BTS as a group sort of took off with the success of our 2015

Hear the words of RM, leader and voice of vision, who declared: “BTS as a group sort of took off with the success of our 2015 album that had our hit single I Need U.” Though humble in tone, these words carry the weight of a turning point, the moment when persistence and labor were crowned with recognition. For years before 2015, BTS toiled in the shadows, mocked by many, overlooked by most, yet holding fast to their craft. With “I Need U”, their flame leapt into the sight of the world, and what was once hidden became radiant.

To say that they “took off” with that album is to acknowledge that success rarely arrives suddenly. It is the fruit of countless unseen hours, the watering of roots before the flower blooms. For BTS, the years before 2015 were their wilderness, a season of proving. They endured small crowds, little recognition, and the burden of being underestimated. Yet they continued, each song another stone upon the path, each performance a seed cast into the soil. Then, in 2015, the seed burst forth—the world began to hear.

This story is not theirs alone; history has echoed it many times. Consider Vincent van Gogh, who painted in poverty and obscurity, unrecognized in his lifetime. His works were the “I Need U” of his soul, unseen in his day but destined to explode into glory after his passing. Or recall J.K. Rowling, who faced rejection upon rejection before her first book was finally embraced. Success seemed sudden to the world, but it was the harvest of years of unseen endurance.

In truth, “I Need U” was more than a song. It was a cry of vulnerability, a confession of longing, and an embrace of imperfection. Its raw honesty connected with millions because it was born not of calculation, but of truth. This is why it marked the beginning of BTS’s rise. The world does not hunger for perfection alone; it hungers for authenticity, for stories that echo its own struggles. Through their song, BTS held up a mirror to the hearts of their listeners, and the hearts recognized themselves.

The meaning of RM’s words, then, is this: success comes when preparation meets the moment of truth. The years of struggle are never wasted; they are the foundation. The one performance, the one creation, the one offering that touches the world is never an accident—it is the fruit of countless unseen sacrifices. BTS’s 2015 breakthrough was not a sudden miracle, but the inevitable flowering of a tree long tended in silence.

The lesson is clear, O seeker: labor faithfully, even when unseen. Do not despise the small stages, the quiet work, the years of obscurity. They are your training ground. When the moment of recognition arrives, you will be ready to take flight, as BTS did in 2015. And when it comes, let your offering be honest, born of your own truth, for that is what pierces the hearts of others.

And what must you do in your own life? Seek not the shortcut, but the steady path. Build your craft, strengthen your character, endure your trials. When others overlook you, continue. When doubt whispers, persist. For one day, your “I Need U” will come—the work that gathers all your labor into a single moment of impact, the song or deed that lifts you from the ground into the sky.

Thus, let RM’s words echo in your heart: success is not sudden, but the flowering of faithful labor. Be patient, be true, be steadfast. For the day will come when your long-hidden seed will break into bloom, and the world will finally see what you have carried all along.