Ayushi
Ahead of the launch of their mobile game “BTS World”, the South Korean septet have teamed up with the popstar Charli XCX to reveal a new soundtrack. Titled “Dream Glow”, the song is the first single for the free-to-download game and was dropped today via different streaming platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Deezer, and others.
“BTS World” is a story-based game that allows the player to participate in BTS’ journey by managing each member and helping them fulfill their dreams of becoming global superstars.
It seems like BTS’ manager Sejin is going to get some tough competition from ARMYs!
For the new soundtrack, Jimin, Jungkook, and Jin collaborated with Charli XCX. The ebullient single follows the concept of “dream” and offers a perfect start to the overarching theme of the game – an artist’s dream of making music and reaching out to their listeners.
Charli’s contribution cannot be simply written off as a feature. Right from the start, the singer occupies a considerable share in the track, making her an equal participant as a vocalist in the single.
Produced by The Stargate, the effervescent pop single exudes a positive vibe and the energetic beats propel one to move to their rhythm.
Lyrical Interpretation of BTS’ “Dream Glow”
The lyrics for the soundtrack, like any song from BTS demand a special mention. Lyrically, “Dream Glow” finds its parallel in “Lost”, a single that was released in 2016 by the vocal line as a part of their album “Wings“. Talking about the journey they have collectively embarked on, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung shared their individual apprehensions and a mystical belief in their dream of finding the “right path”.
Intertextuality being a recurrent trope in the septet’s discography allows one to trace their narratives to different works in the field of arts especially literature. The specificity of “Lost” fades away as one finds it parallel in Robert Frost’s poem “Road Not Taken” and places it as a reference point in understanding artists’ perspective before they reached the peak they are enjoying today.
“Dream Glow” reiterates their purpose of finding the right path by pursuing their dreams. The dream which shines “brighter than the spotlight” cannot be merely fulfilled with materialistic gains. Instead, by moving beyond the worth provided by the spotlight and shedding the struggles they have gone through, BTS seems to be placing the value of their dream elsewhere – their music.
As Jimin draws attention to the “scraped knees”, he seems to be critiquing naysayers who discard the journey and instead demean artist by projecting their bias on their interpretation of an artist’s success. In BTS’ case, the earlier xenophobic response of the media towards their ascension in the industry makes the case quite evident.
