Original Source: https://bts101media.wordpress.com/2018/08/24/song-review-idol-from-love-yourself-answer/
Hi guys! I hope you are all good!
Today is the day of the album release of Love Yourself: Answer, and what better way to begin than talking about the latest single, IDOL.
After a couple of listens, the song as well as it’s music video proves to be an interesting artistic decision for them, and holds a lot of symbolism.
The song itself is a mix of both Korean and South African dance music, but it carries other elements as well, especially in the music video. A breakdown for them is as follows.
Homage to their heritage: From the moment the teaser of the music video was released, there was a lot of significance in the Korean symbolism within the trailer. Using the tiger (the national animal of Korea) in the beginning, while the guys are wearing different hanbok, Hoseok and Namjoon wearing gat (the traditional hats worn by Korean men) and the location of filming all pointed to them showcasing their heritage in the music video. That alone made the trailer exciting and worth waiting for.
African music: this was an unexpected twist, until when it was confirmed some hours before the music video was released. The inclusion of South African gwaragwara dance in different sections of the video, as well as the whole flow of the song sounding like an African dance track, made for an interesting artistic choice. It was probably not easy for them to incorporate it correctly, but they absolutely nailed it.
The dancing was very enjoyable to watch, and the beat of the music is very interesting to listen to – frankly as an African, it made me feel proud that they acknowledged it without going overboard. That is not an easy thing to do, so props to them. If you are into African music, this song will be a treat for you.
The music video also pays homage to the cultures of various countries. Africa is in the first shot, and I would not be lying if I said it does not remind me of The Lion King. Other shots pay homage to countries such as Brazil (some of the dance steps), Dubai (representing the Middle East), and their own country.
The song itself was straightforward in terms of the lyrics. Many people expected it to be a song dissing all the haters in the industry, when it turned out to be a song where they talk about their love for being idols as well as loving themselves (tying in with the theme of the series). That was a major twist, and I enjoyed it very much.
Conclusion
BTS continue to step up up their game. As much as we knew they would come through with a good song, this surpassed my expectations. However, the inclusion of a scene where the boys look like they were straight out of a simulation animation has a strange feel, and probably not everyone will be comfortable with that (that scene bears some resemblance to the meaning of the S version concept photos, which you can read about here).
They must have taken a major risk with this song, seeing as no one there has done this kind of approach before, but I am happy with how they did it.
That being said, it should not be something to overlook. The song itself worked out very well, the delivery of the rappers was superb (especially Hoseok), and I particularly enjoyed Jimin’s vocal parts in the song. It is actually one of the best music videos they have done so far.
Rating: 5/5
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