BTS's agency Big Hit Entertainment stepped up to address a recent controversy about the misogynistic lyrics in their songs, like "Hormone War" and Rap Monster's "Joke," with an official statement and apology.
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On June 6, Big Hit wrote through the official fan cafe:
"Big Entertainment and BTS acknowledge that since the end of 2015, there's been a controversy regarding the misogyny in BTS's lyrics, and after reviewing the lyrics once again, we found out that a portion of the substance could be misunderstood to criticize women, which was not intended when it was being written, and made people uncomfortable. Also, we personally confirmed that a portion of the content posted onto SNS by BTS before their debut could be unpleasant content for women. Regarding this, Big Hit Entertainment and BTS mulled over many things for a long time together, and the reason we had not announced an official stance all this time was in order to give sincere feedback through concrete details and a proper method at the most appropriate time.
"Big Hit Entertainment and all of BTS are extremely apologetic toward all of the fans as well as the people who felt uncomfortable because of BTS's lyrics and SNS content, and we will continually refer back to such comments and problems in the future during the writing process. Through this discussion and review, we learned that because the creation of music is influenced by personal growth and experience as well as what's been seen in society, we cannot be free from societal prejudice and error. We also learned that it could be undesirable to define women's roles and values in society from a man's viewpoint.
"We are now aware of the fact that as members of an idol group that is creating a trend in popular culture, the comments and behavior of the members could greatly influence many different people and the society. Additionally, Big Hit Entertainment feels greatly responsible for causing concern to many people because we had not been more careful regarding the production of BTS's content. Even in the future, please continue to watch over BTS's development, and if you point out the parts where we're lacking, we will work even harder as we listen to the fans and society's advice."
What do you make of the controversy and their apology?
Now that's what I call mature behavior!