BTS’ Jimin faces his genuine self in first solo album
Jimin shares a pre-recorded video introducing his solo album, “Face,” to local reporters on Friday, March 24, 2023. Image: Big Hit Music via The Korea Herald
BTS’ Jimin finally made his official solo debut on Friday, March 24, with his first solo album “Face.”
This solo debut comes almost a decade after Jimin made his debut in the music scene as a member of the K-pop sensation BTS back in 2013.
“Because this is my first-ever solo album, I am really nervous. I am excited to see how people will feel about this album as I worked really hard on it. I tried to express different kinds of emotions that I’ve felt in my life with my voice,” Jimin said introducing his new album to local reporters through a pre-recorded video.
Just as the title of the album, “Face,” indicates, Jimin tried to confront himself by looking back at his past days and portraying different facets of himself in his songs.
“Everything about this album was a new challenge for me. I tried to show what people expect of me and also part of me that people have never seen before,” added Jimin.
The artist took part in the entire process of creating the album, from planning to working on the songs and music videos.
The album, “Face,” comprises five tracks led by the titular track, “Like Crazy,” and four side tracks “Set Me Free Pt.2,” “Face-off,” “Interlude: Dive” and “Alone.”
The titular track, “Like Crazy,” is a synth-pop tune with an easy flow and light melody that people can effortlessly enjoy.
Jimin’s plaintive voice harmonizes perfectly with the mystic and lonely mood of the titular track.
“I was inspired by the movie, ‘Like Crazy,’ intending to express the feeling of wanting to avoid accepting the reality to evade getting hurt. I put a lot of effort into delivering that sadness of the lyrics with my voice when recording,” explained Jimin.
The side tracks of the album derive from diverse genres including trap soul, pop ballads and hip-hop.
“The track ‘Set Me Free Pt.2’ is my favorite song in this album. The genre of the song is hip-hop, and it sings about living freely by getting rid of dark feelings. The song starts off robust with an orchestra and I tried rapping for the first time on this track. I think it will be an interesting and fun point for you to check out.”
Performance-wise, the titular track and side track “Set Me Free Pt.2” cater to different tastes as the dance moves for “Like Crazy” are flexible and delicate, while the dance moves for the side track are tough and powerful.
“I worked on this album for the past two years during the pandemic so I tried to instill the feelings of emptiness and loneliness into the songs. There is a side track titled ‘Alone’ as well. It was hard to bring back such old memories to concentrate on feelings of fear and worry when recording,” said Jimin.
Jimin is set to perform “Like Crazy” for the first time on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in the US, which will air tonight.
Starting with Jimmy Fallon’s show, Jimin will promote his album actively by performing in local music shows, starring in variety shows and releasing diverse online content. AP/ra
