To learn more about the position of each BTS member and also some personal data, let’s immediately look at the sections below provided in this Channel-Korea article.
BTS Positions: Rap Line
The role of the rapper is similar to that of a vocalist; there are lead rappers, play rappers, and sub-rappers, but line distribution can be a substitute for rappers in groups that only play rappers and sub-rappers, rather than those who have complete rappers, namely lead rappers, play rappers, and sub-rappers. Like lead vocalists, lead rappers are considered secondary to playing rappers, not necessarily in terms of skill but in terms of how many verses they sing in the song. In a group of three types of rappers, lead rappers usually only have one verse per song, and they often rap duets with the rappers during other parts. For the lead rapper position, BTS has Suga as their main rapper and he is able to show his rapping skills very well. As the rappers are considered to have the best technique and rap skills in their group. Like the main vocalist, the rapper gets the lion’s share of the song, and often receives more than one verse, depending on the song structure. Bangtan Sonyeondan, who are famous for mostly the Hip-Hop genre in each of their songs, also have a rapper, which is RM at the rapper’s playing position. Like the sub-vocalist, the sub-rapper receives the least part and their main role is to support the main rapper and lead rapper. In this position, BTS’s Jungkook and J-Hope also have many roles in the group, one of which is the sub-rapper.
Position of RM
RM was appointed the leader of BTS because of his high leadership spirit. In addition, RM is also the smartest BTS member with an IQ score of 148. Because of his intelligence, RM even got a TOEIC score of 850 when he was a junior high school student. He even mastered English and Japanese. No wonder RM is often a spokesperson when BTS attend various award events internationally. Before debuting in BTS, RM first explored his talent as an underground rapper. Before deciding to become a musician, this man whose real name is Kim Namjoon considered taking journalism courses. In 2007, BTS’s RM wrote its first song titled “Disaster.” At that time he was around 12–13 years old. BTS’s RM’s career began when rapper Sleepy was impressed by RM’s rapping talent and later recommended him to Big Hit Entertainment. Besides, BTS’s RM also takes a position other than the rapper, but also as the leader of the group. However, there are also people who view the K-Pop group leader as someone who needs to hold a lot of responsibility. “You can see him as someone who holds a lot of responsibility,” said RM. RM views his position as a leader as important. The singer of “Life Goes On” then said to himself, “Ah, I have to improve my behavior and act more responsibly,” he said.
Position of SUGA
The unique stage name of the member whose real name is Min Yoon-gi was chosen because of his sweet smile like sugar. He is a graduate of Apujeong High School. Although thick with his sweet and cute face, apparently Suga is in the rapper position. His expertise in delivering meaningful rap lyrics is beyond doubt. In addition, Suga is also talented in producing songs until he releases an album containing his own songs. Not many know that BTS’s Suga, who in January 2018 received full membership of the Korean Music Copyright Association, started his career as an underground music rapper. In fact, his struggles became tougher because his parents opposed his music. Suga dreamed of becoming a musician from a young age. Even though he was born in a poor family, he remained firm with the passion he dreamt of. When he was in high school, Suga showed a lot of interest in music. BTS’s Suga’s dream was to become a famous rapper. This dream was obtained by BTS’s Suga after listening to the song “Fly” from Epik High. He also took great interest in rap after hearing the music of Story Skunk and Reggae Muffin. He even started out as an underground rapper and went by the stage name Gloss. When he was 17 years old in 2010, BTS’s Suga had joined a hip-hop group called D-Town. That same year, BTS’s Suga auditioned for Big Hit Entertainment. Noted, BTS’s Suga passed the Big Hit Entertainment audition titled “Hit It” and got second place. In 2018, Suga released his solo song titled “Seesaw” which is one of the singles from the BTS album Love Yourself: Answer. The man who was born in Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea, on March 9th, 1993, is also an active songwriter and record producer. Now Suga has succeeded not only as a BTS member, but also as an international musician. He even won the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Collaboration Performance.
Position of J-Hope
Just like Suga, J-Hope is a rapper in the group. With the double rappers in the group, the color of the music will be even more colorful. This is evidenced by J-Hope with his distinctive rap style so that BTS songs always sound good to listeners. J-Hope had joined a street dance group called NEURON before he joined BTS. BTS’s J-Hope started his career as a street dancer in his hometown, Gwangju. In addition, BTS’s J-Hope also attended Gwangju Music Academy, which was the former school of TVXQ’s Yunho and 2NE1’s Minzy. When he was in elementary school, BTS’s J-Hope didn’t dream of becoming a singer but wanted to become a professional tennis player.
BTS Positions: Vocal Line
The term lead vocalist can be confusing because it is not the same as lead singer in western bands. The lead vocalist is actually secondary to the main vocalist but often takes the lead vocals in songs by singing before the main vocalist takes part. Depending on the number of members, there may be more than one lead vocalist in a group and Jimin is the member who is the lead vocalist of BTS. They can also sing the chorus with support from the main vocalist, especially during the vibrato part. One thing that sets them apart is their ability to consistently achieve, at a minimum, an octave higher or lower than the group’s other vocalists. The lead vocalist can also replace the main vocalist if he is sick or injured. In a group, there may be one or more main vocalists, depending on the size and needs of the group. Main vocalists usually receive most of the vocal lines per song, especially the most challenging ones, due to their wide and steady vocal range. They often support the lead vocalist during the chorus and are also more likely to receive solo parts than sub vocalists. BTS has one main vocalist, which is Jungkook. Sub-vocalist is also known only as a vocalist, supporting the main vocalist and lead vocalist. Their vocals may only be heard for a few seconds in each song, but they help provide an additional link between the main vocalist and the lead vocalist. In this position, BTS’s Jin, V, J-Hope were appointed as members in the position sub-vocalists of the group.
Position of Jin
Jin is the oldest member of BTS. His soft voice positions him as a vocalist of the group. Jin has become the best chef in the group thanks to his cooking skills. Before his debut, Jin first underwent training for three years. Meanwhile, Jin was born into a family of entrepreneurs. No wonder this man whose real name is Kim Seokjin is good at speaking and understanding the world of business. “My family is all in business, so they are all good talkers,” said Jin. BTS’s Jin never pursued his dream as a singer for the first time, but he wanted to become an actor instead. BTS’s Jin’s desire to become an actor grew after he watched the Queen Seondeok series with actor Kim Nam-gil who was the one who inspired BTS’s Jin to try his luck at becoming an actor. Finally, in order to pursue that dream, BTS’s Jin enrolled in acting at Konkuk University. When he was in middle school, BTS’s Jin was also offered a casting by SM Entertainment. However, BTS’s Jin at that time even ran away because he thought the offer was a hoax.
Position of Ji-min
Jimin is the main dancer of BTS. His dancing talent is apparently thanks to his fondness for Taeyang, a member of the idol group Big Bang who is no less famous. Besides being good at dancing, Jimin also has a unique voice that colors BTS’s songs. Not only that, but Jimin is also known as a social butterfly, aka someone who easily makes friends with many people. BTS’s Jimin studied contemporary dance at Busan High School of Arts. Since he was in the 2nd grade of junior high school, BTS’s Jimin had fallen in love with dancing. His teacher at Busan High School of Arts told Jimin to pursue his dream by auditioning for Big Hit Entertainment. Jimin’s father saw him as an athletic child who has the potential to become a prosecutor or police officer. However, Jimin ended up entering a dance academy and becoming a professional dancer.
Position of V
One of the BTS members who was born in Daegu in 1995 is famous for his good looks. At the beginning of his debut, Kim Taehyung got the stage name V from the word victory. Among all the members, Taehyung is considered the most unique and strange member and is considered the most mysterious member. Then, who would have thought that BTS’s V who was born in Geochang, apparently grew up in a farming family? At Geochang, BTS’s V was persuaded by his father to learn the saxophone until he started dreaming of becoming a professional saxophone player. This is where the momentum of V’s way of life changes significantly. Six months of learning dance, Big Hit happened to hold an audition in Daegu, South Korea. Kim Taehyung aka V also came there. But interestingly, V didn’t attend the audition. He came because he was accompanying a friend. As if destined to become an idol, unexpectedly, someone offered V to audition. After getting permission from his father, he also auditioned. And the rest of the story is now great history. V managed to become the only participant who passed the audition from the Daegu area. In the middle of his popularity in May 2018, V released his second song, “Singularity.” This song was then used as the first snippet for the BTS album Love Yourself: Tear. In October 2018, the song debuted on BBC Radio, England. A month later, The Guardian added “Singularity” to its Top 50 song list for June 2018. Billboard included “Singularity” at number 28 in their version of the BTS Top 50 Song list. The song “Singularity” was received very well by both music critics and the public. In October 2018, V became one of the youngest BTS members to win the fifth class award for the Hwagwan medal, Order Of Cultural Merit. The cool thing is, the medal was given directly by the President of South Korea. BTS’s V also released a song that was gifted to Army (as BTS fans are called). The single titled “Winter Bear” was also launched in the context of 1000 days of the expression borahae aka ‘I Purple You’ for loyal supporters of V and the six other Bangtan Boys. Beside that, BTS’s V became the man who was ranked first in the 100 Most Handsome Faces of TC Candler 2017. Now, BTS’s V is no longer a simple boy who wants to be a farmer. With a total wealth of up to $8,000,000 and his life is not only prosperous but also rich in wealth.
Position of Jung-kook
Jungkook is the youngest member of BTS. Jungkook attended the Seoul School of Performing Arts. Besides being good at dancing and having a sweet voice, Jungkook is also good at making songs, like Suga. Before joining BTS, Jungkook, who was still 13 at the time, auditioned for Superstar K3, but failed the audition. Known as the main vocalist of BTS, Jungkook inherited the golden voice from his singing parents. Not only that, BTS’s Jungkook is known to really like drawing. Perhaps hard to believe, but Jungkook almost wouldn’t have debuted as a member of BTS. Bang Si-hyuk, head of the agency BTS (Big Hit Entertainment), once revealed that Jungkook was very shy. “Actually, during his trainee days, when Jungkook was asked to sing, he couldn’t. He was very shy and would only turn his body for 15 minutes,” Bang Si-hyuk said. Because of Jungkook’s embarrassment, many people at Big Hit Entertainment didn’t think he would be able to debut. However, Jungkook was finally able to overcome his embarrassment, and Bang Si-hyuk now finds it a funny thing. “The company’s evaluation is that he couldn’t even debut because he didn’t have the talent to do it. But now, isn’t he a fun member?” Bang Si-hyuk said.
