime performer. And what’s even better about this group is that every single one of them is a once in a lifetime performer. Their choreographies are insane and their singing and rapping abilities are even more so. BTS is without a doubt some of the most talented artists of our age. But because this post is specifically about Jimin, I’ll say that there’s a Jimin effect for a reason. Never underestimate the power of the Jimin effect.
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 