BTS Black Swan music video meaning: Bangtan Boys release art film for single from Map of the Soul

  • The pre-track song video is inspired by American dancer Martha Graham's quote

  • BTS has once again proved that they are ready to break all stereotypes

BTS on January 17 released the much-anticipated pre-release track - Black Swan, from their upcoming album "Map of the soul: 7" along with an art film.

The music video of Black Swan features contemporary dancers from the Slovenian MN Dance Company. The video is co-produced by BTS leader RM aka Kim Namjoon.

The pre-track song video of "Black Swan" is inspired by American dancer Martha Graham's quote: "A dancer dies twice — once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful."

The full "Map of the soul: 7" album will be released on February 21, and the music video for the lead single will drop on February 28.

BTS Black Swan

BTS Black Swan song video meaning

Within minutes of the release of Black Swan, the BTS fans aka The Army made it into a viral trend worldwide. #BlackSwan and #BTSisComing were among the top trends on Twitter.

BTS has once again proved that they are ready to break all stereotypes. It is safe to say the Bangtan Boys have broken away from the tried and tested K-pop formula.

They sound completely different while they have once again proved to be versatile artists who can still surprise their fans aka The Army.

There are several fan theories about the meaning of the Black Swan MV. According to Emma Kelly, Deputy Entertainment Editor of Metro Entertainment: "The song lends voice to their fears that one-day music will no longer be able to move or touch them. The very moment they come face to face with the Black Swan within themselves, however, they are stricken with a paradoxical realization that music is all they have.

BTS
Twitter/BTS Official

Another fan theory explaining the Black Swan song video points out that... "The narrative in the film was that they were getting burnt out and losing their artistic passion, as music no longer excited them as a whole.

"However, in the middle of the song, they reclaim that love, using their identities as an anchor so the pressure from success doesn't wash them away again. The end of the song, when they revert back to the sad chorus, might seem dark, but the dance actually shows that it's not a bad thing. Because the man can only fly after he embraces the shadows and harnesses their power."

There are also fans who believe that the song and the Black Swan music video track contains the fear of the moment where BTS is no longer able to stand on the stage as an artist. "Through Black Swan, BTS says that, as it continues to do music, it will face its first death as well if the music fails to touch the band or to make it excited."

But every time such a moment happens, through mature, self-reflecting lyrics; BTS conveys its confession as an artist who learned what music means for them, the fan said.

This article was first published on January 17, 2020