It's officially hump day: Now let Seventeen's BSS help you get through the rest of the week
The sub-unit's 'Second Wind' is the perfect motivator for those working 9 to 5
Seventeen’s sub-unit BSS (Photo credit: Pledis Entertainment)
It’s safe to say it’s been a hell of a news week. Last Monday began with the horrific news of an earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Then in Toronto, we ended the week with news of our mayor resigning after admitting to a relationship he had with a staffer. As a journalist in the business, I was called into work over the weekend to help with breaking news. This is of course, my bread and butter. And I’m not gonna lie to say that I work well under pressure with a tight deadline, especially when people need to know what’s happening in the world.
But after all that’s said and done, many of us need a proper destresser to get us through the day. That’s why the comeback of Seventeen’s goofiest, silliest sub-unit, BSS, couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
BSS is a group comprised of Seventeen members Hoshi, DK and Seungkwan.
One of the best things about Seventeen is the 13-member group manages to keep fans entertained by constantly switching things up. Along with being a large unit, the band also has three teams — performance, hip hop and vocal. But with so many members, there are endless combinations of different groups.
During their yearly fan meeting known as Caratland, it’s become somewhat of a tradition for Seventeen to mix and match when it comes to units. Last March, the youngest members (or maknaes), Vernon and Dino, covered Taeyeon’s “Weekend” and Blackpink Lisa’s “Lalisa.” And in their 2020 album [Semicolon], the group tried age-based pairings. “We wanted to show Seventeen’s variety [with these never-before-done sub-units],” member Jun said during a press conference promoting the album. “All 13 of us have our unique charms and personalities so we wanted to show that no matter how we group ourselves, we have new things to show you,” Dino added.
(Photo credit: Pledis Entertainment)
Last year, Carats were blessed with a comeback from the leader line (S. Coups, Hoshi and Woozi) with the fun and swaggy “Cheers.” But I would argue BSS is probably the sub-unit that most fans have been eagerly anticipating a comeback for. So thank god 2023 is starting off on a good note! BSS IS BACK.
Named after a combination of Hoshi, DK’s and Seungkwan’s names, BSS is short for BooSeokSoon. The trio officially came onto the scene with the feel-good 2018 single “Just Do It”, meant to spread positive energy and give words of encouragement to fans. It’s light, adorable and silly — three words I would describe BSS. And with their latest album Second Wind, BSS continues with the theme of feel-good music with three new singles.
The lead single, “Fighting” is based on a phrase used in Korean, often as a word of encouragement to cheer someone up in a tough situation. The song is a pop-rock anthem that features ever-so-relatable lyrics like, “Give breakfast a pass, gotta sleep 10 more minutes” and “We’re all earphone-wearing zombies.”
The music video itself features the members dressed up in their corporate best — suit, ties and dressed shoes— lamenting the mundaneness of the work week. But once we hit the chorus, you get a boost of energy, as the boys jump into an addictive dance break that tells you to keep going once you hear this song play. “Fighting” also features rapper Youngji, effectively placed at the bridge of the song. Her playful tone is exactly what a sub-unit like BSS needs on a fun track like this.
“Fighting” of course, is not by any means revelatory, but it serves its purpose in being cheerful and positive. And that’s exactly what I would expect from a group like BSS.
Second Wind is an album written specifically to motivate you at different points of the day from morning, noon to night. The second track, “Lunch” is described as the song you need after a mid-day meal, especially when you’re back at your desk post-food coma. The upbeat song is filled with lyrics that tell a story of a universe where BSS delivers lunch to their beloved fans.
The third and last single, “7pm”, is written specifically to accompany fans on their way back home after a work day. The song features Norwegian singer-songwriter Peder Elias, and is more relaxed and slower in pace sonically than “Fighting” and “Lunch.” However, it conveys the same positive energy from the two previous songs.
“7PM” is the perfect kind of song to listen to on your way back home on the bus or subway after a long day at the office. It’s comforting and soothing, and a nice wrap up to Second Wind.
What I love about BSS is the group came together simply as a way to offer cheerful energy and positivity to fans. It’s not meant to be groundbreaking or deep by any means. The group just wants to provide a platform for fans to unwind from their busy lives.
You could say the group is also a release for Hoshi, DK and Seungkwan as well. Along with their Seventeen members, 2022 was an incredibly busy year for them. They embarked on a successful world tour that spanned from North America to Asia. Members of Seventeen also attended countless fashion and promotional events.
That’s why you can’t help but smile to see BSS promoting their comeback through live performances and TikTok dance videos with other K-pop idols, body guards and even family members. Because while this is still work for the boys, they look like they’re having a lot of fun! Yes, no job is ever perfect, but it certainly helps if you enjoy what you do.
So let’s take in all that positive energy from BSS and channel that into our own lives. As member DK once lovingly said, “Happiness doesn’t come from good grades. It comes from BSS!”
Related reading:
SEVENTEEN's BSS curate a workout playlist to get in the “Fighting” spirit (British GQ)
SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan, DK, and Hoshi Discuss BSS's First Single Album “Second Wind” (Teen Vogue)
In other K-pop news…
Speaking of BSS, Hoshi was featured on BTS Suga’s drinking talk show Suchwita! As an ARMY-Carat, this really warmed my heart because these two groups have long shared their respect for one another. During this episode, the pair discussed everything from touring and their trainee days. They discussed the early days of their respective agencies, BigHit Music and Pledis Entertainment, and how poor those companies were starting out.
Pledis and BigHit are now both under HYBE, and are considered one of the most successful South Korean talent agencies (more on that later…).
But what I loved most about this episode is hearing the two praise one another, with Hoshi telling Suga, “Everyone knows that the K-pop industry was able to advance into the [U.S.] because of BTS.”
Enhypen headlines new K-pop music festival We Bridge
(Photo credit: Belift Lab/HYBE)
As the popularity of K-pop keeps growing, the music industry in North America continues to bank on that success. Now there is a new K-pop festival coming to Las Vegas this spring called We Bridge. The two day music festival will be headlined by Enhypen, with performances by Kang Daniel, Viviz, Dreamcatcher, CIX, Oneus, fromis_9 and BE’O. The event is set to take place from April 21 to 23 at Mandalay Bay. It also comes a year after BTS’s historic four-day residency in Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium. So if you’re going through post-concert withdrawal and in the area, perhaps this might be for you! You can learn more about We Bridge here.
HYBE set to become largest shareholder of SM Entertainment
Early Friday (or late Thursday, depending on your timezone), HYBE signed an agreement to acquire a 14.8% stake in SM Entertainment held by SM’s founder and former Chief Producer Lee Soo-man, worth $422.8 billion won. This positions the company as the single largest shareholder in SM Entertainment.
The news comes after a messy corporate battle between tech giant Kakao Corp and SM Entertainment. The HYBE deal is aimed at helping Lee fight the proposed deal. Kakao is operator of Korea's most popular messaging and social media service. The proposed $217 billion won deal would have made Kakao the biggest shareholder of SM Entertainment, and lessen Lee's control over the company.
“HYBE fully agrees with former Chief Producer Lee’s strategic initiatives including metaverse, a multi-label system, and the sustainable vision campaign,” said Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk in a press release sent last week.
According to Reuters, HYBE is even offering to buy a further 25 per cent of SM from other shareholders. The move has raised eyebrows from regulators, however. Read more about this story here.
Agust D is going on tour!
Not to make these news updates all about HYBE, but Agust D is going on tour!!! That means ARMYs will get to hang out together once again! A lot of people have been wondering what BTS’s Suga’s next move will be considering he’ll likely go off to the military soon. I am just so glad he’s choosing to spend these next few months with his fans. Here’s hoping the ticketing gods will be kind!
And here’s what I’m watching…
I expect to write another post on this soon, but I am HOOKED on Physical: 100. The producers and set-designers of this show deserve all the kudos in the world for creating elaborate challenges and managing to tell all the contestants’ stories effectively. The way this show is structured feels almost dystopian and Squid Game-like.
Everyone’s physicality is truly astonishing, and it really makes me gain appreciation for the human body. Highly recommend this show!
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There is sooo much going on - I feel like these last couple of weeks have been hectic! I've had Fighting playing on repeat and am looking forward to the next break in my schedule so I can learn the fun choreo!