BTS’s “Boy With Luv” One Year Later: A Pop Hit With a Vital Impact

In the music video, the group moves between bright set pieces, laughing through pastel costume changes to the song’s addictive melody. A relatively stripped-back showcase of BTS’s choreography and enigmatic charm, it's impossible to watch “Boy With Luv” and not feel joy radiating off the members as they interact softly with each other. For people tentatively dipping their toe into the very wide and deep pool of BTS, the video created an accessible escapism into something warm, soothing, and fun. Their mission of empowering people to love themselves was the through-line of that tour and the key message in leader RM’s impassioned speech at the United Nations in 2018 . And this full-circle theme wasn’t just a pleasing easter egg for fans, but a sigh of relief after an unsettling time for BTS. Months before the release of “Boy With Luv”, BTS shocked fans at the 2018 MAMA awards by revealing that they’d recently considered discontinuing the group. We even thought about disbanding but we all gathered our hearts together again, and receiving this award, Iʼm glad that it led to a good result.” For a group that seldom focuses publicly on the downsides of their record-breaking success, the moment was a rare insight into the pressures they faced away from the spotlight. For ARMY, trying to ensure that BTS are as happy as they make them isn’t just an empty wish, but a steering ethos of the community they’ve built. But one of the final shots of “Boy With Luv” was easy to sit back and appreciate, whether you were a veteran ARMY or someone wading in for the first time. Now, a year later, the scene feels just as sweet — especially at a time when cancelled concerts have led to ARMYs and BTS missing each other more than usual.