| A teaser video for BTS' new album “Love Yourself: Answer” Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment |
The K-pop boy band BTS' new album, “Love Yourself: Answer,” is poised to hit the world music scene Friday with its main track that blends South African dance music, with traditional Korean beats and the sounds of a folk music instrument.
The final, fourth part of the septet's “Love Yourself” album series will be released at major online music stores at 6 p.m., wrapping up the series that took two-and-a-half years to play out, according to Big Hit Entertainment.
The series features an epic search into one's true self, and the final album answers a question: The key to the search lies inside oneself, the management agency noted.
“IDOL,” the main track, sets the tone for the 25-song album divided into the A and B tracks.
The main song is electronic dance music in the style of South African dance music. The African beats are layered with traditional Korean rhythms, as well as the pounding of a Korean folk percussion instrument used in the performance of traditional Korean farmers' ensemble.
A teaser video for “IDOL,” released a day earlier, featured the profile of a running tiger followed by the images of the BTS members clad in jackets inspired by “hanbok,” the Korean traditional dress.
Including “IDOL,” the album contains seven new songs: “Epiphany,” “Trivia: Just Dance,” “Trivia: Love,” “Trivia: Seesaw,” “I'm Fine” and “Answer: Love Myself.”
“I'm Fine,” in the drum and bass genre, is a rearrangement of the lyrics of the former BTS song “Save ME,” released in the “Epilogue: Young Forever” album.
The three “Trivia” numbers are solo songs each by one member: J-Hope, RM and Suga. “Epiphany” is a solo act by member Jin, which was released in advance.
BTS is scheduled to premier the new record in local concerts in southern Seoul on Saturday and Sunday.
Then the group will go on a world tour to the United States, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Japan. (Yonhap)