As the world struggled to cope with emotions and changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequential lockdown, BTS’s Park Jimin was gaining valuable experiences that would later help him write his debut solo album, “Face.”
In the months leading up to the release of “Face,” the 27-year-old singer garnered numerous accolades: a feature on a single with Big Bang’s Taeyang, a major brand deal with Dior and a partnership with Tiffany & Co as their brand ambassador.
After it was announced that BTS would be following through with South Korea’s mandatory military service, Jimin, BTS’ lead vocalist and main dancer, followed in the footsteps of his fellow bandmates RM, Suga, Jin and J-Hope as the next member to embark on a solo project. Released on March 24, “Face” is an album over a year in the making, serving as a self-reflection on the time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before beginning to work on his individual project, Jimin admitted to feeling uncertain about creating a solo album. He credits his bandmates for helping him believe in himself. BTS suggested that Jimin express his words and feelings through music to find a way forward.
The band’s suggestion worked, as “Face” is a bold evolution and continuation of Jimin’s sound in previous solo endeavors. Through the years, Jimin has created tracks in various genres including R&B, Latin-pop and acoustic with “Lie”, “Filter” and “Promise,” respectively. “Face” is a captivating album featuring six tracks. Musically, the album spans a variety of genres including synth-pop, hip hop, rap-soul and melancholic R&B. Chronologically, each song is a continuation of Jimin’s emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a post on BTS’ official Instagram account, Jimin poetically shared his words about the album.
“Face, the reflection of myself in an unfamiliar appearance. Face of facing the deepest part of inner-self. An echo, tremor and small movement to reach you. Waves originated from the deepest invisible inner world, pass through the face on the surface and reach others to resonate while transmitting the inner voice. Wave spreads beautifully, finding its own flow despite wounds and distortions from a smallest scratch. The face of unwavering effort despite repeated falls and pain,” the post read.
Senior Aarya Joshi, an avid listener of BTS, anxiously anticipated the arrival of “Face” as Jimin is her favorite member; she was not left disappointed after listening to the album. “When I first listened to the album, I was shocked because we don’t normally see this side of Jimin in BTS songs, but it is so purely him,” she said. “After listening to the album multiple times, I thought the album and its theme fits him perfectly as an individual and captures his feelings so well.”
The album opens with “Face-Off,” an intense trap-soul song about resilience through feelings of doubt and disappointment with an angry undertone. “I just wrote the emotions as they were, exactly how I felt two years ago, and the emotions that I felt in every situation,” Jimin said in a Rolling Stones interview. “So if you just listen to the music, you’ll understand the lyrics right away.”
In translations of the original Korean lyrics to English, Jimin sings, “Look at me right now, living like stupid. Believing in people. It’s the beginning of this terrible nightmare.” On theme with the album’s progression of Jimin’s experiences throughout the pandemic, the song reflects society’s initial emotions because of COVID-19.
Following the first track is “Interlude: Dive,” a transition that bridges the gap between “Face-Off” and “Like Crazy,” the third song and title track. “If you listen to the track, you might hear sounds of someone panting for air, or me running somewhere,” Jimin continued as he described “Interlude: Dive.”
Also featured in the interlude are cheers from the audience and Jimin’s voice at BTS’ Busan concert in 2022. The end of the interlude features the sound of water pouring and Jimin taking a drink before the interlude fades out. The progression of “Interlude: Dive” followed the progression of the pandemic, starting with human connection and activity before transitioning to solitude. “I wanted to give this feeling that I was lost and wandering,” Jimin said.
Joshi named “Interlude: Dive” as her favorite track and said that, though it was short and may not be considered a song by its original definition, it revealed a raw side of Jimin. “The synthesis of different sounds and memories was so perfectly vulnerable. It gave me a sense of Jimin’s life in the public eye and his private life,” she said. “It made me feel a stronger connection to him both as a fan and as a person.”
As many fans were quick to notice, the main track, “Like Crazy,” was inspired by the film with the same name. When discussing ideas for his title track with producers, Jimin was drawn to the theme of “Like Crazy.” “When we were talking about the main track, this movie suddenly came to my mind, and I thought it would fit well with the kind of song,” Jimin said. “There are some interesting excerpts of dialogue at the beginning and at the end [of the track] that express exactly what I wanted to say.”
Jimin is referring to the whispery dialogue in the intro. “I think we can last forever,” a woman says. “I am afraid everything will disappear,” a man answers. “Just trust me,” the woman affirms. The same voices closes the song with, “Not again. What’s the point?”
“Face” is available on all streaming platforms and is already the first album by a soloist in Hanteo—a South Korean music chart system—history to surpass 1 million copies sold in its first day. The record-breaking album, while highlighting the struggles of the pandemic, provides a certain sense of comfort to the audience.
“The album was so important and comforting as a listener,” Joshi concluded. “It reminded me that, no matter who you are, we all go through the same feelings in life, both good and bad, and it gave me a sense of ease.”
