By Jae-Ha Kim
Rolling Stone
August 8, 2025
There’s a saying among ARMY — BTS’ famously loyal fandom — that the South Korean supergroup’s songs find you when you need them the most. Feeling a bit melancholy? “Spring Day” is here to put things into perspective. Need something to pep up your spirit? “Dynamite” understands.
The solo careers of the band’s seven members have produced many similarly beloved moments. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook have all been incredibly prolific, with each creating his own artistic profile and unique discography.
In 2022, Jin became the first BTS member to enlist in the South Korean army — a requirement for all able-bodied South Korean men. That year, Rolling Stone published the 100 best BTS songs. By June 2025, the rest of the group had completed their military requirements and reunited back in Seoul. As the band enters into a new chapter of its career, we felt now was the perfect time to make this ranking of every BTS solo song so far.
With a subject this vast, we need to establish a few ground rules before jumping into the list:
This is not a list of every single thing each member of this band has ever done throughout their entire lives. This is a list of songs by the members of BTS released after the formation of BTS. We are not including any songs released before BTS debuted in June 2013, which means songs like 14-year-old RM’s “Collabo” and “Fuck Cockroachez” were not eligible.
We are only counting songs in which a member of BTS is credited or co-credited as the main artist on the track. Features do not count, but duets or any other kind of collaboration where the BTS member gets equal billing as the main artist on the track do count. So, “Stop the Rain” by Tablo and RM made the list, while “That That” by PSY, which is credited as “(prod. & feat. Suga of BTS),” did not.
Solo versions of songs that had already appeared on BTS albums or had been previously recorded by the group were not eligible. But, of course, all songs on their mixtapes and solo albums were included.
BTS has made many television appearances where they performed one-off songs as subunits. They also made an iconic guest appearance at the legendary Seo Taiji’s 25th-anniversary concert, where he proclaimed BTS as his musical successors. As great as they were, those appearances aren’t included. Songs released on social media are not included. Covers that were released as singles or uploaded onto BTS’ official channels are included.
Since their 2013 debut, some of the members — particularly RM and Suga — have gone by different stage names. For clarity’s sake, we are sticking to the names they currently use within BTS: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook.
The BTS universe is vast and rich and unlike anything else in the history of pop music. The seven musicians are prolific as a group and as individuals, creating smart, fun music that encourages listeners to think and dance, laugh and cry, bliss out and emit primal screams. While these artists mesh together beautifully as BTS, there’s something really special about what they are creating separately. This list is a celebration of that story.
You may read all the reviews in Rolling Stone here.
I know that a lot of people think it’s funny that Super Tuna is ranked so high compared to the other more serious songs but this song saved my life and for me, it’s one of Jin’s best songs. I was in a really bad place and thought about ending my life. I don’t know if I was serious enough to ever had done that but I know that I could have. Ms. Kim wrote “The song is silly, catchy, and just what we need in a turbulent era. And to be perfectly frank, if Pablo Neruda can deify a dead tuna in his mournful poem “Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market,” then Jin can sing this deliriously happy song about a tuna begging to be caught, unaware that death is looming in his own fate.” She could’ve just made fun of the song and no one would’ve really cared. I really apprecaited that even with a fun song like this, she took is seriously. Some of the commenters are just spiteful and should reflect on their own actions before casting stones.
I am so happy that you are here and that this song helped you through a rough time, Natalie.
What I found sadly interesting is the number of people who are saying Jae isn’t qualified to rank songs because she’s a fan, she’s unprofessional, she isn’t a music critic, she is uneducated, none of which is true other than she is a fan. If she had ranked the song they liked the best at the top, then they’d be saying she is a professional music critic who knows what she’s talking about.
I don’t take rankings seriously because I rarely am aligned to any of them, no matter who ranks them. The short reviews caught my attention enough for me to check out some of their songs. Some songs were good, some were not. I didn’t see this as an article for their fans, but as a guide for music lovers who want to listen to something new.
Did you just randomly draw the titles from a bowl? Some of these are wild.
I don’t listen to any ‘critique’ that slams a critics age or looks. Are we really still doing that? When I see that, I think that’s all they can come up with to denigrate her. They have zero facts. When I see comments like those, I automatically think that they are so desperate for attention and clout that they will bully anyone who has a different opinion from them. For me the Top 30 and Bottom 30 were spot on. I would’ve moved a bunch of the songs in the middle section around FOR MY OWN PREFERENCES.
Bro, you did a mission impossible there.
I might or might not agree with some (the interludes are chef’s kisses for me), but you cannot have all at #1.
Good job 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Yeah the references she made to other groups and music theory shows she knows her stuff. Too bad it was wasted on solo stans who hate BTS and support only one person.
I had to look up Einstürzende Neubauten and listen to some of their music. I had no idea who there were. That’s a cool connection.
The number of stans squawking about ‘do your research’ on X and not one of them read the criteria that precedes the reviews. Sounds about right.
THIS! They’re all 🤡🤡🤡
Sometimes I worry for you people. Y’all can’t even rank bts solo songs without a struggle but are taking this ranking so personally like they needed to consult you first. It’s not that deep 🙄
La gente que se queja de los últimos puestos debe revisarse. En todo álbum hay canciones claramente malas. Y si, el talento puede tener una buena voz, pero el productor puede hacer basura con ella y eso pasó mucho con esas canciones.
All of their solo songs are really good, so idk why people are so pressed. Being towards the bottom of the list doesn’t mean it’s a bad song
We can agree-disagree & debate abt the ranks. This is the kinda discourse I would gladly partake in 🤗 But what stands out for me in this article is that it celebrates their solo discography, validating their prowess as solo superstars while being #BTS 💜
What made me laugh was how I was huffing at the low placements of all the songs towards the bottom only to realize how crazy it is to have over 170 songs on the list and every single one feels like it should be at the top to me
It’s so rare to see that + for the drama I got to know the person who wrote it, I don’t know if people remember this but I recall her exposing how difficult it was for media outlets to release an article about them, seeing something like that is a step, so I chose to dgaf
I personally appreciate that the lead says “they’re a POP music force of nature” … not siloed into just KPop as is usually done. There’s no way to please all of ARMY, but your # 1 is 💜
chill people its not that serious. its promoting their music whether you agree with it or not and thats what we want to create- more noise and get people curious to listen to more of their discography beyond the billboard chart toppers.
Somethings that haven’t changed is that no one hates a woman as much as other women, especially with Kpop fans. Some of the most misogynistic and vile things I’ve read were from female fans to female writers. The stupid copy-and-paste demands harassing this journalist, saying she’s merely a fan and biased and not a real music critic and saying it would have been better if more critics participated, and that it’s not a real ranking because one person wrote it instead of 20 others. Where were you all when one critic ranked all 300 of Taylor Swift’s songs in RS?
I agreed with a handful of songs in the Top 20, but it felt like RS was throwing bones to the members who aren’t as gifted at SUGA or RM. I would’ve dropped the other five members’s songs down to maybe 50 and stacked the top few dozen with SUGA and RM’s. That’s what I would have done, but no one asked me to write it. Literally no one is saying this list is the bible of BTS solo songs. The list is out there for us to check out the songs we haven’t listened to in a long time (or didn’t know existed). Just because I don’t like some of their singing voices doesn’t mean I hate them. It’s personal taste.
Some of you need to get outside and touch some grass and think about why you enjoy harassing people who have different opinions from yourself.
And they think that Rolling Stone editors are sitting there reading their complaints, when it was most likely Rolling Stone that set these standards for the ranking. There is no way that they would let one writer do whatever they wanted with a project this big.
Next time please put a disclaimer at the top of the article, since it is misleading. Every fan has their own list of favorites and that is all this is. It would have been nice to have seen an objective ranking from non-fans and a team of music critics.
I see. She is not a music critic when she reviews all the songs on the list herself. But she is a music critic when she reviews songs on a list where other critics have reviewed songs as well. Which is it? Make up your mind. Some of you make no sense at all and clearly just want to hate.
Yeah, they’re idiots. These are the same people who say BTS aren’t K-Pop and call fans of any other group Kpoopies. While they claim to be adults, they are immature and irrational, and inordinately mean. There’s a reason why ARMY is the most hated fandom. Blinks and Swifties are Nobel Prize winners compared to ARMY.
Están pelando por el listado de rollingstone? En serio es una opinión y gusto no veo cuál es el problema
True, but there should be a disclaimer that it’s a fan made list. Not by Rolling Stone. Not by music critics but by A fan. Just a single person who doesn’t even know Jungkook’s songs.
Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. And yours are particularly stinky.
Esa persona hizo un listado de acuerdo a su gusto músical y no tiene nada de malo
Hasta nam posteo el listado, no podemos buscar lo malo en todo, solo porque no nos guste el resultado
You are saying that the only ranking worthy of being read would be written by people who didn’t like Jungkook’s music. Guess what? Then all his songs would be at the bottom of the list.
You are the whingiest group of complainers ever. If an article is written that isn’t 100 % glowing, you call the writers haters. But here you categorize her as merely a fan because you don’t like her opinion. I hope none of you get tickets to their concerts next year. lol would serve you right!
What is your definition of a music critic? Someone who reviews records and concerts? That would be her, Jae has reviewed albums and concerts for Rolling Stone, Variety, Teen Vogue, the Chicago Tribune, the Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and more for decades. If she is saying that a BTS song is good, it’s with the knowledge of their music and the decades of music she has covered as a critic.
What you mean to say is that you want a music critic who would rank Jung Kook’s songs higher than RM’s. If Jae had done that for the No. 1 spot, then you would be singing her praises and saying how a MUSIC CRITIC validated your opinions that Jung Kook is the best out of all the BTS members. There is no music critic on earth who would rank Jung Kook at the top. And that’s not because he’s not good, but because he cannot match RM as a songwriter or all-around artist. Jung Kook makes simple, pleasant music with a vocal range that isn’t great. RM makes art.
I used to work with Jae. She has been a music critic since she was in her 20s and has won several journalism awards for her coverage of pop music and women’s rights issues. She was a voting member of year-end lists for legacy publications, including Rolling Stone. To write her off as merely a fan is denigrating, sexist and racist. To say that someone with her experience who has written and analyzed the music of everyone from David Bowie to BTS shouldn’t write about BTS because she likes their music and is already knowledgeable about their music is asinine, as are you.
Do you know what you would’ve gotten if they pulled together a team of music critics who fit your definition, which would be white men who don’t like BTS? None of Jung Kook’s songs would’ve made it into the Top 50. Those men would’ve scoured the internet for articles about BTS and would have seen that RM’s albums made all kinds of year-end music lists. The top 50 would’ve been all RM songs. They would’ve made fun of their voices, particularly the vocal line, because “real critics” don’t like soft pop like the kind the vocal line makes.
Check yourself and shut up. Learn to read. There is nothing misleading about the article at all. It’s a ranking.
You ARMY are literally the worst fandom ever. ATINY would never.
Don’t even bother. They’ll say you’re unprofessional.
Be real, you would’ve hated those too unless your favorite was at the top of the list. There was a set of criteria in the article that none of you read apparently. That’s on you, not Rolling Stone.
This isn’t an official RS ranking as it’s by 1 author. I think it does a great job sparking fandom conversation and bringing GP attn to all the great solo work you may have missed if your attention to them waned with the hiatus. It doesn’t actually matter what is ranked where to be a good article.
I enjoyed that every song on it had a blurb about it with info you may not know if you’re a more casual fan and that all 7 are in the top 7 as it should be. A ranking by 1 person will reveal their individual taste, and that’s ok. It’s a labor of love in a prestigious music mag and I thank them 💜
You just made up your own rules, didn’t you? I checked Rolling Stone’s other music lists and guidelines. There is NOTHING there that says what does and doesn’t constitute an official list. There are several other lists that were written by one writer. There are more that are written by several writers. They all are in the Music Lists section and all say they are ranked lists. You can think what you want, but your premise is incorrect.
Yea, for me it feels more like a guide to their solo songs, or maybe the author pitched it as their favourite tracks, but it became ‘ranked’ in the headline for engagement.
Either way, I’m going to ignore the numbers and read all the good descriptions. It’s a great intro to them solo for newcomers
Clearly subjective but could introduce some locals to their amazing discography. You never know, back in the day I watched some of the VHS Behind the Music shows that made me a fan of artists I had formerly ignored.
The fact that their solo discography merited all of this writing on it (not even a top 50 or 100) communicates broadly and clearly that their body of work is to be taken seriously. Curious readers will listen to form their own opinion especially after reading people’s reactions. I love it.
Yes, I think that’s the bigger takeaway. It isn’t really that track A was one place above track B. It’s that they’ve written a celebration to 177 solo tracks and showcase their work. Every one is given an appreciative writeup
I respectfully disagree. It is an official RS ranking. Whether it was 1 author or 10 doesn’t matter, the magazine itself includes it in its music ranking section. If it wasn’t official, they would’ve tacked on a different title.
Not you necessarily, but a lot of Army are put off that this is a ‘fan opinion piece’ and therefore doesn’t count. If 10 writers had written their reviews, how would that have been different? It would’ve been their opinions, right? The ranking portion would’ve been them and the editors deciding on the positions, right? Do you really think that Rolling Stone let her just put the songs in any order she wanted to without any preliminary discussions with the staff about the order of songs? If you think writers are given that much freedom, there’s a bridge I’d like to sell you.
I love Kim Jae-Ha’s insightful articles about Korean culture, especially BTS.
In this article, she assesses and ranks 177 solo projects by the Bangtan members from debut to now. 😘🎵💜
What are your thoughts ARMY?
BTW, congratulations @jaehakim.com on RM sharing this on his insta! 🌟
Although they didn’t go into the process of selection the pronoun “we” was used throughout the article. Therefore I’m not making any assumption on who was involved. I for one am glad to see their solo work receive proper attention from a major publication.
I think another person here had the right idea that the article may have evolved over time. There’s only 1 person credited with it and last time (not too long ago) they did an official ranking the article was credited to the RS staff and the blurbs were by various people.
I’m not sure why you’re assuming that just because one person is the author of the article that no one else was involved in this. I wouldn’t assume that automatically. In journalism often this is an in-house vote, probably by people in the know. But maybe you have inside information?
No inside information, just the byline as compared to the other RS ranking article. This one is “by Jae-ha Kim” and the one in 2022 was “By Charles Aaron, Riddhi Chakraborty, Divyansha Dongre, Althea Legaspi, Natalie Morin” with each person’s initials after the song blurb.
I believe the new article is using the editorial we which is fine and appropriate even if it’s a single author. I’m just not going to expect any single author (ARMY or not) to match my internal ranking of any list of over 100 things.
Nothing anyone tells me will convince me that ARMY isn’t full of unhinged losers who can read, but choose not to make any attempt at comprehending the written word. There was no mention of auto tuning in Jung Kook’s song. She mentioned vocal distortion, which is different. There is vocal distortion at the beginning. But too many of these stans don’t know any music terminology and just go on their stupid vendettas to pile on someone they have chosen to hate. Anyone who has been to a heavy metal show knows how the singer can create vocal distortion with their own vocals without auto tuning. Ask a music teacher or google for god’s sake. With all that said, it’s pretty obviously that Jung Kook’s voice has been processed.
Man, you should feel glad that Pitchfork didn’t rank their solo songs. You wouldn’t be able to handle it if you are this upset at this kid glove approach.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PldwqolhkkA
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/U7p54zpF_sU
That’s what I was saying. I didn’t find the word auto tune anywhere in that ranking. They just want to be angry. And you know that if Jungkook or Jimin’s songs were at the top, they would’ve said this list was the best list of all lists. Idiots. And they’re all over 30 and still behave this way.
Exactly
ranking is subject to personal taste and sometimes even what day it is, but it is nice to see them go in detail to acknowledge their individual works and their impact
I respect your opinion but a list of solos without Epiphany or Moon raises the eyebrow, especially when RS called Moon top 5 best boy band song. Oh well.
Those songs were on BTS albums. The introduction states that solo songs on BTS albums weren’t included.
It is very rude to rank them without permission! These people know nothing about BTS! This article is not worth looking at!
Permission from BTS? What are you even on? You sound like you know nothing about life.
Then don’t look at it. lol
I used to like BTS but that fucking Army ruined it for me with the nonstop whining about every single thing. They keep saying the fans aren’t kids, which makes it even worse. If 12 year olds were bitching and moaning all the time, that would be sad but sort of understandable. But these are almost always adult women targeting other women. They don’t care about anyone’s mental health, just their own anonymous glee, hidden by profile pics of someone other than their ugly selves. And then they sit there and dare to make fun of 30 year olds for being old. Like shut the fuck up. These dum fucks would crumple if anyone talked to them the way they talk to others.
BTS could stop this, but they don’t. Because all these screeching idiots are dollar signs to them.
Anyhow, this should be interesting when one of these guys is caught dating or marrying someone. The shit will hit the fan. All those screechers who claim they’ll be happy for the members will be telling them to quit the group and threatening any poor woman who is associated with them.
EXACTLY THIS! Remember how they threatened the tattoo artist because they thought she was dating jungKook? They prob were hooking up but he was too scared of his own fans to tell them to f*ck off.
You’re too stupid to know how anatomy works, aren’t you. If Jung Kook quit, BTS would be fine. If RM quit, the group would have to disband. Know your place, stupid stan.
Report this poor excuse for a human being. Harassing someone is bad enough, but harassing someone’s mother is disgusting.
The only bitter bitch here is you, Millie. So shove that up your own wrinkled vagina you vulgar piece of 💩
Deleted your tweet, did you @Millie221299912? Don’t worry, we have screen shots. Not only are you a coward, but you’re stupid and MEAN. Jesus you’re mean. Does it make you feel like a big shot, @Millie221299912?
Sorry, it does matter.
Especially when the author has a clear bias against Jimin.
In case you don’t know, he has written articles for all members, and NONE for Jimin
We shouldn’t hype such biased works.
No matter if it’s from the Pope himself.
Where’s your receipt? I found interviews with RM and J-hope. She didn’t interview Jin, Suga, Jimin, V or Jungkook. Is she biased against them too? She has reviewed BTS’ records and included every member’s songs.
How old are you? I’m guessing 35. Why are you like this? First of all, the author is a SHE. DO YOUR RESEARCH before you make things up. Why should she write about Jimin? Maybe she wasn’t offered an interview with Jimin. Go yell at Hybe and order them to ask her to do an interview with Jimin. How is that her fault? The interviews don’t happen unless the company OKs it. You should know this, since you’re such a big BTS fan who knows how journalism works. I swear to god some of you make winners of the Darwin awards seem smart.
Some points I liked:
1. It highlighted the vast discography of all members as solos.
2. It pointed out how rare it is for a group to put out solo and group work with no acrimony and disbandment. They support each other!
3. They took the time to talk about each song in detail.
Sorry, @RollingStone , but this article wasn’t worth publishing… The author has absolutely ZERO idea what Jimin’s songs describe, and the fact that a COLLAB SONG was “chosen” as a SOLO SONG by the author speaks volumes… Especially when you know that the author published articles about 6 BTS members, and ZERO by or about Jimin… Please never let this author write another article, YOU ARE ACTUALLY WORTH MORE THAN THIS GARBAGE THAT WAS PUBLISHED HERE! Not only Vogue Thailand has bad reporters, but also, as you can see, Rolling Stone… GOOD TO KNOW THAT MAGAZINES ARE ALLOWED TO PUBLISH JIMIN HATERS AND ANTI-JIMIN ARTICLES… IT CAN’T GET ANY MORE TASTELESS, OR
@RollingStone
I can tell that none of you read the introduction that explains exactly why certain songs were not included. All of their mix tapes and albums were included, and some of those were collabs you freak, Those of you who complain and scream the loudest are professional victims who are illiterate and think normal people care enough about hating BTS members to specifically harm YOU. The entire article was so kind to the boys. Some of the songs are actual shit, but rather than focusing on what the songs lack, she concentrated on what they bring to the table.
Jae-Ha Kim is simply the wrong person for articles like this… She’s not a neutral journalist and incompetent, but biased and underhanded… And: She can’t differentiate between a collaboration and a solo effort… The fact that you published this article only proves that the quality of your reporting has sunk extremely low… You should be ashamed of yourselves, and above all choose BETTER reporters for your articles, and not someone who is a known anti of an artist… In any case, Jae-Ha Kim is a HUGE DISGRACE for a magazine of your caliber, and is extremely damaging your reputation… And that’s WORLDWIDE, wherever your magazine is available for purchase… I for one have finally had enough of articles like this and will no longer buy Rolling Stone until you stop allowing this reporter to write articles that have to do with BTS and the individual members themselves. She has a bias, and is therefore biased and not objective, and because she didn’t listen carefully to Jimin’s songs, nor did she listen properly, she completely misjudged his songs…
Are you OK? 🤡
You’ve been posting all weekend and still haven’t read the criteria at the top of the reviews have you? Collaborations absolutely do count, which is why each member has collabs on the list. No one cares that you won’t buy their product “anymore” because you never bought their product to begin with. lmao You really do sound like the moron that everyone says BTS fans are. Go away solo stan and spout your nonsense elsewhere.
I can’t take any comments from someone named Jimin’s Real wife seriously. 😂 Sit down you clown.
Kindly shut up.
By some of the delusional people’s own opinions about who should be allowed to write reviews, solo stans shouldn’t be allowed any opinions at all about any music then, since they only listen to their bias’ music and not anyone else’s. Since they have no knowledge of any other music than their bias, they aren’t qualified to know which song should be ranked higher than the other members.
mic drop
I hope Ms. Kim writes her equivalent of a cypher. Would love to see those whiny brats pee their pants.
Hi Jae! I wanted to say that this ranking was amazing! I laughed, I learned, I had fun reading them! I see that the reputation that Kpop fans have for being unhinged is true when it comes to ARMY. When something doesn’t go their way or when writers don’t pander to them 100%, they go on attack mode. I’m not sure how anyone with a brain can dismiss you as not being a music critic, when you’ve literally been a music critic since before BTS were even born. I used you listen to your reviews on WFLD and The Loop. You literally wrote album and concert reviews for Rolling Stone and Variety (loved the Iha one!) in the 1990s! I hope you don’t take these idiots words to heart. They scream and shout because they know nothing about music, journalism, or how magazines actually work. Unfortunately, no one hates women more than other jealous women.
We don’t listen to deranged solos. Go be noisy somewhere else.
This creature is making threats. Report her to the police!
I know this isn’t the point, but I am a grandma and I wish I looked as good as you, Ms. Kim! The woman who posted your photo without your permission is immature and most likely deranged. I’ve made screenshots of all her posts and have submitted them to BTS’ management. If she is this crazy over a good article, who knows what she will do when Jungkook goes public with his partner.
How rude! And what a weirdo stealing your photo! She’s an ugly human being inside and out. I personally love your smile and energy. Keep up the great work. I’m always happy when I see you have a new interview out!!
@Millie221299912 is seriously deranged.
I think you look really pretty and natural. I wish I was a “hag” like you! Keep on keeping on! The Millies of this world aren’t worth a second thought.
“Rolling Stone said Jungkook’s vocals in “Somebody” sound disguised w/ distortion — false. It’s his natural voice in a lower register + subtle production. Not hiding talent, but showing versatility & artistry. 🎤✨ #Jungkook #Somebody #GoldenAlbum”
Subtle production can alter the sound of the voice. Nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of other reviews where she praised his voice as being really good. Also, my friends who are in production have told me that often what is sold to fans as live vocals are live vocals supplemented by recorded vocals to cover up their weaker spots.
After being unprofessional in the past and never having written an article on Jimin’s solo work while having written multiple for other members, @/GoAwayWithJae has yet again written a disrespectful Rolling Stone piece diminishing Jimin’s artistry and portraying Like Crazy as solely an “overtly sexual” song. We demand an apology from both @RollingStone & @GoAwayWithJae
RESPECT JIMIN’S ARTISTRY
If she didn’t write about Jimin’s solo work it means that no one wanted an article about him. Wrap your head around that. Do you really think that any journalist would turn down the opp to interview him? I personally enjoy Jimin’s music but as a talent, he cannot compare to the rap line.
They are ridiculous throwing around “ridiculous” like it’s on sale at Costco. Touch grass.
me if I was asked to rank BTS best solo members songs without having listened to any of them because why is RM Forg_tful not #1 and Jin’s Astronaut #2
?? So your ranking is correct but Rolling Stone didn’t listen to the songs? Do you even realize how stupid you sound?
LOL says the coward who has a fake username and no profile photo.
This old hag is jealous of Jin. I want to age backwards like him.
Ha ha! And why would a woman be jealous of Jung Kook? Make it make sense. It’s not like he’s Jennie or Hwasa. No woman wants to look like Jung Kook.
You’re a fucking cunt to say that to any women, but especially to a cancer survivor. The sad thing is that Jung Kook would rather spend time with her or any other older woman than a shithead like you. Shame on you!
Ooooooh, you’re such an edgy fan! Slay!
Is that how you thought people would react? You are soooooo jealous of Jae you can’t even see straight can you? You think you’re all that and you still can’t get the attention of jungkook. And you never will. And if you somehow did meet him, he’d call the police to get you out of his house, you demented 사생.
It’s always the ugly JK and Jimin stans who think everyone is jealous lmao
I think it would be easier to sympathasize with these scary fans if they weren’t so stupid. They’re saying that you’re playing favoritism to RM and Jin. But then at the same time, they’re complaining that Jin’s song Background is ranked at the bottom. Then when it’s pointed out that if favoritism clouded your judgement, RM and Jin would have more songs in the Top 10, they say that you did that on purpose so that your favoritism wouldn’t show. As someone else here said, make it make sense! Then they complain that so and so had a song that sold more or charted higher than RM and Jin. So what? Art isn’t a popularity contest . They should pull up their big girl pants and just take it for the celebration of a big impressive catalog that BTS has as solo artists and just enjoy the blurbs.
this is how i feel. i didn’t even know that a lot of these songs existed and am having fun listening to them when i have time.
Same! “Fuck Cockroachez”?!!!!!! Who knew that baby Namjoon wrote that song? I now equate the song with the members of ARMY who are just beyond help. They seriously are psychotic and need to seek help from a therapist.
It’s interesting to me that girls hate other members of a group and only like one person. Is this common in Kpop?
I don’t really follow a lot of groups outside of ARMY but it is a dirty known secret in our fandom and the solos are hated by the majority of us. They are the loudest and bring attention away from all the good things we do to support the group and their philanthropy.
I wonder if they are jealous of all the girl groups and hate them too.
They do! When pictures of Tae and Jennie were floating around, they were foaming at the mouth with jealousy. The reality is that Jung Kook is never going to marry a sasaeng like them. Look at him. He’s going to marry someone at least as good looking as he is. I do want to point out that most of us are not crazy. 😂
I find people like Millie so annoying. Stay bitter? lol The only bitter person is her.
As the saying goes, tell me you don’t know what a music critic is without telling me you don’t know what a music critic is. I’ve read so many comments on social media saying that Jae isn’t qualified to rank BTS songs because she’s just a fan and not a music critic. Can one not be both? Should sportscasters who have favorite teams not be allowed to cover baseball or soccer? I’m curious what you think qualifies a person to be a music critic, because I don’t think most of these luddites can.
I find a lot of these comments to be incredibly sexist and condescending. She is incredibly well educated, and has critiqued many, many artists with much greater depth and talent than BTS. I would also assume that understanding what they sing in their native language is an asset.
Frankly, the writing in this ranking is better than most of the music (with the exception of RM and Suga).
Grandma needs hearing aids
All those years of English lessons in Seongnam and you still can’t do better than a first grader? Sad.
LOL I recognized her comment right away. She is a blustering idiot and says the same thing in the ‘private’ groups that aren’t really private. I have no idea how old she is but talk about the pot calling the kettle black. She chases after white men nonstop and none of them want her so she is desperate.
I know I’ve been telling everyone the hate on BTS will get worse and to be careful who you listen to etc and that still very much stands but I think we also need to be careful to not assume EVERYTHING is going to be hate. That tweet we are all upset about is definitely one (and remember vote for Jimin!), but ARMY I honestly don’t think the Rolling Stones article in anyway was meant to be a dig and us treating it as such could impact writers making positive articles because they assume we will just hate on it.
The writer has written supportive pieces in the past, including one condemning K-media for last year. I’ve read the screenshots people are posting and she isn’t accusing JK of autotune she is saying how they used a sound affect for 1 tiny part to distort the voice but saying how his voice is so good she thinks it was unnecessary. And then she is talking about how explicit some of his lyrics are (but pointing out he is an adult now).
I would like people to think back and realise ARMY was saying the exact same thing when the album came out. Including a lot of us not liking the Harlow verse. We were surprised on the route he took, we weren’t against it (well some were but that’s another story). As for the song order does anyone honestly think we could agree on an order? I know I couldn’t. I think it’s just an opinion meant to start a positive conversation about their music.
Now if there are more screenshots out there and any actually do say something bad please let me know, but with the ones currently being posted read it again without assuming it’s necessarily meant to send hate and see if you still feel the same. If I am right and she is actually “on our side” so to speak, do we really want to alienate her from writing future pieces about BTS? Saying that we should of course keep an eye on anything she does write but I worry our default at the moment is them getting hate to the point that we miss when they aren’t actually getting it
“The BTS universe is vast and rich and unlike anything else in the history of pop music. The seven musicians are prolific as a group and as individuals, creating smart, fun music that encourages listeners to think and dance, laugh and cry, bliss out and emit primal screams. While these artists mesh together beautifully as BTS, there’s something really special about what they are creating separately. This list is a celebration of that story.”
[By JAE-HA KIM / Rolling Stone]
[Rolling Stone has a large multi-platform reach, including print, digital, social media, and video. The brand’s reach – around 60 million people monthly across all platforms. [https://rocketreach.co/rolling-stone-profile_b5c67d08f42e0c82 ] A multimedia brand with a global audience – primarily adults aged 18-54, median age of 35. RS also has a strong online presence in Great Britain, with a notable percentage of their online audience falling within the 35-44 age range.] [Google AI]
Imho, Rolling Stone’s list and ranking of BTS solo songs is a great way to expose RS’s global audience not only to each BTS member’s own music artistry but to BTS group music and discography. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, music 🎶 is in the ear of the listener. I view music lists and rankings like this (including those made by music critics), to be inherently subjective – according to the authors’ own music tastes and preferences.
So I’m going to approach the list/rankings in a positive light — it’s a good promo for celebrating BTS solo music, and for BTS’ long-awaited group comeback post-military service. I don’t agree with a lot of the rankings as I have my own personal preferences – but the list is a great refresher of BTS solo songs especially those from my pre-ARMY days. Millions of RS’s audience do not know about BTS or their music. Let’s engage with the article positively — and agree/disagree with the author’s rankings, personal take and reviews of the songs in a civil and respectful discourse. Make your case for your own preferences and comment on why you disagree with a song’s ranking without personal attacks and rancor towards the author and Rolling Stone. Encourage RS’s audience to discover your favorites and other solo songs that didn’t make the list. There’s a great opportunity to welcome new BTS fans…and new ARMYs to our bora universe.
Here’s mine (currently 😊)…
#1: my gateway song to BTS is V’s “Singularity” but alas it didn’t meet the solo song criteria. 💜🙇🏻♀️
RM: Groin
Jin: Background/Epiphany
Suga: Snooze
JHope: Equal Sign
Jimin: With You
V: For Us
Jungkook: Still With You/My You
https://rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/bts-members-best-solo-songs-1235390475/
Can someone explain why JK’s Still With You wasn’t on the list? I’m not a stan and I don’t even like this song (or his voice, sorry! I’m not a hater, I just don’t like it). But if it’s his song, shouldn’t it be on it?
I think the song would’ve been included except BTS included it on their anthology album. It says right in the introduction that no songs from BTS albums were included. There are a lot of rules, haha, but I guess that was to keep the number of reviews reasonable. No one is going to sit through 500 reviews.
Part of the problem is that some of these stans don’t comprehend what was written. So they take it as an insult, when there was none. I saw a lot of tweets like this one (https://x.com/BeckySTREAMS/status/1955344291502411938) that said: “What 5 year old descriptions are these? @RollingStone we hope next time u find a editor who can actually write about lyrics without being corny and sounding like prude? If @GoAwayWithJae cant handle these lyrics, she has no business being in music”
I was confused about what @BeckySTREAMS was referring to but it was this line in the review of Jung Kook’s song Seven: “Jung Kook doesn’t apologize for singing about things men his age (and younger) do.”
As an adult, I didn’t take that line to mean that Jung Kook needs to apologize, but that he’s a grown ass man who doesn’t have to apologize for having sex. Maybe that’s just me?
It’s not just you. That’s how I took it too. I even asked my college kid and he said the same thing.
The weird thing is they’re saying Jae is a prude who’s shocked by sex. But then these same morons are complaining that she shares memes on Instagram that have the word f*ck it them. Which is it? Is she a prude or an edgelord? Maybe neither, how about that?
Sadly, ARMY and other K-pop fandoms have attacked her for “not protecting their boys.” lol As if that’s a requirement for her. Why would ANYONE deliberately inject themselves into a cesspool of losers who have zero critical thinking? Anyhow, I love that she’s unbothered and going about her life. And you know that by now, the magazine has had plenty of time to discuss if there were any issues with the article and the legal team would’ve been involved in that to cover their bases. No one is addressing the stans because there’s nothing to address. They didn’t make a mistake, the stans don’t how how to read, and everyone is going about their business except for these wretched people.
I’m sorry — I love JK, but those songs were selected with all the sexual innuendo intact.
He could have easily changed them to focus on respectful love if his intention was to be romantic. Instead he left it all in place and included “f*cking” as a replacement for “loving” — which is the exact opposite of a loving encounter. F*ck is, was, has always been, and always will be a word used to be disrespectful. It’s the word immature frat boys and damaged females use to avoid the idea of any intimacy to the act of sex. I said it — sorry, not sorry.
I, unfortunately, call bullshit on defending him as being “romantic” in those songs. It was 100% f*ckboi energy.
Also — Like Crazy literally has people making out for prolonged periods in the video. What else are we supposed to get from that?
Again, I love the guys, but be so for real.
Don’t be sorry, I questioned some of their choices as solos. Artistically, they are on top, no doubt about that, each of them, in their chosen genre, but the lyrics were the poorest in some of the songs. In the attempts to lure in the widest Western audience, in some of the songs, they accepted shallow lyrics. Once again, being explicit has nothing to do with being romantic or being an adult. There are ways and ways to sing about love, and even the choice of words can change the intention and the mood. Personally and naturally, I gravitated to the hyung line to find music and lyrics I can relate to. And I am waiting eagerly to BTSOT7 comeback.💜
That woman who did that youtube hit job is not only incompent and not very bright, but she also has the most annoying voice ever. It’s obvious she only made this ‘fact checking’ video to win favors with Army. I can’t stand people who use us like that.
The sentence is the same as saying “Jung Kook makes no apologies for singing about things men his age (and younger) do.” It’s an idiom, meaning that he believes that what he has done is right and acceptable. The song is about sex, yes? There were a lot of fans chastising him for singing a “dirty” song. Remember his live? He challenged one of the fans, saying something like, “Why is it dirty?” You could tell he was annoyed.
He literally doesn’t apologize for singing about sex and told his fans this. He shouldn’t have to, and that’s what Ms. Kim pointed out. So why are so many people harassing her when she reinforced what he had initially said? I believe that they don’t understand nuance but, more importantly, they are ready to bully anyone to feel empowered themselves.
I’m sorry, usually you are spot on with everything, but these criticisms seem overly pedantic to me. Jae-Ha Kim is Korean and writes extensively about Korean culture and I’ve usually found her to be good. She outlined the criteria in “ground rules” right up top – what songs she was considering and which ones were excluded, which covers, and why Suga is listed as Suga, etc. – did no one read those? I too questioned the inclusion of skits but ultimately it’s her personal ranking. We would all have different rankings! I didn’t read her comments about the sexy lines as derogatory so was a little surprised by that criticism. She obviously does know their music to pull up some of these deep cuts. I dunno. You don’t have to agree with her ranking, but I don’t think the article itself is as dire as all that. I also appreciated that they had links to the actual songs so the curious can check them out.
No one read the intro and made up their own conspiracy theories 😂 They’re ridiculous
My goodness they are still yapping away on X. I’m ashamed that so many ARMY can’t read. Jungkook’s song wasn’t included because it was on the BTS album Proof. The criteria said that songs on a BTS album aren’t included. All those libelous claims because they literally don’t have two brain cells working together at the same time.
It was so obvious! I’m not even a Jungkook stan so I took 2 minutes to search for the song. Bam, I found it on the tracklist. I’ve seen so many of them say why isn’t this song on there? She’s unprofessional and should be fired! And they’re asking where Epiphany or Euphoria is. Duh, on BTS albums. The stans are horrible for the fandom. Everytime we try to convince the gp that we’re a diverse fandom that loves good music, these people pop up to make us all look insane.
As if Rolling Stone doesn’t have editors and a legal team that goes over these things. They think they know better, and they can’t even be bothered to read a short criteria. For shame!
Who knew that Reddit of all places would be more sane than Xitter? 😂
The funniest thing to me is that these depraved stans are so thick they can’t differentiate the Rolling Stones X account instead of Rolling Stone the magazine’s. I just imagine Mick reading all of these saying in his fake cockney accent, “Wha’ is ‘appening?” lol
WHAT??? Where!
Here: https://x.com/bertu44085/status/1955601233152200812 Made me laugh so hard I snorted out some of my Diet Pepsi!
Thank you! Wow, they really are creepy. They’re stalking her Instagram and reading into memes what’s not there. She always posts memes like that. They’re funny!
No prob, fam!
Youtuber Jose Ochoa went over the rankings of the Rolling Stone list on his youtube channel today and it was fine. It was just him going over the ranking from 177 to 1 and nothing more than that. I guess that’s a reaction video, I don’t know. But if you read the comments, you will see that no one who commented read the intro, which explains everything. They’re asking while songs from BTS albums aren’t included. Meanwhile, they’re slandering this woman who did absolutely nothing wrong except accept this assignment. 😭 I hope she got paid well because there is not enough money in the world for me to deal with obtuse people like these.
My absolute favorite review from the list is for “Right People, Wrong Place.” Jae wrote:
::: “Right People, Wrong Place” is the lead track off of RM’s album Right Place, Wrong Person. Confused? That’s the point. The contradiction of the two titles is meant to give insight into the uncertainty within RM’s own mind. “Right people in wrong place,” he sings, before switching up the phrasing to “wrong people in wrong place.” And just when you’re begging him to include a definite article in his sentences, RM’s already moved onto “wrong people in right place.” The free-style discordant jazz is a nice touch on this experimental song that’s right (or wrong) for all the wrong (or right) reasons. :::
“Definite article.” That’s what it’s called! I had no idea. I loved that I learned a little grammar from this list. And you don’t hear RM’s fans crying about the inclusion because a lot of us hate poor grammar.
That was brilliant! I loved that review, too!
I didn’t want to comment until I read all the reviews and also the complaints from these cringy people. And wow, it is obvious they made a huge fuss over nothing. By their own criteria, they are not music critics so in what universe are they allowed to ‘correct’ Ms. Kim’s and Rolling Stone’s ranking. In fact, by their own criteria, the only ones who could legitimately make complaints about Ms. Kim’s and Rolling Stone’s choices are other music critics, who are actually knowledgeable about K-Pop, pop, rock, industrial, experimental, jazz, soft rock, and other music genres, who speak both Korean and English, and who understand the Korean lyrical wordplay that non-Koreans would miss. I saw no such music critics who had complaints about this ranking. What I did see were fringe wannabe ‘experts’ who made content for clout. They are not music critics, music professors, songwriters, music industry experts, members of other similar groups, or anyone who would have a relevant opinion.
I personally enjoyed this ranking, which introduced me to some songs I wasn’t familiar with. Are all of the songs great? Not in my opinion. I would say that at least one third of them are throwaways.
Has anyone listened to those two women talking about the ranking on Consequence podcasts? I’m amazed that these so-called music critics are saying songs should be ranked higher because the video for the song is so good. 🤔 I personally would love to see a list on music videos in the future. They’re talking about how certain songs should be higher because they are so popular with ARMY or were hit songs, which tells me everything I need to know about their criteria.
They are entitled to their opinions. I thought they did an OK podcast, but yeah, they come across as fans more than anyone who should be judging anyone else’s list. lol
A lot of these comments are the reason why we think K-Pop fans are crazy.
This whole thread is wild. I hope that when I have children, they don’t behave like K-pop stans.
To paraphrase ‘not all men, but always a man”, Not all K-pop fans, but always an Army.
this! 👆
I adore BTS and will always support them. But the fandom has gotten more and more toxic and too many are abhorrent. Many of them are grown-ass women behaving like toddlers. At the end of the day, I truly think that BTS must hate some of their fans, too. No one wants to be known for having these kind of supporters.
What I don’t understand is the contingent that is screaming about how these songs are all the best and shouldn’t be ranked, but then proceed to scream more about how the ranking is wrong because it’s not how they would have ranked it. 😂
I love everything about this list – the ranking, the blurbs, the songs I never knew existed, the cringey stans, the comments, the in-fighting, the accolades, everything. I think this is a great ranking and such an interesting complement to all the information that is already out there about BTS. Congratulations on tackling this thankless job and making it something that is a must-read for every BTS fan. Let the haters stew in their own juices. It’s fun to watch them implode in their own self-centered stupidity! Fighting!
The only BTS member who I consider attractive is Taehyung. That is my preference. The only BTS members whose songs I enjoy are RM, Suga, and Jimin. This doesn’t mean I hate the other members. It is just a personal taste. So many of these fans are hateful and immature and are delusional, thinking that only their opinions matter. Their accusations are insane and sad. The ones who are the worst are some of the influencers who actually have some following and felt the need to pile up on Ms. Kim with their hate. They are just clout seekers who should be ashamed of themselves. But then again, they’re influencers, so of course they will do anything for clicks and cash.
I finished reading all the blurbs in between trick or treaters (we didn’t get many this year) and I don’t see what the fuss was about. It is an engaging article that shed light on a group’s music that non-BTS fans wouldn’t know about otherwise. Some people were upset that skits etc. were included, but I don’t see the problem with that. They were on the solo mixtapes/albums and the intro specifically said that everyone on solo albums would be included. Some people were upset that skits and instrumentals were ranked higher than songs with lyrics. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me but I thought that was a way of saying that not all of their songs are that great and that sometimes a silly instrumental is better than one of their supposedly deep thinking songs.
They talk about how everyone is entitled to an opinion, until it differs from theirs. The expectation that an actual music critic’s opinion should mirror theirs is par for the course with the toxix fandoms that exist today. Shame on BTS and Hybe for letting their fans continue their bullying hatred, and to Rolling Stone for remaining quiet. I suppose they don’t want to lose those reader clicks by siding with one of their own. Again par for the course, isn’t it?
It’s bold of these people to think they are more qualified than an actual music critic and that since they disagree with the expert, she must be biased, wrong, getting payolo, using AI. Just because you want to dismiss her as not being a music critic doesn’t make it true. But what is fact is that none of these ranters, inclusive of the youtubers glomming on, are music critics. They’re nothing more than low-tier influencers.
To paraphrase tRump, “Quiet piggies.”
Her literal job title at the Sun-Times where she worked for like 12 years: Pop Music Critic.
she’s not a music critic now.
Putting aside this particular ranking, she currently reviews albums and singles for Rolling Stone. How is she not a music critic?
Where’s aya now? No comeback? 😆
Unfortunately, the majority of hateful commenters are ignorant about music outside of their own realm. They don’t have the depth of knowledge to think beyond their “biases.” Sadly, they won’t do anything to expand their world either.