BTS Announces Release Date for 'Map of the Soul: 7'

BTS surprised their fans on Tuesday with a release notice for Map of the Soul: 7, the much-anticipated follow up to last year’s album Map of the Soul: Persona. The announcement posted on their Weverse account included a release date of February 21 and a pre-order date for this Friday, January 9. No other details were revealed. Fans have been patiently waiting for new music since the group began hinting at a new comeback during the group’s end-of-the-year appearances. BTS’ leader, RM, said during an interview with KISS FM in December that they had been working on a new album. Their last album was released in April of last year. 

One thing that surprised fans of BTS was that the name of this upcoming album did not include Shadow or Ego which are some of the facets of the Map of the Soul. This map, developed by psychologist Carl Jung, is supposed to show the inner workings of the human psyche and the many forces that exist within a person including Ego, Shadow, and Persona; which inspired the first installment of this era.

Instead, the album was simply named 7, which is also the number of members in the group. Will Map of the Soul: 7 show us a more intimate and personal look at the members of BTS? How will it be connected to Persona? And which aspects, if any, of their map of the soul will it explore? Those are some of the questions that BTS may answer on February 21 when the album comes out. Meanwhile, ARMY can look forward to concept photos, teasers, and trailers that the group will release within the coming weeks. 

What are you looking forward to the most on Map of the Soul: 7? Let us know in the comments below.

Cover Image: BTS (BigHit Entertainment)
Written by Dianelys Fuentes