BTS’ Chapter 2: A breakdown of solo albums so far and the significance each one of them holds in the BTS world!

With the beginning of BTS’ Chapter 2 we’ve got a plethora of new songs to listen to and here’s looking at the bittersweet and exciting journey we’ve had so far!

In June 2022, BTS announced that they will be focusing on their solo projects and the whole fandom had so many preconceived notions about how things might go. But BTS is always known for being one step ahead, planning things in a way that it always leaves their fans surprised and eagerly looking forward to things. BTS' Chapter 2 has been all about showing a more up close and personal side of themselves, speaking about their feelings more often, and of course being shirtless every chance they get.

This is a whole new world for us as BTS armys as the K-Pop system makes us feel like we know a lot about our favourite idols but if we really think about it, we actually don’t. And BTS unabashedly breaks that barrier and has formed a more real and genuine relationship with their fans in this new chapter. Initially the words that were heavily used in Chapter 2 were “hiatus” and “break” and of course there were people who even assumed that BTS is done for. On the contrary, the group has been more active now than ever and you can see each one of them work on things that they’ve always wanted to do for the past 10 years. While Chapter 1 was always about ‘BTS’ as a whole, Chapter 2 has totally been about finding their own voice and we love seeing the boys breaking free and doing what they love!

Also Read: To Suga, the musical mastermind and the most desirable bachelor of our generation!

Here’s a recap of what Chapter 2 has brought us so far and an analysis of each of their albums!

A sign of hope through J-hope’s Jack in the Box

J-hope was the first member to release a solo album ‘Jack in the Box’. The main track of his album ‘More’ spoke about the desire J-hope has about chasing his personal ambition in music. He named himself ‘Hope’ based on the Greek mythology of Pandora’s Box where the last thing in the jar given to her by Zeus was ‘Hope’ and one of the tracks in his album is also called ‘Pandora’s Box' which explains that beautifully. He speaks about having equality in the world through his song ‘Equal Sign’ and the album overall is him reflecting on his inner struggles as an artist. 

Jin’s heartfelt goodbye through The Astronaut

In October when BTS held a free concert in Busan, Jin announced that he would be releasing his single next. Two days later, we found out that BTS members will be serving in the military one by one after finishing all their solo projects and that Jin would be the first one to leave. The Astronaut is a heartwarming collaboration between Jin and one of his favourite artists, Coldplay. While introducing the song on stage, Chris Martin said Jin came up to him and said I have to serve in the military because those are the rules here so I wanted to write a song for my fans where I can say goodbye to them for a little while. Hearing that, we just knew Astronaut would hit different. And it did because the concept of his music video and what the lyrics meant were based on that fact that how until now, Jin was there for us on our good and bad days, how he taught us to love ourselves again and now how a parent eventually leaves their child to ride their own bicycle, he too has left us for sometime until he reunites with us in the Magic Shop where there is no one else but BTS and us.

RM’s Indigo: The last archive of his twenties

In his second solo album, RM collaborated with nine talented artists from the music industry whose work he has always admired. The first track from the album ‘Yun’ is an ode to his favourite painter Yun Hyong- Keun. The song also features Erykah Badu, one of the most famous R&B and Jazz singers. The song talks about staying true to yourself no matter what the circumstance is. It’s about valuing humanity and experiencing pain in order to be creative. Still Life, which he made with Park Anderson, talks about how he shares his life with the whole world similar to the paintings he loves to collect, his life is also a canvas, it’s still life but he is also moving forward. Forgetful with Kim Sawol simply explains his plight of forgetfulness about things, his love for taking strolls through the park and biking or ‘Namjooning’ as we like to call it. Closer with Paul Blanco and Mahalia went on to become one of the most popular tracks from the album. One sided love and being satisfied with the love you think you deserve has never sounded so sexy before. 

As the title already suggests, ‘Change’ pt 2’ talks about how as we go ahead in life, things change, people change, everything changes. But lyrics like “I can’t believe I loved you once, fool me once, then fool me twice” definitely made many wonder if he has ever been a victim of heartbreak. This is as honest as BTS could ever get with us. The main track of the album ‘Wildflower’ with Youjeen is a perfect mixture of RM’s husky voice and Youjeen’s powerful vocals. The track explains his mixed feelings about his success and fame and how he still has unfulfilled dreams that he wants to achieve for his own satisfaction. The music video has RM in aesthetic lavender feels which fits the beautifully coined term ‘flowerworks’ by him. Lastly, No. 2 with Park Ji-Yoon feels like a much needed closure to an album that feels like it's telling us a story. No.2 is about thinking of the future and not looking back. The blossoming of new opportunities and a happier life. 

Hope on the Street: J-hope’s gift to the armys before he leaves for the military

As the second who is about to follow his Jin Hyung to the military, J-Hope made a song for his fans that highlights not only his roots as an artist but also his love for his fans. “Everytime I walk, everytime I run, everytime I move, as always for us”. Whatever he does is as always for his beloved fans. The song takes him back to his hip hop days, where it all began for him as an artist. But through this single he also collaborated with his childhood idol, J.Cole. From listening to his songs to working with him, life has come full circle and he couldn’t be happier!

Jimin’s attempt at facing his true self with his album ‘Face’

The latest BTS solo album Face by Jimin has been breaking records and trending on charts ever since its release. He put this album together in a span of 10 months with the help of all his in-house producers like PDogg and RM also writing some lyrics for his main track. 

Face-Off: The first track in the album starts with sounds that remind one of a carnival but takes a completely different turn when he starts singing. He is letting out his anger on someone who has broken his heart just like fellow BTS member RM. “Believing in people, it's the beginning of this terrible nightmare, gave you all the money, gave you all my heart” takes you completely by surprise and is paradoxical to how the song began. In his recent weverse live, he said that relations with people are difficult sometimes and that’s what this song is all about. 

Like Crazy: The main track of Face makes you realise how far Jimin has come as an artist and how proud one feels as a fan. Like Crazy is based on his favourite movie by the same name. But it's much more than that! The song starts with a dialogue from the movie “I think we could last forever. I’m afraid everything will disappear, just trust me”. It's about him never wanting to wake up from his dream. The music video shows him partying with his friends which is his escapism from reality. He looks at himself in the mirror and this is where it gets more psychedelic. His own reflection, played by a girl in the music video, is the only one who can pull him out of his loop and save him. Park Jimin, the person has to come back to reality if he wants to continue as Jimin, the idol and that’s how the album even came into being. It portrays how he is on the outside but how he truly feels on the inside. The song has a retro disco flair to it which feels so unique.

Alone: This song reflects the thoughts that he has during the COVID-19 pandemic. The loneliness he felt, how he was losing his way but told himself he’s gonna make it and it’s gonna be alright. The song is a pop ballad and very close to the kind of music we’ve heard Jimin sing in the past as well. 

Set Me Free Pt. 2: This one is a declaration of freedom. It has very intense emotions that are portrayed through a really intense choreography as well. It seems as though he is experiencing rebirth as a solo artist. He is the only one who can set himself free and no one else. He is not gonna stop, no matter how much anyone mocks him.

Hidden Track- Letter: This came as an absolute surprise on the day of the release. It's a heartfelt letter from Jimin to the armys. He shows his gratitude to his fans as they stood beside and comforted him on his bad days. He promises to give back the support that he has received from fans all these years. The track is only available on CD and starts at the mark 6:13 (BTS’ debut date) after the English version of Like Crazy. The song also has Jungkook’s beautiful vocals in the background which makes it even more soulful to hear. 

With four out of seven BTS members giving us such good albums to listen to, one can only wonder what big surprises the last three members have in store for us in BTS’ Chapter 2!

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