BTS’ “Love Yourself: Answer” closes series of self-love

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The final installment to K-POP group BTS’ “Love Yourself” series has finally dropped and along with the release, the group has smashed YouTube records and earned a spot in the Billboard 200 with their new music video to “IDOL.”

“Love Yourself: Answer” is the last installment in the group’s “Love Yourself” series that has run for over a year, exhibiting multiple concepts of the meaning of loving oneself and taking that journey.

The first album in the series, “Love Yourself: Her” exhibited a concept of the characters that BTS play as being confident and blindsided by a newfound love to the point of growing a false sense of security.

In the second installment, “Love Yourself: Tear,” the boys become obsessed with this newfound love to the point of hiding their true selves, pains and limits behind a mask in hopes of not losing the one they love. But by hiding their true selves, they are denying who they are and slowly losing the line that divides their true selves and the masks they have created.

“Love Yourself: Answer” draws the series to a close with a more hopeful, energetic air. The boys sing of accepting themselves and their flaws, of how loving oneself is how to truly find your way through relationships and life as a whole. The album opens with the optimistic, heart-warming “Euphoria” sang by Jungkook, which describes new beginnings.

“IDOL” combines South African Gqom-style music and Korean pansori lyrics to compromise a song about accepting yourself and doing what makes you happy.

The members of BTS sing and rap about loving themselves, their fans, their dances and how they’re going to stop worrying and go with the flow. The lyrics also describe how they may have flaws and how they may be unsure of themselves at times, but nonetheless, they accept themselves.

Other tracks of the album include a full length edition of “Serendipity,” a soothing ballad sung by Jimin that was featured as an intro on the “Love Yourself: Her” album, and a new song titled “Epiphany,” featuring Jin as he realizes that he may not be perfect, but he should love himself regardless.

There were also three “Trivia” tracks sung by the three members of the band’s rap line. J-Hope’s “Trivia: Just Dance” connects with the concepts of “Love Yourself: Her” with his hip-hop sound and lyrics of newfound love. RM’s “Trivia: Love” is an upbeat track about the definition and wordplay of love. Suga’s “Trivia: Seesaw” is full of synth-pop and the pros and cons of romance.

All three rappers connected with a different concept of the series and showed their own perspectives.

The group’s EDM track “I’m Fine” serves as a sequel to the band’s 2016 hit “Save Me.” “I’m Fine” takes on an opposite view of “Save Me,” with the members of BTS soulfully and determinedly singing of self-reliance.

And finally, the song “Answer: Love Myself” concludes the album with a heartfelt, positive message portrayed by the passionate tones of the members that give the song an emotional and uplifting atmosphere, speaking of the difficulties of loving and accepting yourself, but the importance and journey of it.

The finale of the “Love Yourself: Answer” was an uplifting, hopeful and impactful experience in all. By the end of the album, not only will you feel the emotional impact the journey had on BTS, but you will feel the entirety of the series come to a close and open up a new, hopeful beginning for the journey of self-acceptance and love.

5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)