Jimins Production Diary Documentary

Jimin’s Production Diary Documentary

Things I learned or confirmed

When Jimin does new projects, I’m never quite sure what to expect because each of his products has been so diverse and creative.  Based on every project so far, what I am sure of is that I’ll be delighted by whatever he creates and/or will learn something from it - usually both.  I have enjoyed all of Jimin’s solo songs within the BTS catalog. I have also liked his solo creations outside of BTS. My appreciation and enjoyment were even more heightened with his impressive debut solo album, FACE.  For me, it is a no skip album, which is rare for me. I already wrote my pre- and post-release thoughts about the album and its contents in other posts (See my FACE posts in my archive for more.), so I won’t go back into that information. This time I wanted to speak more about Jimin’s Production Diary documentary, which shows the making of the album. 

I’m really glad they released the documentary for several reasons.  For me, I learned a method of how songs can be made. I definitely didn’t know any process by which this was done, and I’ve always wanted BTS to show more of their development activities. However, with competition, I understand why they haven’t revealed details of these methods. In this documentary, I also got to know Jimin more and got to hear his laughter, which is always delightful for me.  For others who may have doubts, the release of the documentary was to make sure there was recorded evidence that Jimin was involved in the process 100%.  I feel that is one of the reasons that Jimin released photos of his handwritten, songwriting notes within the WeVerse version of his album. Another reason for the photos may have been that some of the lyrics he loved could not be used in the final recordings, but he wanted fans to know a fuller version of what his story and words were.

Jimin has previously said he is good at creating melodies, and this documentary verified that.  In addition to this album, prior melodies have been attributed to Jimin both in his solo projects (i.e. Promise; Christmas Love) and in BTS content (i.e. Friends; Blood, Sweat, & Tears; Dis-ease).  When they were recording Dis-ease, a producer heard Jimin humming something to a beat and asked him to work with that to write a bridge for the incomplete song. Jimin's bridge was included in the final recording. The same type of interaction could be seen in the documentary when Jimin was working with legendary producer PDogg as well as GhstLoop and Evan. Jimin was constantly pacing around and humming in the background. They’d overhear him, like what they heard, and record it right away into a phone or directly into the track then work from there. Many of the off-the-cuff creations were used in the final drafts. 

Included in the BTS book Beyond The Story, Jimin recalled that during the (cringy) BTS reality show American Hustle Life, he was excited that a well known hiphop producer, with whom they were fortunate enough to be exposed at that time, had assigned Jimin to write a melody. He said it was the first time someone entrusted him to do that. It touched him so much that I have heard him repeat this story a few times, and he made sure to include it in the book.  I wonder if that producer heard a pacing Jimin humming and thought what he heard was pretty good.  Either way, at some point Jimin realized creating melodies was a strength of his. In fact, he called himself an “idea bank” while working with his team on the album (and videos).  I’ve heard him previously joke about being the idea man while others would develop the ideas into action.  These descriptions were confirmed in the documentary.

After all the hype about autotune being used on Jimin’s voice, the documentary should have proven to people that much of what was thought to be autotune was actually just Jimin’s voice. It’s not to say they didn’t use any at all for creative enhancements (as they do in 99% of songs these days), but in spite of even Jimin’s protestations sometimes, Jimin is a good vocalist. He just has that versatile of a voice that he is able to use more pitches, textures, and articulations (fry, squeak, creak) than most vocalists or more than most people would expect from singers. Despite the documentary showing them recording gibberish as words to capture the tune of the melody they wanted (not yet focusing on the final lyrics or singing effort), you could hear what ended up being the final sound of the songs taking shape. 

I mention Jimin’s protestations about his voice because lately, Jimin has been asking fans to wait for him because he will become a good singer.  I’m astonished by those comments because I actually think he is a great singer already. He is able to sound uniquely different, express emotion, and add flavor more than most singers I have heard.  Can everyone add to and improve skills they are already good at?  Of course.  But it sounds as though he is implying that he is not a good singer yet - which could be a mistranslation of what he means. A listener can say they do not prefer his voice, but to say he is in any way a bad singer is just spitefully inaccurate.

Early on, as Jimin was learning his craft and using his untrained voice, there were vocal strains and occasional inconsistencies that likely made him concerned about the stability of his voice. (See my “Chameleon Park Jimin Series” in my archives for more.) Jimin was not trained properly (or at all) to be a singer and especially to be a stage singer (which is different in some ways) and with his higher pitch, lighter tone, and all the dancing and movement they do, he did an excellent job with stability but would have benefitted from instruction about how to use and preserve his voice most effectively and reliably. With as unique a voice as Jimin has, I do wonder if the company had anyone on hand that understood just how to train a voice such as his. Jimin, in large part, is a self-trained singer, which may have allowed him to tap into all these different sounds and skills that other vocalists don’t always do.  (I am not excusing or rewarding the lack of training because he also could have damaged his vocal chords, thus destroying his rare vocal gift.)  Anyway, he says he is working on strengthening and (re)learning some skills from the ground up, which could only help to enhance an already stellar ability.  

Along with debunking the autotune nonsense, the documentary also confirmed a few other things that I already knew. One is that Jimin thrives from interactions with people. He really enjoyed that process of collaboration with his production team. I hope he continues to surround himself with skilled and supportive people, such as what he seemed to have in the “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band”, which is what the team of 4 named themselves. I don’t recall the reason for the name, but it demonstrates the fun and camaraderie the group had while working together. Jimin was also shown reaching out to RM for advice about lyrics and to JK to sing background vocals on a special song.  He has mentioned having conversations with JHope that sounded like encouragement throughout the process. Jimin is a people person, and he is getting better at reaching out for help and support, something he has said in the past he has had trouble doing. I hope he is able to continue to identify good, reliable, trustworthy people with whom he can work comfortably and create more enjoyable work.

Another confirmation was that Jimin was celebrated for the Hot100 #1 chart achievement with not one, but two cakes! (See my “As Information Unfolds” post in my archives for more.) I’m glad that he and the team were recognized at least within the company for the accomplishment. In spite of the fact that I feel someone dropped the ball on not revealing the acknowledgement earlier, I wasn’t one who was hugely disturbed by the lack of cake, especially knowing that Jimin doesn’t really love sweets and cakes and that he unfortunately still has weight/dieting issues and worked to lose too much weight before the promotional performances. The documentary showed him go from what looked like a healthy weight while working on the album to an extremely thin weight by the time the Hot100 news came out, when he was in the midst of promotional activities. I looked up the healthy weight for someone of his height, and the goal he was trying to maintain during promotions is far below what is listed. (He mentioned weight, dieting, & food several times this year from Vibe to FACE, but this comment was specifically in a behind the scenes video for Set Me Free, Part 2.)

Finally, the documentary confirms that Jimin is growing and developing in a lot of areas, while remaining sweetly and comfortably the same Jimin we came to love and enjoy.  I really was pleased to see him being encouraged by the acceptance and use of his contributions. The team helped Jimin pull together his thoughts, story, and concepts, and they were all pleased with the results. (Prior to the release of FACE, PDogg posted a photo of a statement they hung on the wall that said that Jimin was going to end KPop with the release of this album. That is quite a statement from an experienced producer such as PDogg, even if it was only meant as a statement of encouragement and confidence in the artist.) Even Jimin, who can be rather hard on himself, seemed happy with what he created.  I feel this experience was something he has needed in order to shine with the confidence he should always carry.  He needed that type of environment and support to help him to feel free to express and expose all the creativity I have always felt he had, and I believe there is far more than we’ve seen so far.  I feel Jimin has been reminded of that passion he has known within himself, and he seems excited to share more of his efforts.  

While Jimin was very disappointed about the pandemic and all that resulted from the quarantine time, I hope he is able to look back and appreciate events that happened in the midst of that time, which might not have come to pass without that situation. That moment may have helped him get to a road he needed to be on that he had only imagined up to that point.  I’m glad he got to experience the production of and success of his album before he has to pause to complete his military service.  I hope he can carry the memories and energy generated from this experience to motivate him throughout the time he is serving. I also hope he learned from the quarantine experience that good things can sometimes come from events that seem off track.  FACE was an excellent start to Jimin’s solo career, and I look forward to seeing what else he will produce in the future.  

Note: I have not yet seen the accompanying full Live or Commentary videos, which may add to my thoughts and fill in more gaps.   (UPDATE: To PDogg's claim, Jimin became the first Korean soloist to have album to make the Billboard 200 end of year list [#193]).

Chameleon Park Jimin 2

~ Written after seeing several people expressing resistance to Jimin evolving over time ~

The company itself was new and struggling, so they didn't have much in the way of space or food, so resources were spread thin and these young men were often left to their own devices to figure things out. On one hand, it gave them a degree of freedom other companies did not allow; On the other hand, there was likely a great deal of uncertainty day by day. Everyone understood that a lot would have to be done and contributed in order to even hope that this group could succeed.

The group soon debuted, but in spite of their hard work and discipline, it was slow going to gain recognition. They were treated poorly by the KPop industry and peers. They lacked the resources to do some of the things other groups had in order to gain fans and attention. They had to find creative ways to stand out with both their impressive stages as well as with memorable performers and performances. Hip hop Jimin was now transformed into a multiple hair-colored, prettier, more delicate Jimin. Jimin was now at least gaining practical experience with dancing, performing, singing, and style in real time. Each opportunity increased his understanding of what was needed to make a difference on stage, and his efforts were noticed. Not only was he breathtakingly beautiful but he was a stand out for his dance movements and his unusual voice that he was still working to find his comfortable range and abilities.

After a few years BTS began gaining popularity and recognition.  Jimin was often singled out (3 minutes) for his dance, voice and/or appearance.  All the members were improving and adjusting as they discovered what worked for them and the group. The more successful the group became, the further from the plain Busan boy Jimin got.  In the song Like Crazy, from his first solo album, FACE, Jimin sang, “All my reflections I… can’t even recognize.” In addition to other possible meanings, I immediately felt Jimin may have been referring to all the different styles and looks he had morphed into throughout the years.  He played (or was asked to play) the role of the sexy, energetic, confident pop star for the group.  Off stage, he and others have described him as shy with strangers, kind, quiet, and mature.  For a while I was very confused by the contrast of those two images.  While I do still think Jimin is confident, funny, and energetic, over time I came to better understand how those two Jimin’s are actually one in the same person.  Imagine this brown-eyed, brown-haired, shy, Kendo-trained boy looking in the mirror and seeing the somewhat effeminate blonde-, blue-, purple-, orange-, pink-haired guy with green, blue, gray eyes looking back. Imagine him watching the playback of performances and seeing himself do things on stage that - even though he may not have minded being seductive and flirtatious in private - garnered cheers and approval out in public in front of huge audiences.

Not to mention Jimin was learning social cues and behaviors in real time by trial and error.  He was testing his own boundaries and figuring out what he would and would not feel comfortable continuing to do in public, as were all the members.  However, due to this outgoing stage persona he took on, Jimin’s exploration was sometimes more public and more notable than the others. In addition, the reactions to him were becoming more and more polarized and extreme, no matter how big or small the action. (To show what I mean by the stage persona vs. the real life persona, I recall in the behind the scenes VCR of BTS filming the 3rd muster: House of Army, Jimin was assigned the role of the flirtatious dog, Cuty. He had to wink and flirt with others in the script. Jimin committed to it, as he did with everything he was assigned, but commented to the camera that he never winked at anyone and wasn’t sure how to do it or how it turned out.  [Aside: He did a very good job.] But he wasn’t a young, young boy at that time, yet winking and flirting were foreign to him.] It’s sweet and telling. [Aside #2: He got far better at it over time.])

Keep in mind that all of this was happening while Jimin was growing up himself as a regular human too.  He was finding out who he was and how he wanted to present himself and what he believed.  He wanted to succeed and found that he had the goods to help his team do just that.  I feel that there were times that in an effort to shore himself up to face all that he was doing, he had to put on a shell, a coat that not only protected his softer, gentler heart but also motivated him to present things outside of his comfort zone.  I feel sometimes that shell rubbed people who didn’t understand the wrong way, possibly even people close to him at times. Not only was Jimin operating a good distance from how he felt comfortable being normally, but he was also asked to do strenuous choreography while singing in a voice that still wasn’t as stable and reliable as he would have liked in live performances.  His outstanding performances were continually increasing the audience’s expectations of what he would present on stage or in videos.  I can understand when he implies that he was losing himself. He was losing that brown-eyed, brown-haired, grounded - but determined - guy from Busan.

See Chameleon Park Jimin 3.

Goodbye Jimtober

But what an amazing month it has been. Here are some highlights.

1st October

This is Jimin Part 2

2nd October

TMA FACT Awards Idolplus Popularity Awards 2023

9th October

Dior Spring 2024 Campaign

10th October

Jimin's Production Diary Poster

13th October

Jimin's Birthday

14th October

Jimin at Vicnic

16th October

GQ Dior Shoot

Elle Korea Tiffany & Co Shoot

18th October

GQ Korea Photo Shoot

22nd October

This is Jimin Part 3

23rd October

Jimin's Weverse Live on his Production Diary

24th October

Elle Korea Shoot

26th October

BBMA Nominations

30th October

Jimin's Special Talk on his Production Diary

Suchwita with Taemin

Post Date: 31/10/2023

Chameleon Park Jimin 3

~ Written after seeing several people expressing resistance to Jimin evolving over time ~

BTS extensively used social media platforms, vlogs, fan meets, fan signings, and other creative events to help increase their fanbase and name recognition.  In spite of the huge learning curve, long work hours, and meticulous practice sessions, Jimin always appeared to be upbeat and enthusiastic. He had chosen to take on the risk of learning his craft on the job with possible failures and slips on display, and then the company upped the vulnerability of exposure by having Jimin be the one who would expose his body on stage as well. He was required to be muscular and fit to titillate fans as he lifted his shirt to show his cut abs or tore off his shirt or performed shirtless. 

The pressure surrounding this act was likely both internal and external.  Jimin began doing heavy exercise and strict dieting. Severe dieting is more accurate. Although all the guys were required to commit to dieting, Jimin’s now self-imposed restrictions became so severe he would pass out, become weak, and be moody due to the lack of energy.  He has expressed that he felt uncomfortable exposing his body then and also remarked that they were instructed to do some risqué things that were uncomfortable at those ages. Now not only could fans witness any mishaps that might occur from the untrained voice being asked to perform while sometimes jumping around, dancing, and maintaining your breathing, but now those ill-intended audience members could add criticizing his body and overall appearance to the mix as well.

I feel Jimin appeared to have possibly developed an eating disorder at this time due to the high expectations and requirements. I say this because after that very muscular phase finally passed, Jimin became painfully thin at times, losing muscle mass and strength.  Being that Jimin is a perfectionist at heart, he often does everything he executes to the extreme - to his mental and physical detriment.

There was a time when the group became so concerned they had what seemed to be a filmed, group intervention for Jimin, where V explained that they wanted him to eat well because his health was more important than his looks.  That was a brave and loving thing for V to do, even if, at the time, Jimin resisted and felt uncomfortable with the exposure.  I feel the unhealthy dieting was an ongoing problem that he has hopefully overcome, although I presently still hear him talk quite often about weight and eating in a less than healthy way. I’ve observed that Jimin also gains weight to a normal amount then loses a significant amount of weight when performances approach.

Fans were not - and are not - always nice or polite and some were intentionally hurtful, and it’s only gotten worse since then.  Jimin was one member who was highly engaged in social media from early on, and most certainly saw the comments and conversations being had about it all.  Between the company’s requests, his own personal pride, as well as the ongoing stress of his chosen career, Jimin had a lot of pressure on his young shoulders.  Considering how young they all were, they handled the stress incredibly well, but it at times took its toll in other, less obvious, ways.

As BTS’s talent, success, and popularity increased, they understood more and more what they wanted to say, how they wanted to say it, and how they wanted to show it on stage.  Jimin went through some intense struggles, especially with his voice, but compensated for that with intense stage presence and performances.  While he was working to find and improve his full voice, he enhanced and elevated his dance and appearance.  He was always a very good singer with a good voice, but due to the sore throats and limited training, he suffered at times with the effort.  The situation really ate at his confidence and security, I feel. Fan criticism didn’t help the matter, yet he worked harder and continued to persevere.  The company and band recognized more and more what a commodity Jimin was and how he could be used. His unique voice was found to be very useful in his higher range and his unusual tone added uniqueness and richness to the songs.  He was given more singing lines and more elaborate dance routines. 

Jimin also seemed to become a focus of humor for many of the episodes in the various reality type shows they filmed. Jimin can actually be very funny and would create interesting moments when he was involved.  V, during Festa 2020, described Jimin as often surprising them and was unofficially in charge of bringing surprises to the group. In other words, Jimin was innovative and interesting when doing the things he did. However, I feel the company often set up Jimin to lose some of those games intentionally because no one is that unlucky or unskilled that they would lose as often as he did. 

The company enjoyed dressing Jimin up in silly costumes and having him do the humiliating penalties because he was “so cute”, and unfortunately for Jimin, he was an attention magnet for viewers and fans. It appears to me that Jimin was not in on this joke because it seemed to wear on him at times. Even recently he made a remark that he was bad at games and lost often, but maybe his luck had changed.  I feel that while his bandmates were happy for the attention brought to the group (3 minutes), it sometimes bothered them that Jimin would often become the focus of the host or interviewer or fans at a frequent moments.  I’m sure that created some unintended tension in the group occasionally.  

As I said, in the midst of this hectic professional life, Jimin was growing as a human being as well.  He is not perfect and had some learning to do as far as interacting with his members at home, being a bandmate on stage, or just existing personally.  They were all under stress, and as they have said many times, they would become touchy when tired and stressed and frustrated. 

Jimin had his moments where he said the wrong thing or used the wrong tone. Jimin could be sassy and has admitted that he has a blunt way of just saying what is on his mind. He says he can be clumsy with his words. Sometimes he was too playful or too flirtatious to his embarrassment or others.  All of this was done with cameras often in their faces, filming the work and behind the scene moments as well. 

I feel another way Jimin and the other maknae (younger) members were somewhat exploited was that more of their private lives were shown than the hyung (older) members. I don’t know if they were aware of how it would impact them over time or if they were told they didn’t have a choice, but they were at the editors’ mercy as far as the narratives created or shown about them. They may have been too young to understand the consequences and the permanent Internet presence of everything you had ever done, even if you had outgrown situations or later realized the effects.

In spite of the stage persona that Jimin executed so well, Jimin still was able to show that off stage he was genuinely an authentic, caring, warm individual.  He started the birthday celebrations and gift-giving culture within the group.  RM said people often have trouble complimenting or celebrating others’ accomplishments but Jimin never did. RM said he was grateful for Jimin’s ease at doing that for others. 

However, I don’t feel, for reasons I’m not sure, that others returned the favor for Jimin. And sadly, due to personal insecurities he already had, he was one who really needed to hear the positive feedback. There was a time he would ask things like, “What about me?” or “How’d I do?” when compliments were being given to others, and it may have looked as though he was seeking attention or praise when he actually really needed the approval for his peace of mind. With all the uncertainty created by his unsupported professional development, he needed to know he was pulling his weight and hitting the needed marks. 

Later, I feel Jimin had gained enough confidence not to need or to seek out external reassurance (and/or possibly others eventually gave him the feedback that he needed more freely).  On a very recent RunBTS when they were doing flying yoga, Jimin chose a back row to participate but then lost a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors initiated by V to have to move to the front row instead. He did not seek out the attention of the front row or the teacher’s praise, but you could tell it still affects him when he receives affirmation for his efforts. When the teacher said that Jimin was good at the activity, you could tell Jimin appreciated and was proud of the recognition but no longer was desperate to hear it. He even seemed surprised at the teacher sharing those words.

Jimin also likely needed the positive encouragement because the hate and criticism he was receiving online or in the media for anything and everything he did - or didn’t do - was continually growing and still exists to this day.  Over time, the online comments escalated from criticism to death threats. It became - and remains - very hostile and vicious.  The Jimin who would once talk openly and frequently on vlogs and VLives, began to withdraw and not share as much and not show up as much.  The Jimin who would post often and keep fans informed about what was happening in the group, while still respecting his and his bandmates’ privacy, began posting less and less. To his credit, he still remained positive and caring in spite of an almost organized effort to discredit, diminish, and devalue him.

I have explained how Jimin was transforming physically but also emotionally and behaviorally up to this point. Some changes were empowering due to positive experiences and events, and some were destructive due to harmful actions and intentions. All of the experiences were contributing in some way to who Jimin had become so far ----- and then came the Covid pandemic…

See Chameleon Park Jimin Part 4 -  This possible final chapter will more specifically address the current thoughts about Jimin’s evolution as pandemic and post pandemic situations and transformations took hold.

Wow.

The wonder that is Park Jimin.