What Is the Message Behind Each BTS Solo Project?

Where were you when the four-way military enlistment dropped? Last month, HYBE announced that RM, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook were the final members of BTS to start their mandatory stint in the South Korean armed forces. This meant the group actually had to go on a break. BTS previously announced a “hiatus� in June 2022, but each of the seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook — went on to drop solo music afterward. And sure, that’s technically not new — they’ve all released individual songs before, from separate tracks on group albums to OSTs to their own mixtapes. But their solo debuts in 2022 and 2023 were official, arriving with full rollouts and performances (and in one case, a solo tour). It was our first introduction to how the Tannies operate as individual artists.

While they’re away, we’re still getting new BTS material, in the form of Disney+’s eight-part docuseries BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star, which is currently exploring the history of the group and their music. Ahead of the show’s finale on January 10, let’s analyze all the solo releases, from their sounds to promotional approaches, and assess how much BTS DNA is in each member’s post-“hiatus� project.

RM

Indigo

Release date: December 2, 2022
What’s the vibe? Everything from boom bap to classic funk. There’s a laid-back, contemplative feeling even in the more uptempo raps — no wonder RM has described the album as a “sun-bleached record faded like old jeans.�
Who shows up? Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Tablo, Kim Sa-wol, Colde, Youjeen, Park Ji-yoon, Paul Blanco, and Mahalia.
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 83 (“Wild Flower� with Youjeen)
The moment that attacked ARMYs: His delivery of eyebrow-raising bars like “They got you by your balls and your socioeconomics� and “I make her body di-di diddy diddy bop.�
Rollout notes: RM was choosy with press, participating in only a handful of interviews with people he said he personally likes, including Zach Sang and the Psick Show. Rather than a tour, he held a small concert for just 200 ARMYs. His only other major performances were NPR’s Tiny Desk  and a live set at an Upstate New York art museum without an audience.

BTS DNA: 💜💜���. Sonically, Indigo is different even from his 2015 RM and 2018 mono mixtapes. But there are faint traces of this album’s vibe in group tracks co-written by RM like “Hold Me Tight� and “Embarrassed.�

He also previously revealed that he hasn’t found his signature style yet. So it makes sense that an album that experiments with different approaches would be less of an appeal to the general public than to already-loyal ARMYs and to indie music fans who might not be familiar with him.

Jin

“The Astronaut�

Release date: October 28, 2022
What’s the vibe? An otherworldly pop-rock single that, given its title, is perfect for spacing out and thinking about a loved one.
Who shows up? Jin co-wrote the Kygo-produced track with his Coldplay hyungs.
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 51
The moment that attacked ARMYs: In the music video, Jin has a neck tattoo that appears to spell “ARMY� in Braille. It’s briefly visible right as he sings, “And I love you.�
Rollout notes: Jin introduced an astronaut character named Wootteo, who got a line of galactic merch (and more than a million Instagram followers). He also gave his debut live performance of “The Astronaut� with Coldplay in Argentina, just hours after the song dropped.

BTS DNA: 💜💜💜💜�. Mostly because it sounds like a cousin of “My Universe�; it’s easy to imagine this being reworked as a group track.

Even if Jin hadn’t previously confirmed the song was a goodbye present for ARMYs, a surprise drop that sounds pretty similar to something we’ve heard BTS release before certainly comes across as a gift for existing fans (as opposed to an attempt to attract new listeners or tread into uncharted artistic territory). Maybe his approach will change after his military release?

Suga / Agust D

D-Day

Release date: April 21, 2023
What’s the vibe?: It’s intense, but not quite as angry as the previous installments in the rap trilogy from his hard-hitting alter ego, Agust D.
Who shows up?: J-Hope, IU, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Woosung.
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 58 (“Haegeum�)
The moment that attacked ARMYs: The deeply personal stories he shared in “Amygdala.�
Rollout notes: Suga performed his pre-release single “People Pt. 2� with IU on her show, and was interviewed on his own Suchwita show by guest host RM. He also took his album — and a guitar with messages from all of his members — on a solo world tour not long after the drop.

BTS DNA: 💜����. While BTS has plenty of rap-heavy songs (think “Ddaeng,� “UGH!�, and “Baepsae�), those tracks don’t necessarily have the rawness imbued in this solo work.

Because D-Day is the conclusion of a trilogy, it allowed Suga to reflect on his past and present. Fans who fought for tickets to the first stop of his tour had less than a week to learn the lyrics, suggesting that the album wasn’t as much about making hits as it was about gifting ARMYs a live storytelling experience. In fact, he told Marie Claire Korea the intention behind his solo tour was “not to realize my full potential nor to succeed as a solo artist,� but rather to pay back fans who have waited for another BTS tour.

J-Hope

Jack in the Box

Release date: July 15, 2022
What’s the vibe?: An ode to old-school hip-hop, with grunge, alt-rock, and punk influences adding extra layers of angst.
Who shows up?: Jack in the Box was a solo effort, but he hit up longtime muse, J. Cole, for the 2023 single, “On the Street.�
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 60 (“On the Street�)
The moment that attacked ARMYs: His unfiltered attitude at his Lollapalooza performance, which caused some fans to make Hobipalooza cursing compilations. Plus, the fact that Jimin came to Chicago to support the performance.
Rollout notes: J-Hope headlined both Lolla and the MAMA Awards, accepting awards for both himself and his group. The initially digital-only album was re-released as a CD in 2023 with new tracks, including his live Lolla sets.

BTS DNA: 💜���� . The group hasn’t really dipped into grunge, alt-rock, and punk.

After dropping his much brighter debut mixtape Hope World in 2018, J-Hope wanted to reintroduce himself with a grittier sound on a global stage — which is fitting for an album with a title that refers to the myth of Pandora’s box and what’s been locked inside. A festival like Lolla would ostensibly be a chance for him to perform for a lot of people that weren’t his fans (though the Hobipalooza of it ended up kind of disproving that).

Jimin

Face

Release date: March 24, 2023
What’s the vibe? Vocal effects help carry Jimin’s voice through genres from trap soul to synth pop.
Who shows up? No features, but RM helped co-write several songs.
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 1 (“Like Crazy�)
The moment that attacked ARMYs: The cursing in “Set Me Free Pt. 2� (“Hey fool, just get out of my way / Shut up, fuck off, I’m on my way�), plus his poetic chest tattoos in that music video.
Rollout notes: Jimin’s Production Diary offered a behind-the-scenes look at his album recording process. He also spent a day with Vogue in New York before his performance on The Tonight Show, where he joked that his favorite nickname is “Jimin Fallon.�

BTS DNA: 💜💜���. Grand production and instrumentals call to mind songs like “On� and “Black Swan,� but there’s a dreamier aspect to some of these tracks that Jimin leans into.

While his new 2023 single “Closer Than This� is addressed to fans, FACE is directed inward; the album title refers to Jimin facing himself at this point in his career. Jimin did the press rounds, but his promotional period was fairly short. And while he still topped the charts, his emphasis seemed to be more on pushing himself as a performer, particularly through visuals that nod to his abilities in contemporary dance.

V

Layover

Release date: September 8, 2023
What’s the vibe? Layover is full of jazzy, soulful songs. The baritone vocalist has expressed his appreciation for vintage items, and there’s a certain old-fashioned charm to this release, down to the design.
Who shows up? NewJeans creative director Min Hee-jin oversaw production of the entire release.
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 51 (“Slow Dancing�)
The moment that attacked ARMYs: When V grabbed a hat and performed a chill dance break set to the minute-long flute solo at the end of “Slow Dancing.�
Rollout notes: Fifth gen It boy Yeontan (a.k.a. V’s dog) made his stage debut on Mnet. We got aesthetic music videos for five tracks, and V performed for the new Tiny Desk Korea.

BTS DNA: 💜����If you’re looking for chill group tracks, you can try “Outro: House of Cards,� “134340,� and “Fly to My Room,� but Layover is more laid-back than those.

If the sound of his music and relaxed nature of his promotions weren’t enough evidence, V literally explained in an interview that since his previous stage performances have been fancy and over-the-top, for his solo debut, he wanted to strip back some of those elements and show his original color. That approach pairs well with an album title that calls to mind a moment of pause, and is also evident in his latest feature with UMI.

Jung Kook

Golden

Release date: November 3, 2023
What’s the vibe? Though it does dip into R&B and EDM, it’s definitely a pop record. It feels like Michael Jackson and ‘NSync were on his mood board.
Who shows up? Jack Harlow, Major Lazer, Latto, and DJ Snake (plus Usher and Justin Timberlake on remixes). Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes are credited as co-writers.
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 1 (“Seven� with Latto)
The moment that attacked ARMYs: The explicit version of “Seven� (you’ll be what-ing me right?), plus the “DNA� choreography reference in “Standing Next to You.�
Rollout notes: Jung Kook performed a surprise free concert in Times Square, got deep with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, traded choreo with sister group Le Sserafim on TikTok, and recruited some big-name backup dancers for his music videos.

BTS DNA: 💜💜💜��BTS has done plenty of pop. Your closest bets would probably be “Butter� (feat. Megan Thee Stallion), “Paradise,� and “Make It Right� (feat. Lauv),� though Jung Kook’s solos lean slightly more into a ‘90s/early 2000s sound.

This album is an effort to solidify Jung Kook as a sexy pop soloist, particularly in the West. The release feels like it was built in a lab to please TikTok’s gen pop, from its radio-friendly singles and remixes down to its successful dance challenges. He’s also singing in English. Are the lyrics super deep? No. But is it a crime to want to look hot and sing some innuendos?