Jimin Unveils Himself Through His New Album MUSE
Jimin made his solo debut last year on March 24, 2023, with the album FACE. On July 19, 2024, his new album entitled MUSE, was released on the official HYBE LABELS channel revealing seven musical tracks including the title track “Who.” This new opus achieved great success as the title “Who” quickly rose to the top of the iTunes Top Songs ranking in 112 countries and regions, including the United States, France, Canada, Germany, and Italy until 9 a.m. on July 20. Furthermore, “Who” topped the Worldwide iTunes Songs and European iTunes Songs charts on July 19 and 20. The album also reached No. 1 on the iTunes Top Albums in 87 countries and regions, including once again the United States and France. With this, Jimin added another feat as “Closer Than This” and “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” hit No. 1 in over 100 countries.
JIMIN – MUSE – TRACKLIST
01. “Rebirth” (Intro)
02. “Interlude : Showtime”
03. “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” (feat. LOCO)
04. “Slow Dance” (feat. Sofia Carson)
05. “Be Mine”
06. “Who”
07. “Closer Than This”
MUSE, A LEGENDARY ALBUM
The introduction, "Rebirth," highlights the artist's voice with soft and romantic lyrics that immerse the listener in a nostalgic atmosphere. It is a genre of gospel-based R&B fusion, with hopeful vocal arrangements. Jimin, who wrote the song himself, admits he had trouble finding the words because his last crush was a long time ago. The interlude that follows breaks this gentleness to bring a playful touch, reminiscent of the atmosphere of an amusement park, and prepares the listener for the enigmatic atmosphere of the third track.
This third track, titled “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band,” is a collaboration with the rapper LOCO. It's a marching band that mixes the sound of a big band with hip-hop influences, a bit like K-Drama scenes where the main characters meet in an amusement park to experience happy moments and get closer. The title refers to the legendary flower named Smeraldo, belonging to the Bangtan Universe of BTS. The Smeraldo flower made its first appearance in 2017, a month before the release of LOVE YOURSELF 承 HER. On August 9, 2017, Jin tweeted a photo of himself with a bouquet of these blue flowers, accompanied by the word "Smeraldo." The floral language of this flower has a symbolic meaning in Italian: “non potevo dire la verità,” which translates to “I couldn't tell the truth.” This echoes BTS's song "The Truth Untold," which tells the story of a person hiding behind a mask, feeling too ugly to be seen by their loved one. This person falls in love with someone who came to pick blue flowers in his garden, but this person disappears, leaving him with his regrets and his loneliness. The story of the “Smeraldo” flower, very similar to the lyrics of “The Truth Untold,” is explained in detail on the Smeraldo Flower Shop blog on NAVER Smeraldo Flower Shop.
Jimin himself admits that these two titles share similarities in the way they convey his feelings. The title "Smeraldo Garden Marching Band" refers to this blue flower, hence the mentioned date of June 12, because the fictitious flowers were discovered on June 12, 2013 in northern Italy. It addresses the theme of love with poetry, a common thread that the album gradually develops until reaching its climax with the title song "Who."
“Who” contains the lyrics: “Who is my heart waiting for,” expressing a balance between sadness and excitement. The music video shows Jimin strolling through the busy streets at night, with a rock attitude and bad boy style, slightly reminiscent of Michael Jackson in another era. “Who” is a 2000s R&B hip-hop track, with engaging acoustic guitar and brilliant choreography. The rhythm is addictive, and the duo dances are captivating and seductive.
“Slow Dance” (feat. Sofia Carson) is a mid-tempo song with budding feelings of love. “Be Mine” expresses love with more intensity, giving rise to a more sensual song. The last track, “Closer Than This,” is the solo single released on December 22, 2023 to fans following his enlistment in the army, expressing sincere feelings towards ARMY.
On July 20, Jimin posted on the team's official channel “Exchange Album MMM (Mini & Moni Music) – Jimin” where he shares with RM their deep thoughts on music while listening to MUSE. This friendly moment between the two members underlines the importance of RM for Jimin. This album reflects Jimin's past emotions that he wanted to share, as MUSE was written at the same time as the FACE album. The album also serves as a way to judge one's own evolution, both artistically and emotionally, with the sincere feeling of having grown.
