Sofia Rositani – Editor-in-Chief
BTS has done it again. They have broke Army, in both a money sense and a mental sense.
Park Jimin, singer, and dancer for the Korean boy group BTS, has finally released his first solo album “Face.” There are 6 songs on the setlist, two being the same song but one is in English.
“Face, which arrived on March 24 via HYBE LABELS, brought in 74% of the vote, beating out new music from Lana Del Rey (Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd), Ed Sheeran (“Eyes Closed”), Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro (RR), Luke Combs (Gettin’ Old), and others,” according to Billboard.
The power of the BTS Army is limitless. The boys work hard to give us content and in return we work hard to get them to the top of the charts and awards. Many fans, not just in BTS, will buy multiple albums to help them reach the number one spot on the charts.
The last members to release a solo album were Kim Seokjin with “Astronaut,” prior to his military enlistment, J-Hope, or Jung Hoseok, with not just his album “Jack in the Box” but also “On the Street” with J. Cole, and finally RM, or Kim Namjoon with his album “Indigo” and his recent feature on “Smoke Sprite” by So!YoON!. Every single one of these albums sold out in stores the same day of their release.
As someone who does not have social anxiety walking into a target and asking if they have an album that may be sold out does not bother me. That is exactly what I had to do because they do not put out all the albums on the floor, so you have to ask if they still have any in the back. Thankfully, they had 12 left and another fellow Army, and I were able to wipe that sweat off our brow and buy it.
This album’s music videos are stunning. While I was not a huge fan of “Set Me Free pt. 2,” which is a nod to my bias and rapper in BTS, AGUSTD’s, song “Interlude: Set Me Free.” I really enjoyed the choreography and the way it was shot. We also saw Park in a more vulnerable way since we never really see the members shirtless. This whole album felt vulnerable, like he finally ripped the band aid off kind of way. We have seen something like this in the past with “Lie” and “Serendipity.”
This album almost made it seem like he was saying “hey this is Park Jimin and if you do not like it then leave” an F U to the haters and sasaengs in the world. Nylon writer India Roby explains it perfectly in her article.
“If Jimin’s previous works were bubbling whispers, Face is an honest scream into the void. The album wrestles with self-inflicted torment but ends on a new beginning as an artist as he shows off a previously unseen creativity through his use of personal snippets and clips. Listeners now meet Jimin as he stands in unfamiliar territory, one that exhibits his desire to evolve beyond the BTS title, at the cusp of something even greater to come,” Roby wrote.
As an Army I also feel like “Face” is not just for him but for all of us who are struggling through issues like he does, or for us to interpret it to find a way to help ourselves through our own struggles. This is new for us to hear from him, but I also really like it, this feels raw and emotional. BTS have so many songs like that too do not get me wrong, but this is his first time doing this alone without his fellow members who are his family, so it could be scary for him.
Through photos and social media, we saw that they were there for him, including Jin who was able to leave training for a little bit, at his comeback show and that sparked joy in the hearts of Army all around the world.
