The era of BTS solos continues with Jimin taking the baton as the next member to make his debut. He’s got a pretty good track record of his own, with 2016’s Lie a particular standout. His first mini album is scheduled for release later this month, but he’s dropped pre-release track Set Me Free Pt.2 to tide fans over. I’m curious what the “Pt.2” is about (anyone know?) and can’t help but notice that Jimin is the second idol in a row expressing his desire to be set free. It turns out Twice aren’t alone in their bid for liberation. Hey! Maybe that’s what the “Pt.2” is about? I half expect them to join forces for a K-pop revolution.
Jokes aside, the idea of casting off chains (metaphorical or otherwise) is a tried-and-true approach to pop star solo debuts. Jimin takes full advantage of the trope, making his plea over ceremonial brass and stadium-level fervor. It may not ring true for every listener, but he puts his all into it. Pdogg’s laptop works even harder, slathering Jimin’s voice in a steady stream of audio effects. Ironically, this constrains his performance. We get the sense of desperation as his notes are stretched into synthetic heaven (or hell?), but the constant fiddling quickly becomes obnoxious. The second verse is a chore to get through.
I’m more intrigued by the choir samples that open the track and continue through to the chorus. They’re in service of a dull, underwritten hook, but their presence teases a level of ambition I’d love to see Jimin pursue on future releases. Set Me Free has plenty of panache but little substance or personality behind the drama. Finding a more balanced middle ground would be beneficial – especially if we’re to believe Jimin really desires a sense of release. Just strip away the effects and give us a raw, compelling performance with a hook worth investing in.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I’ve seen ARMYs refer to AGUST D’s interlude from his album 3 years ago to be the Pt.1 that preceeds Set Me Free Pt. 2. Like you, I laugh as well at how two pleas at freedom are released one week apart!
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it’s absolutely terrible
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The song is beyond amazing, the vocals , the beat , the production , the music video. From A to Z it is just PERFECTION, SONG OF THE YEAR.
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Let them have their opinion
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Uk having a opinion is different than calling a song terrible it’s called as hate my dear
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Whoever put that many effects on his vocals deserves jail time. I can’t even tell what he’s saying. He sounds like Lil Uzi Vert and I don’t wanna listen to Lil Uzi Vert. Other than that the song is fine. The choir is great. The instrumental is good. I think it sounds like a weaker album track. He could do this sound so much better which makes me excited for the album even though I don’t think this song is that great. Please, less vocal effects. When I understand Future better, we have issues. It makes him the least interesting part of his own song and that should never happen with someone like Jimin.
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don’t to uzi dirty like that 💀
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Ha. My apologies. Uzi’s not bad. A better comparison would be R2D2 or a vacuum cleaner. I will never for the life of me understand hiding his voice behind all those effects.
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Pdogg’s laptop 💀 pfft
Feels like most solos = mandatory profanity. For kpop (or whatever genre these solos from YGE/senior artists tend to be), it comes across as unnecessarily edgy. It’s more impressive when we understand the emotion and anger behind a song without it cursing at the people listening.
That being said, I understand the freedom of using whatever words you want in your song. It’s just not my cup of tea. The instrumental for this is great, and so is the choreo, but the lyrics go in circles that aren’t worth the experience imo.
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But he said “fuck” a couple times in this song which means it’s super duper raw and real right??? I feel like I KNOW him now, he is truly sharing his deepest thoughts with us……
Nah but lyrical content aside I do genuinely want to really get sucked into this song and have the “catharsis” they’re attempting to achieve wash over me, but like you said the lack of substance just kills it for me. The chorus especially symbolizes this pretty well, as “set me freeeee” repeated over and over in a shapeless semi-melodic robotic fashion without any of his unique vocal flavor conveyed approximately zilch to me, emotional or otherwise. I’m hoping other tracks on his album will be set free from this much autotune, esp. since Lie is actually one of my all-time favorite BTS songs.
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BTS’s Airplane Part 2 interpolated j-hope’s Airplane, so I was kind of hoping that this would include some of Interlude: Set Me Free from D-2 but if it’s there I didn’t catch it.
I enjoy the grandiosity of the production but I’m not feeling it with this song in general.
Between Sugar Rushush x 16
Happy Happy Happy Fools x 12
Want it x 17
and now
Set me free x 22
2023 Big Hit has got me thinking, I could sure go for a second lyric right now.
On the bright side, Promise is on streaming services other than SoundCloud now which is cool.
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I might be out of the loop, but which song has “Want it” repeated 17 times?
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Isn’t that Tinnitus?
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The vocal effects are so grating and I honestly wish I could enjoy this because of the dramatic orchestra and choir background. There’s some beautiful moments in the song where the vocal processing isn’t so harsh but honestly that’s not enough for me to want to replay this.
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This being said, the instrumental alone succeeded in getting me excited about the album
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Can’t believe you’d rate this grating noise so highly 😭
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I genuinely feel bad for all the artists that got a similar or even lower score
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Coming from a BTS fan, I’m underwhelm and overwhelm. Underwhelm by the melody and lyrics and overwhelm by the audio processing. Jimin’s voice is quite a standout and theres just so much audio clout dumped onto this song, I cant enjoy the vocals at all. Probably my least favorite BTS solo. Heres hoping other songs on his solo album doesnt resemble this.
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Let’s keep our hopes high! I’m wishing Jimin follows his feature on Vibe for the sound and defenitely not this track lol
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I would have rated this way lower. It’s so grating
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….Out of the two songs released in the past week entitled Set Me Free I will be listening to one of them a hell of a lot more, and it is not this one. Sorry Jimin! I will always love Filter and Lie though
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I’m sooo mixed, and also underwhelmed. Listening to the ‘behind the Face’ the use of choir and beat was stripped of that sound engineering and it sounded soooo TASTY! Also the cursing and the whole ‘dissing vibe’ sounds a bit immature. Like the line “Hey fool, just get out of my way
Shut up, fuck off” is actually making me laugh a bit. I really hope that that song is a TWIST and a cheesy nudge to KPOP Idols on solo mission to “setting themselves free” by portraying this “good Boy gone bad” image… like some kind of genius pastiche
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Right? That part was so funny, I really can’t take that seriously.
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I would like to say yes to all of the above, especially hard working laptop.
And add
WOULD IT KILL THEM TO HIRE REAL BRASS!???
OK I mean I know I know all this was done in a laptop, but how much more awesome would have been with big fat waaahhhh low notes going all resonant and waaaahhh.
On a similar note
WOULD IT KILLL THEM TO HIRE A REAL CHOIR?!!!!
How many pop songs are elevated by a gospel choir? So many!
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Both the trumpet and choir are real. Nick Lee played the trumpet, and Duane Benjamin and Dedrick Bonner were the choir directors.
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They are?? This just makes me more flabbergasted – why hire real singers and instrumentalists to then make them sound fake in postproduction?
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Yes, Jimin and Pdogg met with the choir in LA. He mentioned it in an interview and has videos posted from the recordings in LA. The bit included in the promotion video from LA is heard in Set Me Free. It’s the same choir they used in Friends, Ego, and the Proof live performance. Nick Lee (ironically, based on your comment below), was also a producer on Industry Baby. He posted photos from the HYBE studio with his trumpet during the recordings of this album.
I, too, wish the choir and instrumentals (and Jimin’s vocals) weren’t muddled by production.
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Gah, whyyyyeeee would anyone do that. Record a full sound and then muck it up to sound like a cheap Casio. That’s even worse that not using real musicians in the first place.
Its like when they used Blue Frickin Devils alumni on ON and had them march on and off, and hardly anything else.
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I don’t really think of myself as having a good ear – but fake brass is one of my pet peeves. It reminds me too much of my childhood keyboard that I would use to ‘spice up’ my piano pieces by playing them with a fake trumpet.
The choir in this song sounds like the ‘choir’ effects on that keyboard, too.
It makes the song sound super cheap to me and ruins that big feeling they’re going for.
Surely with JI – effing – MIN as your star you can afford a real choir and brass band ???
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Yes, Jimin and Pdogg met with the choir in LA (mentioned in an interview, photos posted on Instagram, and included in the behind the scenes promo video). It’s the same chorus they worked with for Friends and Ego, and the chorus did backing vocals for the Proof Live performance. The clip of the choir shown in the promo video is heard in this song. Nick Lee (ironically, based on your comment below about Industry Baby) was a producer on Industry Baby. He has photos posted from the HYBE studio with his trumpet.
I also wish the trumpet and choir (and Jimin’s vocals!!) weren’t muddled by production.
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Well, I thought this comment hadn’t posted because I got an error message and then rewrote (as best I could remember) it above. Whoops!
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Hey, do you have Twitter?
I think I would like to read more of your song reviews
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I’m not sure you meant to reply to me (I don’t think I would call my comments here reviews lol) – but I am not on twitter!
If you meant Nick, I think The Bias List does have a twitter account.
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Oh that’s unfortunate. Yes, I meant you not Nick – I‘m not really active on this blog but your comment caught my attention and I thought I‘d liked your twt account if you had one.
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you are now FAMOUS… IN A BAD WAY lmaooooo
if I were you I would just delete myself from social media 😀
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From now on, any harassing Army comments will be deleted. Please leave this space unless you can contribute in a constructive way.
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Tell me why Armys comments are getting deleted but not OP for spreading blatant misinformation about “fake brass” and fake instruments being used when one of the people behind the song has come out and disputed that. y’all are insanely biased
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Armys are flocking in here calling commenters names and telling them to die and so on. It’s not adding anything constructive to the conversation and I don’t want that kind of negativity on the blog.
The point has been made. There’s no need to dogpile.
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Kindly look above at WINNMAY’s comment in regard to the brass and choir. That’s how you point out a misunderstanding in a calm and reasonable way and continue to have a respectful conversation.
The comments I’m deleting have no interest in conversation or reason. They’re just angry fans wanting to join an internet mob. Do that on Twitter if you must. It doesn’t fly, here.
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Pfft, I am not on Twitter or IG, don’t care.
If Mr Nick Lee is all that plus Juillard, why does he cover himself up. If there are enough people googling around “are horns in ____ real”, then maybe its time to just stop doing that. Its like in the baking shows, someone makes something fantastic, and then slathers an ocean of split buttercream in some lurid color on top.
(note to Discount~ – time to change your name and pic back to Xiumin, lolz, the drive by commentators won’t notice)
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I didn’t mean to provoke people with my comment – I see Nick has had to moderate the conversation, my apologies!
This is the first time I’ve accidentally gotten myself into online drama 0_o
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Oh Yes, Oh No! Well, it was going be one of us regulars, this time the spinner spun on you. No worries, scroll on by! Moving on … a shed load of Boys Planet recap to watch this week.
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It took me by surprise seeing your comment on an Instagram story by a Minghao fanaccount I follow–I was like ???? I recognize that name/icon 😭 (the Minghao fanaccount was defending you, but apparently the producer’s decision to include a screenshot of your comment has stoked the flames of fandom fighting)
Seriously so jarring… I guess Kpop fandoms and producers will be lurking/scanning all parts of the internet aside from Twitter for criticism, even fairly innocuous comments.
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I cannot warm up to this. I am a MASSIVE BTS fan and Jimin fan, in fact Serendipity, Promise and Filter are still on repeat on my phone. I feel Jimin is at best when he is sultry, sensual, singing in a natural voice. His vocal tone is thin and a bit delicate, almost feminine; just because his vocal tone is so delicate, it comes with a sensuality that other vocalists don’t have. So asking him to scream, rap and putting heavy effects on his vocals completely destroy his vocal colour.
I am not convinced this was his artistic decision. This sounds like a bad executive decision aimed at targeting (as usual) the US market. I wish Big Hit just stopped doing that and made the most of their artists’ talent. Paradoxically the whole song sounds like a cry for help “please set me free from these investors” lol
Just my 2 cents. Guess I’ll stick to streaming “Lie” and “Serendipity” then.
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I agree, for a kpop star who has one of the most unique and identifiable timbres in all of kpop, to bury that under all sorts of over-production is a crime. The first line of the chorus with the added high harmony right at 1:22 is so nice. What if instead they had done bucu vocal layering like that all over, and not melodyne harmonies but full Jimin croaky color, it could have been awesome.
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Lie and serendipity are some of my favorite songs. I have a whole list of favorite songs, and this song isn’t joining them.
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I am getting scared seeing that PDogg has produced the entire album. Nothing wrong against him, I consider him a GOD of production in fact, but he’s really a hip hop guy. Both Serendipity and Promise were produced by Slow Rabbit, and I think he’s a better producer for Jimin. I am honestly a bit shocked. It’s like they’re sabotaging him. It’s like taking Ellie Goulding and forcing her to rap like Megan Thee Stallion 😂 WHY????
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Haha now I need to hear Ellie over a Megan Thee Stallion track 😂
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But jokes aside…. I don’t understand! For example RM and Suga are rappers. You would not take RM and ask him to sing a power ballad right? It would totally sabotage him. It would not make sense. Why did they decide this direction for Jimin? I could understand it as an album track… like trying something different, maybe catch some fans who worship Lil Nas. But as a pre-release single….? As soon as the autotuned verse started I cringed badly. The dancing is always amazing, but maybe I rather watch the video without listening to the audio 😫 it makes me so angry just because I’m such a fan of Jimin. I’m so confused.
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If you like that type of singing voice, there are other idols with it that can actually sing well (unlike Jimin). Jimin is not unique.
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I don’t know anyone with a similar vocal tone in kpop. Needing autotune in 2023 doesn’t mean you’re a bad artist. Literally everybody on the planet uses autotune nowadays
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There are other Kpop idols with delicate, almost feminine and sensual vocals. Who also are better vocalists than Jimin. Using autotune and needing autotune are 2 different things. Jimin needs it, and if he signed off on the release of a song with autotune like Set Me Free’s I think it is bad artistry (but if it was controlled by Hybe, then it is Hybe’s fault).
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I’ll take the bait.
I agree that Jimin is not the strongest singer – I think he chooses style over power. I also think that this is… fine.
His vocal timbre undeniably stands out in the industry and his voice is easily recognizable – that doesn’t have to mean that he is the only singer out there with this type of voice. It does mean that this is a strength that his team can play on rather than hiding his vocal tone in processing.
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His voice stands out because of how bad he sounds. He is not choosing style over power because he does not have the capability to be powerful.
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The first is your opinion, the second – it follows from him pursuing this light and breathy style that he hasn’t practiced a lot of supported belting. He might be able to do it more with practice, who knows?
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Jimin can’t do the light and breathy style well either.
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Mmhh I highly disagree here. OK I will admit that I am a fan of softer tones when used well. In fact I think Jimin’s strength is his interpretation and performance (even vocally) over the power and technique. I love BTS but also lots of other kpop groups, but he’s the only one who has this effect on me. After he put “Promise” on Soundcloud and after Filter was released, I thought “Wowwwww he really found his niche”. But here it’s like they gave the entire album to PDogg with the “order” to turn Jimin into a hip hop star. Maybe I’m being over-dramatic as hopefully the rest of the album also showcases different colours.
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I am also a fan of softer tones when done well. But Jimin does not do them well. His vocal skill, interpretation and range lag dreadfully behind his dance ability.
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You’re absolutely right lol I cringe every time I hear his voice. He is a karaoke singer with excellent dance skills. I think that as subjective as art is one still needs a baseline level of technique, which he doesn’t have.
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you can criticize the song as much as you want but belittling the artist’s own capacity & choice by saying an experimental sound could only be relegated & given to them by the label is just not it. the member’s solo ventures are clear indication of new exploration, dehumanizing them as artists does nothing to validate your criticism.
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If this was Jimin’s personal decision I respect it, but it still doesn’t make me like the song or think it was the best artistic move. What worries me is that Jimin has always been very vocal that in the early BTS years he was trying too hard to project this uber-masculine hip hop image and persona, and he always seems embarrassed when he sees old footage where he has this kind of posturing. With this song he’s gone back exactly to that artistic place, except he has to handle the vocals entirely by himself. This is why I am a bit skeptical that it’s his decision. But anyway… it’s just a song. Hopefully the entire album will have a palette of different colours showcasing different personas like he says in “Filter”
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like I said theres no reason to question his ability to make decisions, you can think the song isnt good. Jimin’s discussion about masculinity was about how he presents himself not the type of music he does,it’s pretty evident in the lyrics of this song too. as an artist, exploration will always come before public perception.
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I never questioned “his ability to make decisions”. I wonder if he is in a position to make executive decisions at all, and it’s a totally different thing. Hybe seems way more concerned about buying record labels (or buying shares in them) than looking after their own artists. And even if Big Hit genuinely wanted BTS to make their own artistic decisions, at the stage where they are they surely are bound by contracts, investments etc etc
Maybe I am worrying too much though, because the whole album is handled by their in house team, which to me is a step in the right direction. Still this song totally weirded me out like a square peg in a round hole
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What the actual fuck have they done to his voice
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Pdogg was experimenting. I love this song. and RAPPER JIMIN IS BACK. We haven’t heard Jimin rap on an official Spotify release since their debut.Circle Room Cypher was the first full rapping song by BTS and we hear Jimin rap on there. Then Tony Montana by SUGA featuring Jimin came out and Jimin raps on there, Tony Montana by SUGA featuring Jimin is legendary and it’s on disc 3 of the Proof Album. This song is going be legendary like every other Jimin song. Pdogg said, “K-pop will end in 2023”. This is that song that will end k pop. But K-pop will still go on. This song will change K-pop forever and so will Jimin’s album.
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Honestly, for he and Bang PD to claim kpop of going to “end” is incredibly pretentious of them. Might there be a market plateau? Maybe. But might be hard to see the forest for the trees when you’re on top of the tallest tree.
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Haven’t you heard? HYBE basically *is* K-pop now (except when they vehemently deny being part of K-pop for “credibility” reasons)
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No but I’m actually a little bit scared because what on earth is happening with HYBE acquiring ALL OF THE GROUPS?
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Why do you think this song will change Kpop?
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It will change k pop by making more k pop producers experiment with their laptops’ various voice effects on their autotune apps.
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Some aspects of this song are good then some are bad. The instrumental is nice. It’s epic and grand but Jimin’s natural voice would have been much better than the autotune. Also, it’s quite repetitive.
Rather than having replay value, it has impact value. It’ll make a great live stage.
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Exactly!
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I don’t get why there’s so much vocal processing, it makes it hard to listen to.
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Jimin’s natural voice would not have sounded good. He is a weak vocalist. He needs autotune. But this autotune was done badly.
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His voice really is unique, experts say. See https://www.allkpop.com/article/2021/10/an-opera-singer-delivers-a-detailed-analysis-on-jimins-vocals
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I guess this makes sense to get out of the way as a pre-release? This is more like ON Pt. 2…the brass also reminds me of Key’s Gasoline. In terms of cathartic Chapter 2 BTS songs, RM’s Wild Flower has been the most effective for me. I think I’m just going to forget this exists and look forward to the title track.
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Looks he hated being in BTS nearly as much as Hobi did. A cool performance piece. But I hope he gets to showcase his voice more then the album.
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On the album. And now I have an urge to go watch Rover again.
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They hated being in BTS? I didn’t really follow their career, but is this a well-known/recent development?
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I’m perhaps exaggerating, but at least to me, it seemed that the members were very excited for a break and a chance to remember who they were are people and artists.
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Anyone would be excited to break off after Permission to Dance…
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Now don’t be tryna spread rumors abt them “hating” to be apart of bts. Cuz it ain’t true, specially when you don’t even keep up with them or Stan them
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Buzz off. It was an exaggeration and you don’t even know my involvement with them.
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@Scalyyy & Discount SeokMin
The break now is because they are exhausted from working so hard for almost 10 years. They also wanted a chance to show their individual musical talents, in formal albums. And then there is military duty. There is no internal hate in BTS. See this video https://youtu.be/1t0iJ7F_k9Q
J-Hope surprised everyone by confessing that he quit Bighit before his debut, as Bighit was going through a bad time and was about to go bankrupt.
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Oh I believe that for sure – I was wondering if they had actually stated that though haha.
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Well, I like it, seems I’m in the minority. Jimin has one of the great K-pop voices, but I’ve worried it’d be overused in the service of ballads. This one though is nice and tough. I could imagine that after Sam Smith’s Unholy on the theater stage in his MV, Jimin comes out with this number.
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“Hey fool, get out my way. Shut up fuck off!” I’m sorry but I laughed so hard at this part. I’m not gonna say Jimin is bad at writing lyrics because that was the only comedic part of the song. It sounds like an edgy 12 year old is trying to show off his music to his friends so they think he’s cool. Now whether I liked the song, I can’t really say. I’ve listened to it twice and I felt nothing both times.I was intrigued by the opening with the choir singing, like you said it showed off potential I wished it went towards. I’ll still listen to the album because I love Jimin, but whether I’ll replay any of the songs is another thing.
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Look, I never appreciated Big Hit’s audio processing. No offence, but notes sound distorted even I use my earpods.
Listening to Apple by GFRIEND irritates me every time. You can never imagine htf can someone make vocals sound so bad.
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Eww damn…WTF is this? The choir, as well as the opening instrumental sample are great, but…putting so much vocal effects over Jimin’s voice was nothing but a genuine hate crime against him. I was disgusted as fucking hell while listening to the song. Sounds like this could be performed by Lil Uzi Vert, to be frank. The centerpiece feels underdeveloped, too.
I know, I unstanned BTS a while ago, but I came here to listen just ’cause of myself being curious.
Rating is way too high, due to such amount of this autotune being thrown into the production, it’s a 5.25 for me at best (6,3,6,6).
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Unrelated – but have you listened to the Superkind comeback Moody? 🙃 I’ll be honest – I actually really liked it! Even their debut Watch Out has really grown on me as a song over the year – and I liked this one even more!
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Lmao this review is a joke of the year. Clearly, you scared to score him lower. This song is worse than Sticker and thats pretty low standard, dawg. Nxde and Young Dumb Stupid is far better than this heavily autotuned song. Biased af.
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Cut the reviewer a little slack. Who isn’t scared of Army?
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Honored to have written the joke of the year! That seems to be a pretty big deal.
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And it isn’t even April 1st yet!
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Nah all the songs you mentioned are more bad and his song, “heavily autotune” dude only use it for 15 sec bfr
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Please forgive me for another comparison, but I’ve seen nobody else make it yet so here goes.
It’s like the producer (or whoever makes these decisions) heard Industry Baby and decided that Jimin should be the Lil Nas X of k-pop.
The producer did not for a second consider that Jimin is probably the furthest you could get from a posturing rapper. His charisma is much smoother and softer and his talents lie in subtlety, not shouting. You would think that his stunning and successful previous work would be enough to prove this, but alas.
Looks like they realized soon enough that Jimin’s voice doesn’t really suit this track, then said “Screw it, just hand me the vocal processing”.
Set him free, indeed.
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Hello. It’s my first time commenting even though I read the blog a lot and if I’m doing it it’s because everything you have said has caught my attention and to tell you that I totally agree with you.
Personally, I’m totally disappointed in this song, it was not what I expected from Jimin because it’s true, he’s not RM or Suga, he’s Jimin and I don’t know who thought that this would go well with his style. If there’s something I love about him, it’s his elegance and sensuality on stage along with his beautiful voice. For me they have sabotaged it and I don’t expect anything good from the rest of the album.
Excuse my English, it’s not my first language but I wanted to share my thoughts with you because I hate what’s happening with this.
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Welcome to the comment section with your first comment!
No need to apologize by the way, your English is perfectly fine 🙂
See you around on the blog, maybe!
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Jimin did rap before in the past. It’s not new for him. It’s Jimin’s personal decision to do it this way. He will also have talked about it with NamJoon/RM and Suga/Agust D too, the rap experts of BTS. He will also have talked about this with JungKook/JK, who always guided him with his singing. He’s not in the rap line of BTS. That does not mean that he has to stick to this BTS role, when it comes to a personal album
Isn’t the problem just not being used to this side from him?
We have indeed mostly see only the smooth/soft, boy like and feminine, side of singing of him. That’s his role in BTS. We are used to that side of him. That maybe makes this turn harder to get and love. But his character also isn’t always smooth and soft, there’s more to him. There is a harder side, shown in their 10 years of video’s. I like seeing this other side of him now. .
Don’t we all sometimes want to step out of what’s standard for us and how the world sees us? I like his move and courage.
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I can only speak out of my experience listening to BTS. I WORSHIP RM and Suga, in basically all they put out, so it’s not that I have something against this genre. Mic Drop and Daechwita are masterpieces to me. If this song is an artistic decision by Jimin so be it, and I will always praise an artist with the courage to just be himself no matter what. I am 100% in favour of that, and if it sounds weird to me or to anyone else, it shouldn’t matter at all, all that matters is his art.
My problem with this song is that Jimin doesn’t sound comfortable vocally, and the song sounds like a big nod to LIL NAS “Industry baby” as if some executive said “Hey we are aiming at the US here, your Korean ballads won’t cut it, let’s do something like “Industry baby”!”.
And copying a number 1 hit almost never works, artistically.
Maybe I am being biased and too cynical though. I LOVE when artists take risks, but I HATE when artists have to “follow the trends” in a calculated way to please the label. And right now there’s lots of that in kpop. So that’s where my doubts arise from.
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way too generous of a rating
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I also was confused by the Pt. 2. I thought the teaser had two parts and I couldn’t find the first one because there wasn’t one. Anywho, I was thrown off in the beginning because his lips were not moving and there was distortion so I couldn’t make out whether it was singing vs instrumentation. But yeah…. the vocal effects were a distraction and the song felt kinda empty.
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No, cause the literal moment he started Singing I immediately was like no I don’t like this. His voice is so mellow and beautiful but the effects made it so hard to like it.
The first verse was sketchy, but it quickly grew on me and idk if that’s because I’m forcing myself to like it since I love Jimin so much, but then the second verse came and my GOD I just could NOT help but want to rip my ears out.
Like I LOVE Jimin more than anything and see him as a close friend, but that wasn’t it. I just want to know who okayed this because, no.
And it sucks because if you say one critique, then you’re a hater of BTS.
The video was fun. I find myself wanting to keep watching the video and again idk if that’s the Jimin instinct inside of me or what, but I do enjoy it. I called it that they were gonna make him shirtless. I mean come on that was no surprise. If you think about it, he’s the one member who they’d have do this after JK did.
I agree with the rating, though. Like I was and still am SHOOK by how different it is, but that different was kind of wasted. Like Jhope did something totally different that had people GAGGING and it worked well, but this sadly didn’t work out.
I feel like I would’ve LOVED this song if they took out those god-awful effects, specifically in the second verse.
Overall, is it my favorite? Not at all. I still love Jimin more than anything, but this song isn’t it, sis, and I gear a lot of people saying the same thing. I’m just afraid that he’ll come across it and think he’s a failure because of it, especially considering the success of other member’s solos.
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I know right? I totally agree, and I am such a fan it hurts me even more because he’s going to beat himself up over it. I didn’t “love” J Hope’s releases as much as other BTS material, but they were OK, they matched him as an artist, and I could bop to them… they worked in their own way; but this… this makes my ears and my heart bleed 😭
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bro thinks hes travis scott 😭😭😭
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I know music is subjective but this is a piling piece of garbage and I genuinely feel bad for songs that got a 7.5 or lower from you, because they 100% got robbed.
His “fuck all of your opps” alone is so fucking laughable, what kind of opps do you have jimin? Kakao got shooters and gangbangers now? 💀
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” Kakao got shooters and gangbangers now” This is too FUNNY oh my goodness I’m dying💀💀
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The line “fuck all your opps” was well, interesting. It’s not the first time kpop acts have used aave as seen in xg’s left right(not exactly kpop but they made it into the scene) recently. I’m not sure why he is concerned about other people’s ‘opps’ and not his(Considering he did write the lyrics himself).
In all seriousness, what ‘opps’ do Koreans in the streets of seoul have?
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why do those korean artists venturing into hip hop always trying so hard to emulate americans? talking about opps and drinking henessey.. like they hear some american rappers use those lyrics and think “yeah that represents my lifestyle, lemme use those lyrics”. you ain’t got no opps, you ain’t about that lifestyle, stop trying so hard to fit in a scene you don’t belong to. you’re a korean kid who went to train at a company to become part of a pop group, the most criminal thing you’ve come in contact to is probably your rookie slave contract.
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As a BTS fan and my bias being Jimin, I was/am looking forward to his album. I was disappointed with all the auto tune applied to his voice. It distracts from what he is trying to say. Now with his verses, you Abe to understand the history of BTS and particularly Jimin. Throughout their 9 year career, the group and particularly Jimin have been criticized with hat and death threats. Jimin internalized all the negativity he received along with low self esteem because of the treatment he received. With this song he is finally standing up for his self, setting himself free from all the hate he has received and deciding to be himself. I believe the other dongs will reflect this change.
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In Gen Z language I would probably say “Jimin is in his Reputation era”.
Showing the haters how much he is not affected by them by.. dedicating a title track to the effect they have on him.
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I understand the point but in my opinion, it’s a very childish way of defending himself. I recommend you listen to Taemin’s “Advice”, that’s a classy way to shut up.
I adore Jimin but I pass on this material… It’s the most low category thing I’ve ever seen of him and my heart aches for it.
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This is why I will never take any review from you seriously again. This song should be an F because how unlistenable it is lol.
You and As*anJunkie are just the same. Kudos for your bravery to post this review while AJ too scared.
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Aint no way NMIXX’s was rated lower than this 💀 His ass and this ass song deserve to be thrown into the military for this.
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taking my time to write a review after lurking on this blog for a quite a few years because this song is truly just that awful. O.O. for 2023 methinks.
i think kpop should go back to not letting their artists be involved creatively if this is what we get from it.
chancellor wrote both for this and left right…i want him to stop mentioning “opps” ASAP wtf kind of opposition do these idols have 😭
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One thing I love about songs like this is how it brings people together. Love seeing blog lurkers come out of the woodworks to voice their thoughts.
Also I have to thank you for explaining what ‘opps’ means – in this context it gives me the same vibe as ‘haters’ (because like you said.. not much serious opposition for world-famous superstar Park Jimin).
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I don’t want to presume to use Google for anyone here, but if you are curious about any “opps” Jimin or other members have received, please feel free to read on.
“Multiple anonymous threats against BTS’ Jimin ahead of upcoming Stateside stops of the act’s Love Yourself world tour have local police forces looking into the situation. The user wrote that they were intending to […] Jimin “in Fort Worth on September 16 while he sings Serendipity.” They provided graphic, disturbing details about their intent, … The Fort Worth Police Department’s Twitter account responded later that day to say that they “are aware of this threat and it is currently being investigated/looked into by our Intel unit.”
“A similar threat has the Los Angeles Police Department investigating allegations aimed at Jimin in regards to the first of the group’s four stops at the LA Staples Center in early September, set to kick off on Sept. 5.
On July 12, NBC News Los Angeles (KNBC) reported that LAPD was investigating the allegations. “We are aware of the matter and are looking into it,” said Public Information Officer Tony Im of the LAPD’s Media Relations Section.”
“BTS‘ debut New York City concert was cut short due to threats towards the act. During the concert, alleged threats towards a band member surfaced on social media showing people touting handguns threatening BTS”
When those opps are not wishing him assault in the military during his future mandatory enlistment, or signing a petition to the President to force BTS to disband, this also:
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opps is a gang term and no one outside gang culture should b using it regardless LOL
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Someone needs to study kpoppies obsession with Jimim. Maybe if you put that energy onto streaming your faves muisc, they would not be flopping everywhere.
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What’s a Jimim?
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Username checks out.
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genuinely love your blog and always will but this ranking made me hurt for any other song in the 7.5 category. like wow, this song is borderline unlistenable in a way i haven’t come across in a long time, and i NEED you to see the light and put in a future riser and fallers post under “fallers” so i can know peace. you appreciate good music come on now nick this isn’t you !
this is meant to be a lighthearted joke btw of course that’s your opinion and mine isn’t a fact either, duh! i’m just truly trying to understand how this could get anything BUT a failing grade from someone who seems to appreciate proper production and melody. hoping we get a lie 2.0 somehow we have taken a wrong turn!
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This isn’t great. It’s not the worst song ever and after a few listens the autotune is just a liiiiiitle more bearable. But I can’t lie, that 2nd verse was ironically fire🔥. I will blast “hey fool just get out my way, shut up f*ck off” whenever I’m sad because it’s the most goofiest lyric I’ve heard all year and I can’t stop laughing when I hear it
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I think I’m gonna make it my ringtone, and I LOVE Jimin, but that bit sounds more like these parodies BTS do when they wanna be funny 😭
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Is it ok if I really like the song? I’m not a massive fan of BTS but I’ve enjoy this song a lot, on my playlist when I go for a run.
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Yea it’s ok. A lot of people liked the song and industry professionals all love it. Idk what it is with the people in the commments who act like they have phds or smth but these are from the same group of kpop fans who around harrassing every critic that liked Set Me Free Pt 2. (No, really they’re looking for reaction videos everywhere and posting about, it’s giving me secondhand embarrassment). Many people are liking the song. For every 1 comment who dislikes it on here, there’s 200 more people who actually like the song. The people in the comments of this review are those people who love boxing kpop into one certain sound and hate it when a korean artist (who’s long been deviating from the norm in kpop) actually releases a song that doesn’t fit their beloved kpop formula bs.
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Or maybe have you thought they just don’t like the song? I don’t care if others like it but you seem to care so much about our opinions.
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JOJO
“The people in the comments of this review are those people who love boxing kpop into one certain sound…”
WTF is that one certain sound? As of now, I don’t hear any similarities between songs like TVXQ’s Rising Sun and TXT’s Crown. So could you elaborate on that comment?
“…hate it when a Korean artist (who’s long been deviating from the norm in kpop) releases a song that doesn’t fit their beloved kpop formula bs.”
I mean, the autotuned verses sound like a kpop formula lol. Also, SMF Pt. 2 isn’t different from any other song delivering a brass-centric hook (i.e. Key’s Gasoline), so it’s not like Jimin has been deviating from the K-pop norm, whatever that norm is.
Even if you think Jimin is deviating from the K-pop norm, then you certainly don’t know about XIA (Tarantallegra and Flower)
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you don’t need to be a chef to know something tastes bad ! same goes with not having to have a professional career in music theory to know this sounds awful 🫶
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Taste is really personal. I don’t even like al chef’s food.
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He slayed
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I loved the song he used the autotune in exact correct portion where it needed i actually loved it besides he just used that for 30 sec which is suited with the song where the song is 3min long i don’t see any problem with that it’s actually good the song is going to my playlist
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I really liked his artistic output. I think it matched the concept of freedom, imprisonment and being yourself. like it was more than one voice in his head. Not to mention that the choreography is very good hahahaha I’ll wait to know even more of his work
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Fair enough review. Jimin’s solos have always been great but this one left something to be desired IMO. Lots of potential with the choir, instrumental and the MV was great, where Jimin shines most.
Still looking forward to the album and crossing my fingers!
P/s Opinion pieces are always gonna be subjective but still can’t believe u rated this song the same score as Daechwita by Agust D and More by J-Hope. Those were definitely a step above sonically.
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Dear Nick (and others),
I am a music listener, but I do not understand it on a higher level than that of a listener. You do. My daily work consists of analyzing human behavior, on a top-down and detailed level. That gives a different view on this. I am not here to judge your review. I would like to supplement it for a more complete picture.
Special remark: we put them under a magnifying glass. Do we do that for everyone like this? There is already a glass cage in which they live. I wouldn’t like it for my live.
I’ve only been in the world of BTS for a short time, I ‘stumbled’ into something from JungKook on Twitter. I’m not an Army or anything. I’ve become a big fan of BTS in a short time: of their music, their pursuit of perfection, their view on life values, their connection with fans and their personalities. I like their brains. 😉
I saw what’s happening online now and thought: I’ll respond from my world.
BTS is very interesting for someone who works around behavior. 10 years of their lives played out in front of the camera. Very unique. And we can all look at it: all those 10 years are online to watch (and judge 😉 ).
If you want, you can get to know the members of BTS well by watching that video material unbiased. ‘Professional madwoman’ that I am: I did that. I spent many hours in my spare time watching (and enjoying) them. Listened to their music, I read translations of the lyrics. Connections made between their collective and individual work. Simply because I find them interesting and they bring me lot of fun/happiness.
The first time I heard/saw SMF Pt2, only the visuals really touched me. It sounded so different! That’s what almost everyone says. Now, after watching/listening more often with headphones on and analyzing the text and images (with others), I say: this is not a song, it’s a work. For me (and others) even a masterpiece, like more from BTS.
What we hear and see is Jimin. Not Big Hit/Hybe. It’s completely autobiographical. You hear/see his personal history and development. He has looked back to minimal those 10 years and to what has happened to and around him. It’s about what he overcame. I think this is very brave of him, SMF Pt2. Especially if you also look at the new hate comments.
The many subtle references to previous work by BTS (as always with BTS), Foucault and the panopticon principle (‘all seeing’), Rilke (poem on his chest), Fibonacci: a map for spiritual growth & it refers to art, architecture & science, the 18th century British philosopher Jeremy Bentham, the parasocial interaction with their fans. And there is more.
Translated into being viewed & judged in the 21st century: CCTV & (social) media. A theme that touches him and all of us deeply. The (online) harassment especially he has to endure from so called fans/shippers who tell him/BTS how to live (including ‘marry me!’), or even sometimes during their VLive to please die.
The glass cage for so long, being seperated from your family. Growing op with hyungs in a not standard living situation. And to use Jungkook’s words from one of his last live sessions with millions of fans, about being in real live followed by so called fans: ‘That’s not right. I’m a human too.’ The privacy breach clearly left him/them hurt.
It’s about rebirth: continuously removing a layer of clothing, resurrection from ashes (Phoenix), overcoming, setting yourself/breaking free. About facing yourself and being head on as he gets ready for his next step (solo artist). He chose his own lane for this. (But BTS as a whole will be back!)
All this can and in my opinion must be used to judge the work of Jimin and BTS. I am now also looking at the works of JungKook, Namjoon and Suga in this way.
The overall picture on my side is not finished yet. What you looked at is also part of the overall picture, an interesting review. Thanks for that. Everyone gives their own 50 cents.
However, the overall picture is not everyone’s cup of tea. Also, not everyone wants the total picture. I am a specialist in what I do, you in what you do. I understand that many only look at ‘I like it or not’, but there is so much more.
The black side: ‘my k-pop band/artist is better, so yours is worthless and should be hated’ actions of antis. Or people who earn money by bashing, or actively monitoring the interests of other (music) companies. The early years hardship in this.
The white side: the ‘healing’ effect of this work: it supports many fans who are struggling in their own lives (towards change or healing), they say on Twitter. People also use other works of BTS for this. The mutual connection between BTS and Army is unique in the music world, in my opinion.
Again: this is Jimin’s world. Take it as it is when you enter. I am very curious about the sequel. The first photos are promising.
Someone should write a thesis on this. Actualy all of BTS is thesis material. BTS is no longer a k-pop band, they are unique. But let’s leave what Bang Si-Hyuk said about K-Pop nowadays out of this for now. 😉
💜,
D
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I can’t reply for Nick, but I am a BTS fan too and I watch their lives, In the soup, Run BTS and the rest. Hell I even bought the TinyTan collection and the whale plushie. Went to see their concerts. I LOVE lots of BTS songs. To me they are masterpieces, musically, lyrically, melodically, conceptually. Something like “The truth untold”???? To me that had to be a single. Don’t get me started with “Spring Day”. I even LOVE “Dynamite”, yeah maybe it’s a huge nod to the American industry, but in that it’s well done. As a fan, I still keep to myself the possibility not to like what they put out and to have my own ideas about it, “respectfully”. I haven’t really checked lots of Nick’s reviews, I am a bit of a newbie on this Blog! lol but I did look at some and Nick loves some of BTS songs too, like he RAVES about it. It can happen that someone won’t like your work.
Like you say, BTS have gone through way worse than one independent reviewer not liking their songs. Trust me about this, they’d rather see some genuine person not liking their stuff, than the humungous fakery, hypocrisy, racism they go through on the daily. And BTS would be the first ones to be ASHAMED of any ARMY who is a cyber-bully and sadly there’s loads like that.
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its just.. atrocious…….. i dont even know how this track made it to the final cut of the album, i still have hope for FACE. i’ll still tune in for the real deal.
he has such gorgeous voice.. but this song.. does not gave his voice the justice it needs.
2/10
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Good review, I’d have personally given it a 10 but that’s just my bias since i love songs that use autotune in artistic ways and I adore choirs, also Jimin’s voice is exquisite. Now for all the people in the comment section, aka kpop fans with rooted envy and dislike towards BTS, please leave intiguing and artistic songs like this alone, and start supporting the songs you actually like, most of them being watered down and rip off versions of existing songs, no originality whatsoever.
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I don’t think there are any dislikes towards BTS in this post. Just criticism.
Original or not, all that matters is how the song sounds. You can’t say that Set Me Free Pt. 2 is original though because 1) autotuned verses and 2) dramatic, brass-assisted production. There are other K-pop songs that were dramatic and use brass before this song lol
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I honestly don’t understand why people are having this massive fight here. All our opinions (including Nick’s and mine) are just opinions, you know what they say. Opinions are like ar*eholes, everybody has one. The only reality check is from the charts (if you believe that statistics gives some sort of validation, that is). Everything else is subjective, but it’s fun to have a conversation about it in a civil manner, that’s all. So there’s absolutely nothing to fight about, cause none of us is “right” or “wrong”.
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i personally like the auto-tune as a narrative device, i think it’s effective and gives something interesting to deconstruct in the track. i would have perhaps liked to see it used with a little more balance in the sense of not using it as much during the singing parts to create a more jarring contrast which I presume was the aim. The production and composition are pretty spectacular, so i don’t really vibe with the jab on pdogg, i think he’s outdone himself with the heavy brass and bringing in that heavy operatic tenor that really suits Jimin. The alarm sound? in the background, almost like a prison alarm works really really well with the visual imagery of the panopticon and I definitely think it’s one of those songs that “sound’ better with visual components of performance. Like despite the crunchy Youtube audio that’s mainly where I’ve been streaming. About the “raw” part, equating the wanting to be raw and free with having unprocessed vocals….seems like a pretty lackluster take, I do think that criticism applies in the lyrics, I do wish we get learn more about Jimin through the album since the pre release kind of continues with the aura of mystery and vagueness that Jimin subscribes to.
My main complaint (or maybe wish) would be that I would’ve liked the song to be longer. With the chant like chorus, I feel like perhaps another verse or a funky bridge would’ve allowed the song to breathe a little better but I think it’s cool that Jimin is experimenting a bit. It’s an interesting opening gauntlet, not as captivating as Lie but pretty functional as a pre-release. I don’t get why this is turning out to be such a polarizing track given Kpop has been heading into pretty wild territories in the recent months but I guess a BTS release does ramp up opinions on all sides. I’m pretty excited to see how the album turns out though
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