BTS release their first book “BEYOND THE STORY” on ARMY Day narrating their 10-year record-breaking journey in music industry

It took more than three years of researching and more than two years of interviews to complete the book.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

July 10, 2023 - 5:25 PM IST

The official BTS book "BEYOND THE STORY: 10-YEAR RECORD OF BTS" was published yesterday. Prepared and written over several years, BEYOND THE STORY takes the readers through vivid stories that BTS members have walked through, their effort, hardship, and growth starting from the band's first gathering to becoming the 21st-century pop icons. It took more than three years of researching and more than two years of interviews to complete the book. The book is divided into seven chapters in chronological order: “SEOUL”, “WHY WE EXIST”, “LOVE, HATE, ARMY”, “INSIDE OUT”, “A FLIGHT THAT NEVER LANDS”, “THE WORLD OF BTS”, and “WE ARE.”

BTS release their first book “BEYOND THE STORY” on ARMY Day narrating their 10-year record-breaking journey in music industry

Weverse Magazine editor-in-chief Myeongseok Kang wrote the book based on his insights into the local and global music industry and popular music. He sheds light on BTS’ musical journey from an objective perspective through numerous interviews with the members over two years. The book begins with Jeong Hoseok (j-hope) arriving in Seoul from his hometown Gwangju on December 24, 2010, and meeting with Min Yoongi (SUGA) at the dormitory for the first time. Then it unfolds the stories of how the rest of members joined the company as trainees and thoroughly records significant milestones and the members’ candid thoughts on each moment from the debut album 2 COOL 4 SKOOL, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT IN LIFE series, LOVE YOURSELF series, MAP OF THE SOUL series, “Dynamite”, BE, “Butter”, the anthology album Proof, and to the first GRAMMY Awards show performance as the first Korean pop group.

It vividly depicts how the group’s presence has evolved throughout their journey from “outsiders or outliers,” as per RM’s own words, to breaking world records with their music and world tours, getting nominated and winning at prestigious awards shows, going through the pandemic and making speeches at the UN. It captures the honest feelings and the behind-the-scenes stories that were never-before-told, and that’s where the book’s title BEYOND THE STORY comes from.

BEYOND THE STORY is published in 23 languages including Korean (original edition) and English. It is unprecedented that a book, originally written in Korean, gets published in 10 different languages on the same day—the rest of 13 language versions are to be published on different dates. The book carries special meaning as it was published on July 9, a.k.a. the ARMY day (the day the fandom name ARMY was announced). The book was translated by eminent translators including Anton Hur, who made the 2022 International Booker Prize shortlist.

BEYOND THE STORY is written in a way that the readers can easily grasp the paths that BTS have taken and the significance the group brought on today, and read the global music scene all at once. The book includes a timeline that illustrates BTS’ album releases, concerts, accolades and activities with more than 330 QR codes for the readers to easily access the content, music, etc. mentioned in the body. With such a feature, the book is merited as the official BTS archive as BTS are known for communicating with the world through the internet and connecting on social media platforms.

As BEYOND THE STORY gets published in celebration of BTS’ 10-year anniversary, the book revisits the band’s footsteps and looks ahead to their future at the same time. The band’s label BIGHIT MUSIC said, “We hope this official book becomes a candid record that BTS and ARMY can share.”

The book ends with anticipation for the septet’s future. In the last chapter, “WE ARE,” j-hope shares his hopes saying, “I’m just too blessed to have met them in this life. I always want to express my thanks to the other members, and we keep running ahead with the thought of, ‘If ARMY can smile and rejoice, that is our ultimate happiness.’”