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| K-pop boy group BTS released its new anthology album, "Proof," Friday. Courtesy of Big Hit Music |
K-pop giant releases anthology album with 3 new songs
By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop titan BTS is back.
The seven-piece act dropped its new anthology album, "Proof," Friday, in celebration of the ninth anniversary of its debut. The music video of its lead track, "Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)," has already exceeded 10 million views on YouTube as of 3 p.m. (KST) ― only two hours after its release.
"'Proof' is an album of our history," member Jin said through his management company, Big Hit Music, a few hours ahead of the album's release. "I think I will listen a lot to the songs in this album, as they remind me of the precious memories of the past nine years."
The 48-track album marks the end of the first chapter of BTS' career, according to its frontman, RM.
"We poured a lot of effort into writing lyrics, so that we can convey our sincere messages to our fans," he explained. "I am nervous as usual to showcase our new music offerings."
Suga said, "Since 'Proof' chronicles our history, we paid extra attention to deciding the order of the songs. It will be more entertaining if people listen to all the tracks in order and take a walk down memory lane with us."
Jungkook added, "I feel like I just finished writing a very thick book. 'Proof' captures our time and emotions."
"Proof" is a three-CD album that gives a snapshot into the past, present and future of the Grammy-nominated septet. It offers three new tunes ― "Yet to Come," "Run BTS" and "For Youth" ― in addition to the group's previous releases.
For "Yet to Come," RM, Suga and j-hope took part in the creative process of this mid-tempo alternative hip-hop song. Looking back on the path they have walked so far, BTS' members say through the lyrics that their best moment has not arrived yet.
The first CD carries some well-known lead singles off the group's previous albums, while the second CD features the solo releases and the songs by different subunits. The last CD includes tunes dedicated to its followers.
"BTS will spread positive energy via music, imparting a message that our future will be more dazzling than it is today," Big Hit Music said in a statement.
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| BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit Music |
It has taken about two years for BTS to be featured on a Korean music program since it made its last appearance in March 2020. Back then, the group took the stage to promote its 2020 release, "On." It has put out three English-language hits ― "Dynamite" (2020), "Butter" (2021) and "Permission to Dance" (2022) ― over the last two years, but has not yet performed them on a Korean music show.
The Big Hit stars are also set to invite 4,000 fans to the Jangchung Arena in eastern Seoul, Monday, so that they can see the members pre-recording their performance for "M Countdown."
BTS debuted in 2013 with the track "No More Dream," and rolled out a string of hits like "DNA" (2017). It is the first K-pop act to sit atop the Billboard main singles chart and receive a Grammy nomination. BTS members met U.S. President Joe Biden recently to discuss Asian inclusion and representation following a surge in the number of hate crimes against Asian Americans.
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