Here Is A Look At The Real Meaning Behind The Planet “Calypso” In BTS And Coldplay’s “My Universe” Music Video
The music video for BTS‘s collaboration with British band Coldplay for “My Universe” was recently released, and ARMYs cannot get enough! Its space-themed storyline and high-quality graphics seemed like something out of a sci-fi film as the two groups became rebel bands.
Yet, none of this could’ve been possible without the vision created by Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin and the director Dave Meyers. Dave Meyers recently released an article looking at the entire concept behind the video and all the ins and outs of the video that fans might not have noticed, alongside all the work that took place.
Whereas most of the music video was shot in Barcelona, when it came to BTS’s scenes, this was all done from Seoul in Korea and was done two weeks after the initial filming. For Meyers, it was essential to have all the ideas and designs locked in before the shoot started.
BTS’s scenes were based on a fictional planet called “Calypso.” It was designed to look like a crumbling alien shipping port, with giant rusting structures disappearing into an ominous sky.
Yet, it wasn’t just any random set that the director and staff produced to create something that looked like it could be from outer space. Like everything else in the video, a lot of thought went into the design.
The first thoughts for the track were very specific and drew on history for the design.
We initially explored a design for Calypso focused on a crumbling sea fort, inspired by research imagery that I had found of World War II-era defensive forts in the North Sea.
— Dave Meyers
Yet, after the concept design, something didn’t sit right with Meyers, and they completely changed the concept. However, it was still a concept that looked at the past and enhanced it to look futuristic.
Several weeks down this cul-de-sac, we pivoted to pursuing a new concept inspired by images of the abandoned shipping ports in Dudunka, Russia.
— Dave Meyers
Although the set of the planet seemed researched enough, it seems as if even the name has some sort of significance.
BTS’s planet is called Calypso, and in Greek mythology, Calypso is the goddess that keeps Greek hero Odysseus prisoner for seven years by enchanting him with song. For many, they see BTS as the planet and ARMYs as Odysseus as the group’s songs enchant them. In particular, the seven is very significant as it represents the number of members in BTS!
As expected, a lot of thought went into every single aspect of this music video, and the results showcase all of that hard work! You can watch the whole music video below.
