BTS lost their essence by singing in English? No, they don't need anyone's permission to sing in whatever language they want

There's a recent controversy online where people say that BTS has lost their essence by singing in other languages different from Korean, especially English. With that statement in mind, they would have lost their essence when they started singing in Japanese next to half of the K-pop industry. So the problem is not that BTS sings in another language; the problem is that people think that everything that is in English is only aimed at the US market. And yes, the music industry has limited to principally American music and has been a little racist with music in other languages. But like Suga once said, “It is all the same.” Also, people tend to say that American music is commercial when actually everything that can be sold is commercial. So people tend to catalog everything in English as “commercial.”

Music shouldn't be divided into languages cause music is a language per se. BTS proved that by reaching fans from all over the world with an idiom that wasn’t so common around it. By them singing in English, they are not only challenging themselves; it is also a way for them to shared their message and positiveness with a bigger audience. I think all this controversy hides a bigger background that must be addressed. In a past article, I talked about how their latest full English tracks have proved that not because they are Korean, they can´t speak a different language or, to be more precise, a western language. This situation was addressed by them on their #STOPASIANHATE statement, where they said that some people asked them why Asians spoke English. And this makes me go back to what I said at the begging of this article; why is there a difference between BTS singing in Japanese and them singing in English? Maybe because people seem to be okay with them using an eastern language. We don't have the right to establish which language is correct for a person to speak and which one is not, much less based on their ethnicity. Using different languages for communicating doesn’t change who you are. It’s just someone trying to expand their horizons and moving out of their comfort zone. For example, my mother tongue is Spanish, but I use English to write my articles. This doesn’t change who I am; it is only a way to get my message to reach more people. So this is something to have in mind before judging them for not singing in Korean.

Now, talking about BTS music. They have an eight-year career with an enormous and diverse discography. That is something really admirable about them, their versatility. Many artists tend to get stuck with the same musical style, either because it is their favorite or it is the one that has worked best with the public. BTS is not afraid to incorporate different styles in their work or singing in a language that they don't fully dominate. In a 2020 interview with Jimmy Fallon, they were asked about what they thought is the reason why their fans are attracted to their music. Suga replied, “ I think our greatest forte is that we send messages that people in their teens, twenties and thirties can all relate to and give comfort through our music.” And they keep doing that even by singing in English because it doesn’t matter in which language you deliver the message; the important thing is to give people the hope and strength they need. Some people say that both DYNAMITE and Butter have no deep lyricism, but this doesn’t make them any less special. In this year's FESTA, BTS talked about how sometimes it is hard to make songs with these deep messages but that it is not an obstacle to give comfort to their listeners. They said that these songs try to uplift the listeners, to transmit them good energy during these difficult times due to COVID-19. And they achieved it. The instrumentals of both songs are mood-lifting; they make us forget about the heaviness of our daily life and make us want to get up and dance. In fact, this is a big message itself. They are trying to give hope in a time where people of all ages are struggling, where the situation doesn’t get better, and when all we want to do is to go out and see each other after months of being apart. AND THIS is what music is about, making people feel better and help them to go through their hardships. This is what BTS is about.