“I Should Love Myself”: An Exploratory Study of BTS Lyrics as Tools of Narrative Healing and Collective Affect

The paper purports to explore how BTS song lyrics functions as tools of narrative medicine, affective coping, and memory activation within the global fandom community, ARMY. By employing Affect Theory, Narrative Medicine, and Neuroaesthetics, the attempt throughout the paper is to argue that BTS’s music not only entertains but also operates as an affective medium for the ARMY’s to processes of personal and collective meaning -making and healing. The study aims to analyse how the narratives like loss, self-love, memory, identity, and emotional resilience are weaved into the lyrics, through the close textual analysis of selected BTS songs such as Spring Day, Magic Shop, Love Myself, and Mikrokosmos. These narrative works as external affective structure and also influences ARMY members’ self-reflection and emotional processing. Furthermore, it also examines the ARMY’s engagement with BTS’s song lyrics as form of music therapy which persuades collective listening, interpretation and thereby creating a affective connection within the community. By positioning BTS lyrics as cognitive tools that produce affect, trigger memory and sustain emotional resilience, the study highlights the significance and the therapeutic potential of popular music. The paper also extends to critique around how popular culture participates in processes of healing and identity formation in the digital age by blending notions from Nuerohumanities and Fandom Studies.