As you may know, J-Hope recently released his new album ‘Jack in the Box’ on July 15th as the first member of BTS to release their solo album since the announcement of BTS's hiatus last month. Since the album's release on 7/15 it has already become number 28 on the top 40 albums worldwide competing with some of the greatest musicians including The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Eminem, and more. 

Source: K-Odyssey

Inspiration for the Album

On the billboard website they share information from an interview with J-Hope where he states:

“The theme of 'Jack in the Box' is a theme that has been running in my head for a long time. I thought about this theme for a long time because it has to do with my stage name, J-Hope. So I always wanted to reflect the story about my stage name in my music… This album called ‘Jack in the Box’ is the moment that I want to highlight my artistry in music. So I've thought a lot about this theme.”

 

Before releasing the whole album on July 15th J-Hope released his single “MORE” as a teaser for the album, he states it is because he wanted to express a little bit of a darker side of him and a different side of him. He also states that vibe you feel when listening to “MORE” will carry across the rest of the album when listening to it. 

Source: Billboard

Album List

What is really interesting about this album is that there are no features on any of the 10 tracks. J-Hope emphasized that he wanted the album to be authentic and filled with his own narrative, and thought that the best way to do so would be to use his own voice in each of the songs. So beginning the first phase of BTS chapter 2 as the artist expressed in the interview. 

The ten Songs on the album are as follows: 

Intro
Pandora's Box
MORE
STOP
= (Equal Sign)
Music Box: Reflection
What if…
Safety Zone
Future
Arson

My personal favorites are Equal Sign and Safety Zone - but the whole album is very artsy and unique. It explores a mixture of rock and rap and is different from the “radio-friendly" pop music that the music group BTS usually produces.

Success so Far

So far the album is bringing in 85% of the votes for best new music release this week surpassing Lizzo, Calvin Harris, Pink, and more, and I am sure there is much more to come for this young artist as the album grows in popularity. 

Source: Billboard

 

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Source Links:

Billboard:
https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/bts-j-hope-explains-new-album-jack-in-the-box-darker-side-1235114810/
Billboard Chart:
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/j-hope-jack-in-the-box-best-new-music-1235115276/
Billboard Image:
https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/bts-j-hope-explains-new-album-jack-in-the-box-darker-side-1235114810/
Official Charts:
https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/mabels-about-last-night-tracks-for-official-albums-chart-number-1-as-lizzo-btss-j-hope-and-more-set-for-new-entries__36895/
K-Odyssey
https://m.k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065580607454607