Alright ARMY, let's talk about the meaning of the roles and positions (main, lead, etc), why they're important, how a member NOT having a certain role doesn't make them less talented, and how not all members are cut out to be the 'main' position in their role. +

I talked about this briefly earlier today. At the time I didn't know that there was a whole discussion going on about the topic, so I was just trying to give a quick explanation to someone I follow. I left out a lot of details, but the og thread is here: https://twitter.com/_mochikookie/status/1307725779783028744?s=20

That thread glosses over the importance of the roles and accidentally downplays them a bit, which was definitely not my intention. I want to make it clear that the roles remain VERY important to this day, but we'll come back to that later! For now, let's talk about the meanings!+

If you're unfamiliar, the band's roles (irt performance/production) are:
RM: Main rap
JK: Main Voc, Lead Dan
JM: Main Dan, Lead Voc
Jin: Voc
HS: (Lead?) Rap*, Main Dan
YG: Lead Rap
V: Voc

*I've found conflicting info about his official status so I'm not 100% sure. +

There are other positions that come into play in other aspects--visual, maknae, center, leader, but I'm not going to talk about those here. I'm just going to talk about the difference between main/vocal/sub roles. +

In my other thread I described the 'main' roles as being supervisors and the 'leads' being regular employees. That was a really quick explanation that I gave just to try and explain their responsibilities, and it... kinda works? I explained it poorly though, looking back. +

Anyone with the "main" designation have the best technique and the most responsibilities. In the case of JK, his responsibilities consist of providing support for the other members: He'll do guides, make adjustments on the fly, make suggestions, provide back-up vocals, +

cover for the other members during live performances as needed, and so much more.

RM has the same type of responsibilities, but for the rapline. As dancers, j-hope and JM oversee the choreography and performance, monitor the members' dancing, etc. +

ALL of the members in their respective "main" roles are expected to be constantly aware of the other members' performance. They are the ones with the most experience, the most achievements, and the deepest understanding of their respective performances. +

The mains are the first ones to learn the songs, the choreo, etc. They do the most work behind the scenes--most of which we don't even get to see, like them teaching the other members. They're generally the ones expected to handle the 'hardest' parts of their songs/choreos, too.+

It's not just about them being the 'best' performers: It's about them being the most hard working and well-rounded. A combination of their talent, work-ethic, achievements, and more netted them the 'main' positions. It's nothing to shake a stick at. +

That brings us to the 'leads'. The leads are similar to the mains, but with far less responsibility behind the scenes. In the case of k-pop as a whole, leads are usually given their positions because they're the most 'appealing' to an audience. It's usually their responsibility +

to give the most "impressive" performance and draw people's ears/eyes. That's why we often hear Jimin singing the melody or high harmonies, Yoongi rapping the more complicated verses, and JK taking center during formations or doing the more eye-catching moves +

(a-la mic drop's dance break and fake love's shirt lift). The 'leads' are incredible performers with stage presence that makes them stick out within their positions.

That leaves the sub/regular roles. They are by no means 'lesser' than the leads/mains in terms of talent, +

but they are not relied on to carry out the same level of responsibilities as the leads/mains. +

Now, this is where we get to the part where BTS is... weird. They ABSOLUTELY utilize the typical k-pop roles/positions, but they don't adhere strictly to it like some groups do. We've seen all of the members step up to the plate and perform as leads on multiple occasions, +

and these days, it's next to impossible to tell who the main/leads are JUST by listening to their music, unlike other groups whose songs end up being a lot more structured and formulated. BTS have really learned to utilize their individual strengths and apply those strengths +

to their music to create incredible works of art.

...That said, the roles ABSOLUTELY still apply behind the scenes. The fact remains that those in the 'lead' role have more responsibilities than those in the 'sub' position, and those in the 'main' role have more +

responsibilities than both combined. The roles are not strictly a measure of talent, but instead take into account the whole picture: experience, work-ethic, reliability, flexibility, impact, achievements, and so on. The roles are a form of acknowledgement of the members' +

achievements/experience/talent etc, but again, the LACK of these roles doesn't mean a member is somehow 'lesser' than the others when it comes to their individual performance. ALL of the members are insanely talented, equally so in many regards. +

That said, just because a member is incredibly talented at singing/dancing/rapping does NOT mean they're necessarily cut out to be the MAIN singer/dancer/rapper. It takes way more than just talent to fill that particular role: It takes hard work, an eye/ear for details, +

a willingness and ability to guide the other members and give coaching and criticism when necessary, the drive to put in hours worth of extra work to support the other members and the band as a whole, and so much more.

+

RM IS the main rapper. Jungkook IS the main vocal. Jimin and j-hope ARE the main dancers. It's because of their achievements, their talent, their understanding of their crafts, their hard work, and so many more reasons that they were given these designations. +

I'll repeat my earlier sentiment: Not everyone is cut out to be the 'main'. It doesn't mean they aren't INSANELY talented in their own right. It doesn't mean they haven't achieved great things. It also doesn't mean that they couldn't 'stand in' for the main if +

absolutely necessary. That said, talent and achievements alone don't make someone deserving of the 'main' position.

There's a reason the rest of the group openly admire and respect the 'mains': It's because they've worked HARD to earn that respect and admiration. +

TLDR: Main/Lead/Sub roles are, essentially, job titles. These titles are not a measure of TALENT alone, but instead are a measure of their achievements, technical know-how, experience, and so on. An excess of talent alone does not make a member worthy of being a 'main', nor does+

being a 'main' make that particular member explicitly more talented or otherwise 'better' than the other members.

Their roles define their responsibilities and highlight their overall performance, but DO NOT define their talent.