Having drawn over 2 million people on their world tour across 62 dates in 2019, performed at The 62nd GRAMMY® Awards in January as the first Korean act in the award show’s history and continues to stay at No. 1 on Billboard’s Social 50 chart for 152 consecutive weeks (182 in total), global superstars BTS released their first Japanese album in over 2 years, MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ~ THE JOURNEY.
Following their latest Korean album MAP OF THE SOUL : 7, released in February and topping both the Billboard 200, the band’s fourth No. 1 in the U.S., and The Official Albums Chart in the U.K., and selling an astonishing 4.17 million units to date, MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ~ THE JOURNEY ~ is the septet’s fourth Japanese album.
The album title represents the theme which is the map of BTS’s 7-year journey that took off with their Korean debut in June 2013, during which the members went through so much including joy, successes, hardships, and challenges, and their quest for the answer of the journey that will never end.
Included in the album track listing are two new Japanese original songs, “Stay Gold,” the theme song for the Japanese TV drama series “Rasen no Meikyuu -DNA Kagaku Sousa-” which conveys the message “The world may not be full of good things, but please don’t lose your luster,” and “Your eyes tell,” a track that was co-written by Jung Kook.
The hit songs “ON,” “Black Swan,” “Make It Right” and “Dionysus” are newly recorded in Japanese, while the 13-track album also contains the mega hit “Lights,” which was certified as a million-seller by RIAJ in July 2019, “Boy With Luv -Japanese ver.-” and more.
Limited-Edition A and B versions also include a video disc containing the music video of “Stay Gold” and its ‘making of’ footage, plus other music videos. Limited-Edition C and D versions include a 56-page photo booklet featuring an array of new and unseen conceptual photos of BTS. Moreover, each edition includes an exclusive square photo card available only outside of Japan.
ABOUT BTS
BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Beyond the Scene”, is a South Korean boyband that is capturing the hearts of millions of fans globally. The members of BTS are RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. Gaining recognition from their authentic, self-produced music and top-notch performances to the way they interact with their fans, the band has quickly become a global icon since they debuted in June 2013. While imparting a positive influence through activities such as the LOVE MYSELF campaign and the UN ‘Speak Yourself’ speech, BTS has mobilized millions of fans across the world (named ARMY), topped prominent music charts, sold out worldwide tours including stadiums and have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards like the Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards.