BTS Jimin at “Lady Dior Celebration” event at DIOR Seongsu (Photo Credit: The Chosunilbo JNS| Imazins via Getty Images)
BTS superstar Jimin snagged the trophy of King of K-pop at the 2023 Melon Music Awards. Among many talented peers, Jimin’s solo songs have impacted like no other K-pop artist could. Here, we are diving into the singer’s solo discography to explore his music growth and influence on the BTS fanbase, ARMY.
Park Jimin debuted in K-pop in 2013 with the group Bangtan Sonyeondan, aka BTS. It took him almost a decade to officially debut with the EP Face. But before his official solo debut, Jimin started uploading his songs on SoundCloud. His first song, “Promise,” made SoundCloud history. We are looking at Jimin’s hit songs that prove why the 28-year-old K-pop star is worthy of the title “King of K-pop.”
‘Promise’
Jimin’s “Promise” made its way to fan hearts with a surprise release on December 31, 2018. The soft, mellow ballad’s sweet lyrics and Jimin’s voice made the number an instant favorite of many. The track received over 8.9 million streams, making it the biggest 24-hour debut on the platform. It also surpassed Drake’s 4.9 million streams record with the song “Duppy Freestyle.”
In “Promise,” Jimin talks to himself, urging the alter ego to embrace his pain and look forward to the light to lead the way. The guiding ray of Jimin’s life is his self-love. “Promise” comes as a contrast to Jimin’s previous song, “Lie,” in the BTS album “Wings.” In “Promise,” he vows to stand up for himself, singing, “I want you to be your light, baby/ You should be your light/ So that you won’t be in pain/ So you can smile.”
‘Interlude: Dive’
In his debut EP Face, BTS Jimin’s “Interlude: Dive” came as a B-side. The dream-like vibe of the no-lyrics track and Jimin’s experimental sounds made it stand out, almost giving it a goosebumps effect. Jimin later explained in an interview that he recorded some of the sound in his phone and incorporated it.
He explained the track’s importance: “The first track was Face-Off,” which is intense and rebellious, and the next track was the main track, “Like Crazy,” which feels like dreamy intoxication. I thought it would be nice to have something in between to bridge those two tracks, so that’s how we came up with Dive.”
He adds, “If you listen to the track, you might hear sounds of someone panting for air or me running somewhere. I wanted to give this feeling that I was lost and wandering.” The 2-minute 11-second track received over 77 million streams on Spotify, showing the singer’s influence in K-pop fandom. On YouTube, it has over 2.9 million streams.
‘Alone’
Another masterpiece of Jimin is “Alone,” a soft and poignant R&B released as a B-side track of Face. The song takes back listeners to a pandemic-ridden world where an isolated Jimin sings, “How long do I have to endure it?/ Can I go back to where I am from?/ This cold and lonely night/ Without thinking/ I walk in my dark room alone.”
The song is primarily recorded in Jimin’s lower register, which lends a more melancholy tone. In the EP Face, the song contrasts with Jimin’s ‘angry’ tracks, such as “Set Me Free Pt 2.” Since its release, Jimin’s Alone has over 107 million streams on Spotify and over 7 million on YouTube.
‘Closer Than This’
Jimin’s “Closer Than This” came months after his EP release. The song highlights Jimin’s rare tonal quality and is regarded as one of the BTS icon’s instant feel-good songs. In the groovy track, Jimin is saying goodbye to fans, only for a short while. The song is a message to fans to whom he promises to ‘never let go.’
An emotional Jimin sings in “Closer Than This,” “Don’t have to worry now/ Letting go of your hand for a moment/ But it’s only a small comma in our story/ Just call my name out loud.” Jimin’s sentiment in the song struck a chord with fans, as it has already garnered over 126 million streams on Spotify since its release. The song’s music video on YouTube clocked over 21 million views.
‘Set Me Free Pt 2’
After Suga’s “Set Me Free,” Jimin included ‘Set Me Free Pt 2’ in his EP Face. Though the songs are not directly connected, the messages of both songs echo each other. Jimin explained: “When I listened to (“Set Me Free”) the song, I realized it’s also a song about the struggles of becoming more mature, becoming a grown-up. So I thought it would make sense for my song to become the “part two” to that song.
In “Set Me Free Pt 2,” an angry Jimin thrashes the societal cages, singing, “Look at me now (Me now)/ I won’t hide anymore, even if it hurts/ Going insane to stay sane/ Raise your hands for the past me.” The song’s music video fits the song’s mood perfectly. It has garnered over 142 million streams on YouTube, making it one of Jimin’s most successful songs. “Set Me Free Pt 2” also reached Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at 30.
‘Like Crazy’
Jimin’s historic Billboard Hot 100 topper song “Like Crazy” remains the most successful track of his career. The lead single of Face came in both versions, English and Korean, and received over 1 billion streams on Spotify since its release.
Jimin discussed the significance of “Like Crazy” in the mini album in a Rolling Stone interview, sharing, “The main track [“Like Crazy”], it feels happy, but there’s also loneliness behind it.” Along with the song’s notable composition, the official music video of “Like Crazy” remains special for fans, having gotten over 133 million views on YouTube since its release.
In “Like Crazy,” a vulnerable Jimin navigates through the confusing feelings of love and everything else that comes with it, singing, “I can hear the voices listening/ Don’t know who they are/ Trying to take the pressure off/ Been reaching for the stars/ Tell me, will I find myself again?/ When I go too far?”
After a grand chapter 1 of Jimin’s solo releases, BTS fans are looking forward to 2025, when the members will be reunited to kick off the next era of Bangtan’s legacy. BTS Jimin will be finishing his military training around June next year.
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