BTS speech at the United Nations | UNICEF
Video Statistics and Information
No captions available for this video.
Channel: UNICEF
Views: 13,562,922
Rating: 4.9673176 out of 5
Keywords: UNICEF, celebrities, celebrity, BTS, children, youth, united nations, bts at the un, bts united nations, k pop group united nations, k pop, bts end violence, bts love myself, bts speak yourself, RM speech, RM united nations, BTS speech at UN, BTS speech, BTS UN, Korean pop group United Nations, BTS UNICEF
Id: oTe4f-bBEKg
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 6min 30sec (390 seconds)
Published: Mon Sep 24 2018
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.
Transcript of BTS' speech from UNICEF's official website:
RM: Thank you, Mr. Secretary General, UNICEF Executive Director, Excellencies and distinguished guests from across the world. My name is Kim Namjoon, also known as RM, the leader of the group BTS. It’s an incredible honour to be invited to an occasion with such significance for today’s young generation.
Last November, BTS launched the “Love Myself” campaign with UNICEF, building on our belief that “true love first begins with loving myself. We have been partnering with UNICEF’s #ENDviolence program to protect children and young people all over the world from violence.
Our fans have become a major part of this campaign with their action and enthusiasm. We truly have the best fans in the world!
I would like to begin by talking about myself. I was born in Ilsan, a city near Seoul, South Korea. It’s a beautiful place, with a lake, hills, and even an annual flower festival. I spent a happy childhood there, and I was just an ordinary boy.
I would look up at the night sky in wonder and dream the dreams of a boy. I used to imagine that I was a superhero, saving the world. In an intro to one of our early albums, there is a line that says, “My heart stopped…I was maybe nine or ten.”
Looking back, that’s when I began to worry about what other people thought of me and started seeing myself through their eyes. I stopped looking up at the stars at night. I stopped daydreaming. I tried to jam myself into moulds that other people made. Soon, I began to shut out my own voice and started to listen to the voices of others. No one called out my name, and neither did I. My heart stopped and my eyes closed shut. So, like this, I, we, all lost our names. We became like ghosts.
I had one sanctuary, and that was music. There was a small voice in me that said, ‘Wake up, man, and listen to yourself!” But it took me a long time to hear music calling my name.
Even after making the decision to join BTS, there were hurdles. Most people thought we were hopeless. Sometimes, I just wanted to quit. I think I was very lucky that I didn’t give it all up. I’m sure that I, and we, will keep stumbling and falling. We have become artists performing in huge stadiums and selling millions of albums.
But I am still an ordinary, twenty-four-year-old guy. If there’s anything that I’ve achieved, it was only possible because I had my other BTS members by my side, and because of the love and support of our ARMY fans.
Maybe I made a mistake yesterday, but yesterday’s me is still me. I am who I am today, with all my faults. Tomorrow I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that’s me, too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I was, who I am, and who I hope to become.
I would like to say one last thing. "After releasing the “Love Yourself” albums and launching the “Love Myself” campaign, we started to hear remarkable stories from our fans all over the world, how our message helped them overcome their hardships in life and start loving themselves. These stories constantly remind us of our responsibility.
So, let’s all take one more step. We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to “speak yourself.” I would like to ask all of you. What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin colour, gender identity: speak yourself.
Find your name, find your voice by speaking yourself. I’m Kim Namjoon, RM of BTS. "I’m a hip-hop idol and an artist from a small town in Korea. Like most people, I made many mistakes in my life. I have many faults and I have many fears, but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I’m starting to love myself, little by little.
"What is your name? Speak Yourself."
I was going to say, the timing just FELT really close/the same day as this one (which yeah doi I shoulda seen because the UNGA would happen around the same time but my dumb self did not consider that)...I've been thinking a lot about these two UN speeches and just reflecting on how BTS' music and message always seems to be exactly what I need at the right time
Two years ago when I was in college, struggling to find what I wanted to do with myself and questioning what I was doing, they spoke about asking ourselves what we wanted to be and then making our voice heard
This year's speech was focused on forging through whatever obstacles we face, while still being kind to ourselves, and it was just exactly what we needed
This was the best and the most inspirational birthday gift for me! Like, if I compare how I was in 2018 and how I am this year, the difference is that I do love myself, but its still a long process for me to feel more self-assured about myself. Before college started, I was very pessimistic. Now? I'm still cynical, but with some positivity (not the toxic one).
I remember how that time was emotionally stressful for me and I watched this speech to cap the day off. It really put me through the ringer and I was sobbing. It was just what I needed that day, it felt like I was understood by seven strangers even if I didn’t understand myself.
It was the same way last night, with their recent UNGA speech. I thought I was okay, but the moment they started talking how difficult and isolating this year has been, I found myself crying again. They really have a way of touching hearts through their words and their presence.
this. this is the reason why i became a fan! when i heard RM delivered this speech and it was their LY era too... i think i needed it during that time.
I love how their more recent speech connected back to what they said here, about loving yourself. Obviously the circumstances are different but the fact that they can stay so hopeful with all that they've been through (world tour canceled, quarantine, not meeting fans), really inspires me to keep looking ahead.
This speech was also what made me realize how special BTS and their message was and how humble and caring they are.
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 LOVE YOURSELF
This was already two years ago?? I feel like it was literally yesterday.
This speech had such a big impact on me, particularly:
I have sought to do my best to live by those words.