VIDEO BTS shares encouraging messages in YouTube commencement speech
K-pop group BTS gave the commencement speech in YouTube's “Dear Class of 2020.” Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment
By Lee Gyu-lee
K-pop group BTS gave the commencement speech ― and performed ― as part of YouTube's virtual graduation ceremony “Dear Class of 2020,” Sunday (local time).
Starting with the group's leader RM, each member ― Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook ― shared their graduation memories and messages of encouragement with the graduates.
“Dear Class of 2020, it's been a strange year so far, but you made it,” RM said. “Today, we might not have flowers, and we might not have graduation caps. What we do have is possibly the most special graduation ceremony in history.”
Recalling his middle school graduation day, he shared his moments of excitement and the unsettled feeling about the next phase in life.
“The fear of an obscure future as our daily lives turn upside down is a moment of realization of the self, the realization of what makes me a true me, myself,” he said.
Jin talked about his high school graduation and what it was like to step into the real world with such uncertainty.
Referring to the time before he made his debut as part of BTS, he said, “I'd feel restless watching my friends go on ahead of me.
“What held me together during those times was a promise I made with myself: 'to take it slow.' If any of you feel lost in the face of doubt or uncertainty, don't rush … You may find that any moment can be turned into an opportunity.”
Suga, unlike other members, shared his concerns these days, expressing that he felt as if he was “deserted on an island.”
Using his own metaphor, he sympathizes with the new graduates and said, “But I wish to tell you: Please don't be afraid, don't worry yourself.”
“Get your hands on the changes you can make, because your possibilities are limitless. After all, I also had no idea I would become BTS either,” he said with a big smile.
Along with the powerful speech, the septet performed three of its hit songs ― “Boy with Luv,” “Spring Day” and “Mikrokosmos” ― as a finale to the virtual graduation ceremony.
The all-star commencement event, organized by YouTube Originals, intends to celebrate graduates and their families affected by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-hour event invited various celebrities and public figures, including former president Barack Obama, singer Beyonce and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.