Map Of The Soul: Persona was released on April 12, 2019 and is the sixth extended play from the unique, sincere, passionate, artistic, record-breaking K-pop boy band, BTS, (Bangtan Boys).
The new album’s concept is very easy-going and a refreshing contrast to past hits such as “Fake Love” from Love Yourself: Tear, “Silver Spoon,” and the very upbeat “Fire.”
This is their first album for 2019 and it’s off to a good start!
Their newest single, “Boy With Luv,” featuring Halsey broke the record for the most watched youtube video in 24 hours with 74 million views on April 13, 2019, which has since risen to over 300 million.
The song starts off with being Jimin curious about the person he’s interested in, with J-Hope and Jungkook saying that the love has turned them into “heros.” They are no longer boys in love, but rather “boys with luv,” which means that the love spreads further than just romance, it has taken over everything that they do and feel.
From hip hop heavy, Intro: Persona, to the hard hitting chorus line of “Dionysus,” this album definitely caught lots of people’s attention. Even so,“Mikrokosmos” wasn’t a top favorite. It seemed out of place with the other summery pop and rap tracks that were on the album. It was relatively calm and just fell flat. “Make it Right” on the other hand had a relaxed, chill vibe that reminded many of a beautifully yet simple older track. This and “Butterfly” mellowed out the album. V’s deep voice paired with Jimin’s high pitched one and Jungkook’s combination of both made this track one of the best yet.
This album combined many different genres into one which shows how comfortable and diverse the Bangtan Boys are getting with their sound. They aren’t afraid to rap and sing about personal and emotional subjects, which makes their sound unique to other K-pop artists and even artists in general. Even though some tracks had a lot of potential and could’ve been polished up some more, all in all it was a good album. With the bar set even higher than before, fans can expect the pop superstars to continue to amaze them with their personality and artistry once again.
Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_of_the_Soul:_Persona