Okay, I'm a little late here.. But let's continue.
Yoongi, our Min Yoongi is SUCH a pillar to the team. I always say that him and Namjoon are the Bangtan foundations. BTS was initially supposed to be a hiphop crew and not an idol group - and looking at these two in their rookies years, you see why and how. Yoongi's roots are also underground rap, he used to be part of a crew in Daegu (where he grew up). I believe one of the members of his crew found the BigHit audition notice and asked Yoongi whether he'd ever heard of Hitman Bang // Bang PD // Bang Si-Hyuk, the CEO of BigHit and now chairman of HYBE. Yoongi went to the audition in Seoul, but changed the backing track BigHit provided auditioners with beforehand, and this is possibly why he got offered the spot as a trainee the same day. He'd been producing tracks and beats for his own raps (and probably his crew's raps) for years before the audition. And had even earned money teaching MIDI (I believe it's called ?) to amateurs. In other words he joined BigHit with experience both in writing, producing and performing songs - similar to Namjoon.
This is NOT a given for idol trainees. One of the main concepts of the idol trainee system is that you can basically take any kid off the street and turn them into a superstar with a ton of hard work. Like push-ups in your sleep-kinda hard work... Like around the clock training-kinda hard work... The Korean work ethic already exists in a different realm - if we compare it to many Western cultures. And the idol training system seems to go beyond that. This is one of the main reasons why the industry has been criticised so much. Here though, I think we should remember that kpop idols basically are athletes - and athletes are expected by ALL to work doubled the amount of any office worker (if not more!) to remain the best and achieve the seemingly impossible. Also, the Korean work ethic may seem soul crushing to some, but as this would set the standard of any Korean worker, it puts things into perspective. You can agree or diasgree on how many hours we should spend serving society versus taking care of ourselves, but cultural norms are obviously a big part of this...
ANYWAY back to Yoongi.
With all of his experience in music production, Yoongi obviously became a pillar to the team from the get go. Him and Namjoon taught J-Hope to rap and trusted him (J-Hope) to lead them all in the dance practice room - where neither Yoongi nor Namjoon had any experience. Yoongi also convinced the A&R team (?) to train Jimin as a vocalist rather than a rapper, which any ARMY would perceive as a stroke of genius with how skilled a vocalist Jimin is today. He was able to see the potential in Jimin beyond his skills as a dancer - before the label even did - which is rather incredible.
Many ARMYs first take on Yoongi is that he's a calm and collected sort of guy. He doesn't show emotions outwardly in the same way you see J-Hope and Jimin do. When he opens his mouth, which he often chooses not to - he's full of opinions and well-reflected thoughts, and you become immediately aware of how rich an inner life he must have. In many interviews he seems like the quiet guy in the background, who may not have a lot to say. But if you ask him the right question, he's eyes will light up and he'll give you a long and solid answer. He cuts through the bullshit and gets to the real stuff. This is another VERY useful quality to have in a wildly successful group like BTS. Yoongi will always be the one to deflect useless criticism, redirect disrespectful questions from journalists and turn haters words and actions into HIS own weapon. He's invaluable next to leader Namjoon who tends to have a softer approach in these kinds of situations. Now, the members have ALL gotten better at standing their ground and being vocal about their perspectives without fear of judgement. But Yoongi was always like that.
In my eyes Yoongi has had to change and transform in the opposite direction. Whereas some of the members have had to learn how to built solid walls around their beliefs, Yoongi has had to learn how to tear some of these walls down - though not around his beliefs but around his emotions. Being part of a group and working as closely as they have for more than a decade, I believe Yoongi has learned how to communicate his emotions better to the members. How to open up more, and how to be less scared of emotional exposure and vulnerability. His talkshow Suchwita REALLY underlines that transformation, I would say. Here, he even exposes his own emotional journey to the public - to anyone who comes across his videos. I have absolutely loved following along on this journey throughout all the episodes we've gotten so far. Hopefully he'll be back with another season one day!
He's a T just like Jin (MBTI-wise), and so he sees the world from a logical standpoint and will always call out things that doesn't logically line up in his brain. This I really notice more and more... At the same time though he's also veeeery sentimental, which is probably his reflective brain kicking in. He's got an incredible memory and will often bring up specific situations from the past in the members' presence. He talks a lot about dreams and having dreams for the future (and what that entails) in his solo songs - the sacrifices you sometimes have to make and the dedication it takes. He's able to see the world from an almost cold and calculative perspective whilst still recognising that there's so much beauty and good in the human experience - which is such an interesting blend of character.
You may need to pay a liiittle bit more attention in order to single out the nuances of his personality - especially with OT7 content, because he really does often prefer to take a back seat when all the members gather together. But the fast-track to learning about Yoongi is through reading his lyrics. This is where most ARMYs start. He tends to get very very personal in his lyrics. Here you can learn about his struggle with mental illnesses, his struggle to pay off educational fees because of his family's background, him having to grow up really fast because of various circumstances, the shoulder injury he hid for a long time out of fear, his struggle with fame and how it felt like a shackle around his neck for a long time and many many other things.
Getting to know Yoongi is like opening a treasure chest - there's sooo many good qualities to find here. He's wise beyond his years, he's extremely kind-hearted and generous both with his resources and time, he's an incredible mentor to younger idols and artists, he stores a gazillon random facts in his brain because of his own curiosity, he's ambitious and passionate about his craft and he's always open to learning new skillsets that could improve his quality of life.
Yep, all of this is Yoongi (and more!) 💜
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