South Korean pop/hip hop group, BTS, has been growing in popularity and accomplishments in the last few years. This group consist of seven men who are in their twenties. Their new album, Map of the Soul: Persona, was released on April 12, 2019. The group had around 2.6 million pre sales. The album was highly anticipated and the boys were asked for spoilers when they attended the Grammys in February. Also, BTS performed on Saturday Night Live the day after their album was released. They performed the title song off of the new album, Boy with Luv as well as an old, but highly loved song, Mic Drop. Their performance caught many views with their dancing and amazing vocals. Not to long after BTS performed at the Billboard Music Awards and won Top Social Artist (for the third year in a row), and Top Duo/Group. They stated their stadium tour in May. The concert has already been a success with amazing reviews.

Their newest album offers a range of styles and collaborations. Halsey is featured in the title track Boy With Luv, and Ed Sheeran helped compose Make it Right. Overall, the album has a fresh feel while bringing elements back from previous albums. Along with the music they also put a lot of thought into their album packaging. When buying the physical C.D., the buyer also gets a photo book, Photo card, photo film, etc. The color scheme goes along with their overall concept. One of the best things about BTS is that the members are very involved in the production process of their music and member RM wrote a majority of the lyrics for this album.

Now let’s talk about the actual songs.

Intro persona: This song was released on March 27, around 2 weeks before the rest of the album came out. The song only featured one member from the group. Rapper RM gives a passionate new take to a song about what he has accomplished. The song was accompanied with a music video filled with vibrant colors and special effects. This song was a favorite of mine because the message of the song stays clear, but the tone and variety of the style bring the song to life. ¨So I’m asking once again yeah, who the hell am I¨. RM talks about the things people have said (and still say) about him, and how he has overcome it. The track makes you want to get up and chant along.

Boy with luv feat. Halsey: This song was the title track for the album. As so, they also released a music video to accompany it. The song was instantly met with an amazing response. The music video reached over 74.6 millions views in the first 24 hours, beating both Blackpink and Ariana Grande. It also surpased 100 million views within 48 hours. The song is upbeat but brings a chill vibe. It features all 7 members along with Halsey. The song is about the little things in love. Along with the unique raps and angelic vocals, BTS creates an amazing live performance with the song. The choreography is fresh and goes along with the song well.

Mikrokosmos: This song has an upbeat melody whilst talking about gentle topics. ¨One person’s history. One person’s star. 7 billion worlds that shine with 7 billion lights.¨ The song talks about the uniqueness of each person and how diverse the world is. This song was truly made for the vocalist. They bring the song to life and it shows off their range.

Make it right: This song is about a journey of going back to someone who you love. They drifted apart but everything he ever did was always for her. This is a slower song but it still keeps a happy beat. The lyrics to this song are very touching. It’s the type of song you swing along to.

HOME: ¨I’m exhausted man. Oh, guess what? I just want to go home,¨ RM. Home is about thinking that you have everything until you realize what you´re missing. It’s realizing that Home is with the person you love rather then all of the things you have accumulated over the years. Home has a nice groove to it. It has a similar feel to make it right.

Jamais vu: This is a light melody with sad lyrics. It’s about a heart that aches and needs something to heal. This song only features three of the members; Jin, Jungkook, and Hoseok. This song will hit you right in the feels. The lyrics are very poetic. It uses the metaphor of a game to explain the struggles he is going through.

Dionysus: This is definitely the rock song of the album. This song has a powerful beat that makes you want to jump with the song. Dionysus uses drinking as a metaphor for multiple different ideas. The choreography again was top notch and matches the power of the song. The entire song is strong and memorable but the rap line added such a memorable texture and elevated the song. Their live performances of Dionysus is  a must see.