BTS releases ‘BE (Deluxe Edition),’ sending message of hope to fans

Seoul Nov 20 (efe-epa).- South Korean boy band BTS presented their new studio album, “BE (Deluxe Edition)” in Seoul on Friday, a record in which the band members wanted to convey a message of hope to fans in a difficult year.

“BE” consists of eight songs – seven new and “Dynamite” (released in August) – and revolves around the unexpected and sad global situation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting with lead single “Life Goes On,” the album seeks to share a message of hope and the feelings experienced by the group, which canceled a long-awaited world tour and since then has not been able to perform in public.

Neither “BE” nor “Dynamite” were initially planned. When the group finished their last album “Map of the Soul: 7,” released in February, they thought “What do we do now?” said RM, leader of the band, at a press conference in which one of the members of the group, Suga, was absent because he was recovering from a shoulder operation.

With the tour canceled, in April BTS began to share on social networks the creative process behind what would be their next project, something that, according to its members, has helped them feel close to their fanbase, known as ARMY.

The absence of public commitments has allowed the seven members of the group to be more involved in the album, with each one assuming management roles in different areas.

Jimin, who took on the role of music project manager, said the key concept of “Life Goes On” began to appear often as the band got together to conceive the new album.

The album has ended up being a kind of diary spanning the months of the pandemic, which the group has decided to share, Jin said.

Jungkook, the youngest of the group, illustrated this when explaining the dedication of the song “Stay” to ARMY.

“It would be something like: ‘We are physically separated but we will always be together,'” he said.

The six members also said that the pandemic has enabled them to meditate on how far they’ve come.

V said that in the past he has at times felt “burned by the pressure.” But now when he starts to feel that way, he knows he has grown because now he puts those feelings into composing.

BTS will perform “Life Goes On” live for the first time at the American Music Awards on Nov. 23, two days ahead of the nomination announcement for the 2020 Grammy Awards. EFE-EPA

asb/tw