Group BTS released the music video for '2.0,' a B-side track brimming with noir sensibility from their fifth full-length album, at midnight on the 2nd, their agency BigHit Music announced.
The music video pays homage to a famous scene from director Park Chan-wook's film "Oldboy." The members' lively acting, makeup, and direction that harmonizes with the song's message stand out.
As a worn elevator door opens, BTS appears dressed in suits. Stepping out as if confronting rough-looking figures gathered in the hallway, the members exude the aura of noir film protagonists with their sharp suits and sunglasses. However, unexpected props that clash with their outfits — a hyojason (traditional back scratcher), a taegeuk fan, a danso (Korean traditional flute), a newspaper held upside down — along with fake beard makeup quickly draw laughter. The members march forward in time with the music, evoking the iconic "hammer action scene" from "Oldboy," which was filmed in a single take in a narrow corridor. Flickering lights synchronized to the rhythm and the comical movements of surrounding characters blend with BTS's performance to deliver a uniquely entertaining experience.
The centerpiece of the music video is the '2.0 LOADING' sequence that unfolds inside the elevator. The members busily change clothes in the confined space and transform into the BTS the public knows, accompanied by the words "We've finally arrived." They then perform throughout the abandoned building, expressing the team's current state as it enters a new phase called 'BTS 2.0.'
The structure — beginning in a shabby elevator and concluding in a glamorous penthouse — is equally impressive. The raw feel of the opening evokes BTS's journey of building their career from the ground up. The scenes that unfold after the wardrobe change and spatial transition feel like witnessing the group's transformation into icons of the era through sheer effort. In this way, the '2.0' music video metaphorically reveals BTS's strengthened identity and the start of a new era.
The performance in the video is also compelling. The choreography of '2.0' features weighty movements, precise tempo control, and a clear narrative arc. It also breaks away from performance patterns that symbolized the team's past, embodying a fresh feel that signals their entry into a new chapter.
BTS showed exceptional affection for the '2.0' music video. "It feels like a video that showcases our evolved performance. Because it's a work that pays homage to a film, the filming process was fun too. Above all, the memory of getting into makeup to portray 'Old BTS' in the opening stays with us the longest. During filming, we couldn't stop laughing at each other," they recalled.
'2.0' is a hip-hop and trap genre track with an unconventional rhythm. It sings of the current BTS, having undergone change and growth to enter a new phase. Lyrics such as "Yeah, doing it like Bangtan — easy to say / We're the vault, who keeps jumping over it every day" reflect the group's confidence and the effort they have poured in. The track debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, the main song chart released by the U.S. music publication (dated April 4).