We are hours away from the release of BTS’s new release, “Map of the Soul: Persona,” and I’m extra excited that it will contain collaborations with Halsey and Ed Sheeran.
While Sheeran is better known, I’m really looking forward to hearing the Halsey collaboration because I love her breathy, resonant vocals. In fact, last November I mentioned on Facebook that I would really love to see her collaborate with BTS, and just a day before the announcement of the collaboration, I was in my car driving when a Halsey song came on. In that moment I tried to imagine what her voice would sound like with Taehyung’s equally deep, sexy vocals, and I thought of making a video mashup of the two together. I’m so glad that it will really happen!
? ? Listen to Taehyung and Halsey separately, imagine their voices together
I always thought BTS needed better collaborators than Nicky Minaj, whose lyrics in “Idol” were asinine. And Jungkook also sang “We Don’t Talk Anymore” with Charlie Puth, who the Army found problematic because of his racist, right-wing views.
Army was also up in arms over an interview he gave in which he said of BTS, “They’re massive, I want that social following…Me and Shawn Mendes are like how do we get that kind of fanbase? I’d love to collaborate with them,” implying he wanted to use their popularity to boost his own career. That kind of opportunist position irks BTS fans, who have the boys’ best interests in mind, and don’t want to see them used.
I understand that BTS also wants to raise its profile in the west by working with western artists, but at what cost? I feel like they don’t understand their own worth. Based on the size of BTS’s fanbase around the globe, and their social presence, all Western artists need them more than vice versa. At this point, I believe their only competitor in that realm may be Ariana Grande. Past social star Justin Bieber lost his hold on the spot to BTS two years ago.
Working with Halsey and Ed Sheeran are steps in the right direction. Remember to catch BTS on “Saturday Night Live” April 13!
? ? The teaser “Boy in Luv” video