Released in March 4, 2019, The Dream Chapter: Star marked TXT's debut with the 5 songs Blue Orangeade, Crown, Our Summer, Cat & Dog, and Nap of a Star, but beyond this being TXT's introduction to the kpop world, it also introduced the story they would be telling over the next 7 years, and marked a before and after of 4th generation Kpop.
The Story: in simple terms, the lore of Tomorrow X Together, yes, because there is lore in their music, begins with 5 boys making a promise under a star that even if they part ways, they will meet each other again. When they go separate ways, the star loses it's glow, goes to sleep, and the boys forget their true names which makes an evil entity in the shape of a cat with two different colored eyes chase after them and try to hurt them. In the end, only finding each other again and remembering the promise they made to the star they can remember their true names and save each other from evil. This is the story that begins in The Dream Chapter: Star, and will continue throughout their albums and music videos.
The Title Track: Crown is the title track or lead single of their debut EP. The Korean title, 어느 날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다, literally translates to "One day, a horn grew from my head." In this song, they tell a story of a boy who one day suddenly grew horns from his head. Initially, these horns are a source of shame, something that makes the boy feel like a monster and want to run away and hide. Eventually, the boy meets someone who has wings, and they realize that they aren't alone after all, and his horns become his crown. This song is of course as a metaphor for the changes a person experiences growing up, and learning to accept our "flaws" as something that makes us unique and beautiful, as well as embracing each others differences.
What made this EP so impactful? Being BTS's junior group, it goes without saying that TXT had an immense amount of pressure on their shoulders. Not only did they have to succeed, they also had to differentiate themselves from BTS, as many people were eager to discount them before they even debut.
But with their debut, they didn't only show that they were different from their seniors, they showed that they were different from every boy group of the era. While the trend at the time was the tough, leather and chains, bad boy image, and every boy group was releasing rap and hip-hop based music, TXT came into the scene with a bright and happy sound and a colorful and almost silly image, talking about boys with horns growing on their heads. Not only did this debut broke records, it defined a whole generation of Kpop, making groups for years to come adopt a youthful and fresh image, moving on from the era of the dark and moody concepts. Even industry professionals know this, naming TXT as a clear inspiration for 5th generation groups.
This debut had everything that people were hungry for, meaningful lyrics, powerful and beautiful vocals, energetic choreography and stunning visuals.
For these reason, TXT's The Dream Chapter: Star and their debut single Crown is regarded as one of the best and most iconic debuts in kpop history. But TXT was just getting started, and they still had many, many sides of them to show.
TXT being the second most mentioned musical artist on tumblr is objectively insane (and while that might just be because a lot of people tag their text posts as #txt and that is, well, their name, but the truth is that TXT should be one of the most mentioned artists on tumblr, because I grew up on this goddamn site and I know they’re the kind of group this website would love (the best aesthetics, gay, gorgeous, talented and a little emo). I’m so sure that it inspired me to create a blog dedicated to them.
So, newcomers and future MOA, let me introduce you to this set of 5 legally known as Tomorrow X Together!!
The Name: Tomorrow X Together (Tomorrow by Together), TXT, Tubatu, Five Stars/Our Five/Our Five Stars
The Fandom: MOA (Moments of Alwaysness) a bit cornet yes but it also means “to gather” in korean and that’s very cute okay??
The Members:
Choi Soobin
Leader of the group, irremediable introvert, anime lover and gamer, 6’2’’ but will drown in 3 inches of water, falsetto king and KARA’s #1 fan.
He’s the kind of guy who seems so normal and inoffensive at first sight, but the more you get to know him you find out he’s actually genuinely insane (look up the pantless selfie and watermelon incidents). But despite his shyness and unhinged behavior, he’s truly the kindest and most caring boy around, who never hesitates to speak up for himself and his members.
Choi Yeonjun
4th gen It Boy, the man who is married to ramen, Fubao lover, ass man, every fashion house wants a piece, and inspiration for every new idol.
Don’t let his tough looking exterior fool you, he’s soft as a petal and sweet as grandma’s cookies. Incredibly hardworking and talented, not one to take anything or anyone for granted. Endlessly grateful for everything that he has and generous enough to return it tenfold to others. You only need to watch him perform once to understand why idols model themselves to his image and why every company out there tries to copy his creativity.
Choi Beomgyu
Master producer, the man that exists at 3am and 3pm, you’ve never met anyone sleepier or more handsome, picky eater but with good intentions, real life puppy, and variety genius.
Despite being seen as high energy and crazy by most people, he’s actually one of the most naturally quiet, reflective, and melancholic members of the group. He’s caring and attentive and that translates into the music he writes and produces, where he shows his more tender and sentimental side. Even then, he’s our happy pill and there’s never a dull moment with this guy.
Kang Taehyun
Golden voice, brains above feelings, effort doesn’t betray you, body strong but mentality even stronger, chatterbox, hehe cat, pretends to be colder than Antarctica but we know the truth.
If there was a personification of self actualization, it would be Kang Taehyun, even when his voice is already beautiful and he signs with a passion to make you believe that he’s gone through at least five divorces, you’ll still find him in vocal lessons working on his technique. You love to see him on stage because you know he fucking loves it there. Also, the true definition of a “T” type (as in his MBTI), but will still disarm you with how cute and loving he can be.
Huening Kai
Diamond maknae, musical genius and perfect pitch possessor, prince of wasia, big heart and even bigger tits, an angel that has come down to earth to hug all stuffed animals.
There is no one purer and sweeter in this world than Huening Kai, but do not mess with him (negative Kai haunts my dreams). Inhumanly talented individual who thought himself how to compose music at 15 years old on garage band, and continues to deliver some of the most iconic pieces of music in the group’s discography. And as if that weren’t enough, he looks like you pulled him straight out of a fantasy novel. And of course he’s kind and has a fat ass. Of course.
The Music: With a wide range of genres from bright bubblegum pop to R&B and rock, and from emo-punk and nu metal to synth-pop and dance music, there’s is no sound that TXT is afraid to approach and make their own, to the point that Tomorrow X Together is basically its own genre.
From The Dream Chapter: STAR, their debut EP where they explore the happiness and challenges of growing up and becoming a teenager, to 7th Year: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, their most current EP and first album after contract renewal with their label, where they share the anxiety and that comes from being a group in their 7th year of career and their reliance and unwillingness to let go of the dreams they still have, they have painted a picture of a youth that is both joyful and full of growing pains.
TXT is one of the rare groups that combines musical quality and meaningful lyrics, high level performance, vocal ability, and diversity of sound to create a truly flawless discography. While a lot of kpop can be overly reliant of flashy visuals and trend chasing for maximum algorithm optimization, TXT is a group that is unwilling to sacrifice their musical identity to cater to trends and the short-term attention spans of the current wave of fans and music listeners, because according to their own words, success that comes from changing your colors is not success at all.
This post is getting kind of long, so consider this part 1 of introducing TXT to Tumblr. I will continue to make more posts introducing each member, their dynamics, their music, their variety content, the lore!!!! Everything!!!! Because the best moment to stan Tomorrow X Together was 7 years ago, but the best next moment is right now!!
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