BTS’ J-Hope Travels through Time for 'Outro: EGO'
Less than a month after “Interlude: Shadow” saw BTS member SUGA struggling against the dark side of fame and the self, the group has shocked the world again with the highly-anticipated release of the last track preluding to their newest album, Map of the Soul: 7, “Outro: EGO.”
Speculations ran high and fast during the wait between the two tracks, with fans questioning which member (or members) would take the lead on the album’s outro. Following the trend set by RM’s “PERSONA” and SUGA’s “Interlude: Shadow,” the last track of the album is led by fellow rap-line member, J-Hope.
In stark contrast to “Interlude: Shadow”, J-Hope’s track carries a far more lighthearted tone in both lyrics and melody. However, like many of the group’s other songs, the cheerful vibe does not deny the darker aspects of life but rather gives a new perspective on them, and asks fans to keep fighting to find themselves and be true to who they are, something that the world has gotten to watch the group do. The video itself seems to travel through time, from lyrics taken straight from debut track “No More Dream” to featuring a backwards sequence of the band’s music videos, “Outro: EGO” is as much a journey for the fans as it is for BTS themselves.
Members of the K-pop supergroup are no strangers to sharing their struggles with their beloved ARMY, though both known tracks of Map of the Soul: 7 have certainly surprised fans with how deeply personal they are. Speaking of their struggles with fame as a monster they cannot separate themselves from, both “Shadow” and “EGO” play right into the group’s work with Carl Jung’s theories of the soul, and hint at the deep connection the members share with each other and with their fans, as they choose to bring to spotlight some of the more unpleasant aspects of the journey they have chosen for themselves. With such a deeply personal album coming, the whole world is waiting eagerly for that release date.
BTS’ new album will be released on February 21, and in the meantime, the group will be giving their fans a taste of what is to come with concept photos dropping throughout the next few days.
What did you think of J-Hope’s EGO? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image: BTS (BigHit Entertainment)
Written by Vale Papili
