By When BTS did a cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” on MTV Unplugged this year, it was warmly received by fans of both artists involved. It was actually given a seal of approval by Coldplay themselves when the band consisting of Chris Martin, Will Champion, Guy Berryman, and Johnny Buckland, reposted the said cover on their Twitter account with the word “아름다운,” which means “beautiful” in Korean. Speculations of a collaboration began when it was reported that Chris Martin was seen traveling to South Korea and has also kept mum about it when being interviewed. But when finally, it was announced that a song has indeed been produced and recorded, both Coldplay and BTS fans were over the moon with excitement. “My Universe,” a song that is part of Coldplay’s ninth studio album Music of the Spheres released last October 15, is just one of the collaborations done by the Brit band in the album. Singer Selena Gomez, R&B duo We Are King, and musician Jacob Collier are also part of the record. Coldplay and BTS are so different but with a lot of things in common and as a fan of both groups, I was definitely one of those who were happy that this merging of talents finally happened. “My Universe” has been topping the charts and here’s why you should take a listen to it.
A Dream Come True Project / Mutual Admiration
BTS have been very vocal about their admiration for Coldplay. In several interviews, when the K-pop idols were asked who they wanted to work with, V and Jin would answer Coldplay. When the song came out, a documentary on how it was written, produced, and recorded was also released on YouTube showing how the boys and Chris admired each other and how well they worked together. During media rounds, Chris couldn’t stop saying good things about BTS; admiring their work ethic and their down to Earth attitude. When BTS were in New York just recently, they met up with Coldplay and did an impromptu acoustic live version of “My Universe” that they casually recorded at the Apollo Theater’s stage.
BTS
The biggest and most hard-working group at the moment, the 7 idols from South Korea have been breaking barrier after barrier not only in the music industry but also what the “norm” should be, culturally speaking. BTS have continuously given the world one hit after another, have been awarded Daesangs, actively donating in chosen charities, have been the most sought-after brand ambassadors, and were recently just made their country’s Presidential envoy in the UN. After 2 years of doing online performances, they are finally holding an in-person concert in Los Angeles for four days and all days are now sold out.
Coldplay
This award-winning British rock band have sold millions of albums worldwide and toured all over the globe. From the nine studio albums that they’ve released, three (Parachutes, A Rush of Blood in the Head, and X&Y) are among the best-selling UK albums in history. Aside from their sold out shows, hits, and amazing stage presence, Coldplay is also known for their activism, charitable, and philanthropic doings. During Coldplay’s visit here in Manila, vocalist Chris Martin went to the Philippine General Hospital to meet with a fan battling stage four cancer.
To Whom It’s Written For / Song’s Meaning
Both Coldplay and BTS have a knack on creating beautiful and relatable lyrics, so it’s not a surprise that “My Universe” is something that fans like me can immediately warm up to. The mini documentary allowed some of the members and Chris explain what the song meant to them. “The song is about how the power of love transcends all things, borders, and rules, and genders, and race, and every sexuality,” says Chris. “If you look at people right now who are divided by a border or can’t be together, that’s what this song is about. About how nothing can really stop people loving each other.” As for BTS’ RM, he thought about ARMY when they were working on “My Universe.” “I thought about how to make this relevant to BTS. Since the lyrics go ‘You are my universe,’ this song should definitely be dedicated to ARMY,” RM says. Recently, Coldplay just announced their world tour so expect this song to be performed by them in a huge crowd very soon.
The Out of this World Music Video
The song and lyric video were released the same day. The lyric video featured animated handwritings of the lyrics done by the members of both bands. A few days after these releases, the official music video that was directed by Dave Meyers was premiered. The music video has a very futuristic theme wherein Coldplay and BTS were joined by fictional alien band Supernova 7 while they all performed the song together. The Korean idols and the Brit men were unified using a hologram device controlled by alien DJ Lafrigue. Coldplay shot their music video parts in an abandoned swimming pool complex in Barcelona, while BTS shot theirs in a studio in Korea. Resident producer and main rapper of BTS, SUGA, remixed “My Universe” and a lyric video has also been posted on Coldplay’s YouTube channel.
Denise J. Mallabo 