How are BTS’ bombshell concerts produced? Jungkook flew while Jimin sang inside a plastic bubble during the K-pop idols’ Love Yourself world tour – meet the director who made it possible
- Kim Sang-wook founded concert production company Plan A in 2010, worked with BTS from 2013 to 2019, and produced for Big Hit acts 2AM and Ateez too
- He published A Show Director’s Logbook in K-pop Wave: From Clubs to Wembley Stadium, Directing Notes on K-pop Shows, revealing behind the scenes experiences
The leopard idea was the brainchild of concert director Kim Sang-wook and his team. Knowing that the party anthem was inspired by the Greek god of wine, who is frequently depicted riding leopards, they incorporated the animals into the scene and realised the “rebirth” of the god – as the song lyrics go – on stage.
Kim recently published the book A Show Director’s Logbook in K-pop Wave: From Clubs to Wembley Stadium, Directing Notes on K-pop Shows.
But there was more where that came from. Kim and his colleagues also created a fairy tale-like scene by putting Jimin inside a giant plastic bubble filled with beautiful white flowers for his solo number Serendipity. Jungkook flew over fans with help of a support harness during Euphoria. All these elements took the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour to the next level and, thanks to this globe-trotting journey that attracted audiences of more than 2 million across 23 cities, BTS nabbed the tour of the year award at the American Music Awards in 2019.
Directing concerts for one of the biggest K-pop group today was a golden opportunity. But Kim, who worked with the septet from 2013 to 2019, revealed it did not come without costs.
“It was the first time for a K-pop act to play such large-scale concerts around the world, so the workload back then was unbelievably heavy,” he said during an interview in Gangnam, Seoul. “One of the most demanding things was to think [out of the box] to make every performance live up to its reputation. My colleagues and I combed through YouTube and Google for references and racked our brains to come up with something fresh, such as the inflatable leopards and the plastic bubble.”
He added, “There were heartbreaking moments, too. Numerous people from different areas were involved in this big project, but we had insufficient time to communicate closely. This sometimes resulted in conflicts, in which some of us exchanged some harsh words.”
The process of directing a K-pop concert is far more complicated than what people might think. Kim, the founder of concert production company Plan A, explained that he and his team begin preparations about two months to a year before a concert actually takes place.
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“We first talk about the overall concept of the event with the artists and their management companies and then make a project proposal, considering the size of the venue,” he said. “Next, we discuss how we will design the stage and set list. In particular, when it comes to the set list, we have to take a lot of things into consideration – for instance, we should not let the singers perform powerful dance tracks for 15 minutes straight because this can be physically strenuous for them. The set list should also have a smooth flow and a storyline.”
