Korean sensation BTS took over the world of Korean pop (or K-pop to many) with some of their huge hits like “Blood Sweat & Tears”, “DNA”, and “Boy with Luv”, but do you know their debut single?
“No More Dream” is BTS’ first official single, and it was released on June 12 in 2013. In 2018, the boy band came out with their first English language song, “Waste It On Me” by DJ Steve Aoki.
This ultra-famous boy band have become the most successful group in the history of South Korea. So, what do we know about their first song and how they broke into the international scene? Keep reading to find out.
A Song Close To Their Hearts
BTS formed in 2010, and were initially supposed to be more of a hip-hop band, but ended up settling to perform songs in a variety of different musical genres. Their members were finalized in 2011, consisting of J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungook, RM, Suga, and V.
Their premier single, “No More Dream”, was released as part of their debut album 2 Cool 4 Skool in 2013. It did fairly well, getting the second spot on the World Digital Song Sales charts and coming 124th in South Korea.
Copies of the album have sold more than 140,000 times since the release and are still growing, although at the time it sold approximately 24,000.
“No More Dream” has more of a rap/hip-hop style to it, with an intense music video featuring dark visuals like lots of black clothes and limited lighting. This was a stark comparison to their later music videos, like “Stay Gold” and “Boy With Luv” which had a softer feel.
Most of their debut album focused on detailing their story as upcoming artists, and how criticism from society was a catalyst for feeling like their dreams were belittled.
“No More Dream” was written and rewritten over 30 times by members RM and Suga. Some lyrics are telling of their struggles to be understood, like the second verse from Jungkook that portrays his view of societal expectations, which was translated to English by Genius:
“Why don’t you say anything? You don’t want to study
You’re too afraid to quit the school, right? See, you’re getting ready for school
Grow up, don’t just talk, You have a weak mind boy
(Stop!) ask yourself, when did you try hard”
The third verse from Suga demonstrates his frustrations of being told what to do by others, and the pressure of trying to prove themselves as a group:
“Boring same day, every day repeats
Adults and parents tell us the same dream
Future job number one, public officials?
It’s not a forced dream, a relief pitcher”
Skool Luv Affair, their first EP, came out in 2014 and peaked at the top of the South Korean charts.
Becoming Mainstream
2014 arrived for the group and their first taste of the American culture came in Los Angeles while filming a Korean reality show, American Hustle Life.
According to RM when he spoke to Time, “BTS as a group sort of took off with the success of our 2015 album that had our hit single ‘I NEED U.’”
“We didn’t realize we were becoming famous until we were invited to KCONs [K-pop music festivals] in the U.S. and Europe in 2014 or 2015.”
“Thousands of fans were calling our name at the venue, and almost everyone memorized the Korean lyrics of our songs, which was amazing and overwhelming.”
Soon enough, BTS found themselves with two No.1 albums on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever South Korean musicians to perform at a stadium in the US, embarked on a world tour that quickly sold-out, and mingled with top US artists.
Their first ever song in all English was with DJ and producer Steve Aoki called “Waste It On Me”, which is an upbeat EDM track.