'Proof' review: Latest from BTS offers throwback to past, invitation to future

'Proof' is the evidence of K-pop megastars BTS’ unwavering pursuit of its dreams. – Photo: BigHit Music

On June 13, 2013, BTS debuted on the K-pop scene with No More Dream, leading the band’s debut EP, 2 Cool 4 Skool. A month later, the band unveiled for free online the single Born Singer, through which they voice their honest feelings about debuting and pledge to keep striving for their dreams as musicians.

Nine years later, the song, which had sampled J. Cole’s Born Sinner, is officially released as the first track of the band’s anthology album, Proof, released on Friday. While time has passed, BTS’ lyrics’ messages and emotions delivered through their songs do not seem to stray far from the music that it has released in recent years. For the past nine years, the band has stayed on a single path of its own. Proof is the evidence of BTS’ unwavering pursuit of its dreams, which it promises to continue doing in the future.