BTS’s Jin marks a big milestone by being the first member to return from the military and release music. And, I’m not talking about his Super Tuna from a few weeks ago! He’s ready to unveil an entire album, led by pre-release I’ll Be There. And with names like Gary Barlow and Arcades on the song credits, it seems that we’re in for a similar vibe as his soft-rock, Coldplay-assisted The Astronaut from 2022.
I’ll Be There bounds forward with plenty of upbeat, optimistic energy. It’s a classic consolation/cheering song, which may seem like an overly simplistic approach. However, this kind of music is deceptively tricky to pull off. There’s such a fine line between “uplifting” and “annoying commercial jingle selling fake fun.” This is what got BTS’s own Permission To Dance in such trouble. I’ll Be There pulls off its balancing act better than that song, but still feels a bit contrived and jingle-y to me.
On the plus side, Jin’s voice suits this style of polished pop rock perfectly. There’s a warmth to his performance that’s convincing even when the song itself isn’t. He clearly enjoys this sound and that love bursts through the speakers. The instrumental has a jangly, percussive personality with shades of indie rock and an incessantly upbeat, clap-along vibe. I’m not a fan of the repetitive chorus, though. It feels too on the nose, which is what gives it that cynical, boardroom-approved sheen you often hear in advertisements. Nevertheless, I can easily imagine I’ll Be There becoming inescapable over the next few weeks.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I like its energetic energy
8.75/10 (8, 9, 8, 10)
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It’s like a visionary vision! 🙂
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God, that name might be my karma for making fun of “Bad Villain”…
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ohhhh i love this one, im not the kind to enjoy radio-friendly rock but jin, being the goofy guy he is, pulls it off well
rating’s in the mid 8s for me, and im gonna make sure to stream it as much as i can 😉
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I really like the song! It’s cheesy, but also uplifting without being try-hard. It fits Jin perfectly imo.
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I gotta be honest , the song itself does NOTHING for me, but I am always endeared by Jin’s inherently positive energy. The song fits him well, it has this simple in an almost childish way fun vibe that only a person confident in their own adulthood can pull off if that makes sense. I don’t know, his energy is just contagious and that makes the song work for me almost in spite of itself.
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Perfectly described how I think many people will feel about the song (including me)
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Literally not for me, I don’t see myself going back to this song or liking the mini-album at all. Hopefully the song with Red Velvet’s Wendy is good. Despite not liking this, I’m happy ARMY is getting their guys back one by one.
Not ranking this one!
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Mini album is not even out yet lol 😅
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judging a mini album that isn’t even out yet over a pre release sure is an interesting choice
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As a pre-release the song is ok, maybe a little corny, but he makes it work in his favor…does that make sense?
Another commenter expressed it better.☝🏻
PS: on the plus side, he sounds like Jin. No weird or excessive voice processing here🙌
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It’s nothing ground breaking, but I always appreciate when little bursts of sunshine like this come up on shuffle when I’m driving, and Jin’s a perfect vehicle for sunshine.
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I think Jin knows how to pick songs better than most. He also knows how to sell it better than most. For that, good marks.
However, the shelf he is picking from is all pre-screened corporate shelf. There is a faint veil of inauthenticity between us and song. This is the kind of song that could be at the end of one of the Sing movies or the next Trolls movie.
To break that barrier, I hope live live he leans into buckets of ad libs and whoops and crowd chants. Get some backup singers to sing a fair bit of the song, and use the freed up aural real estate to do the obligatory strut around the stage working the crowd. Real call and response with the mic here, the mic there, now to me, now to you. Triple the length of the song with a real vamp. Perhaps during the vamp, throw in a line or three from Super Tuna and his other songs that he doesn’t want to do full length but a line or three will do nicely. The song construction is almost purpose made for this, and I hope they take advantage of it.
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Oh man you hit the nail right on the head with the Sing and Trolls movies, its such a particular kind of vibe.
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Mmhhh gosh no this really is beyond the cheese my stomach can digest. I’m sorry but I think this is far more cheesy, dated and just average than “Permission to dance”. I wasn’t a fan of that song, but that one I could “listen to” without cringing madly. Maybe I’m being a bit too picky with the concepts/lyrics but come on, it’s 2024. If I want to listen to a song going “I’ll be there for you oh oh” I got plenty with better choruses, also. And the song/delivery isn’t tongue in cheek enough to make it fun and light (to me).
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The chorus was underwhelming, however, no doubts that it fits Jin’s vocal tones and overall personality very much. And thank god, for not doing the vocal processing shit that they always do.
Seeing it as a pre release track, its fine, hoping for better things from the mini album.
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The song is better than your review. It’s a good start for him after Super Tuna. Give his album a chance..He has a wonderful voice even if you don’t like song. I’d probably say you are not Army. No offense, my opinion.
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I appreciate a straightforward, positive energy pop song. This is maybe a bit generic, but the positive vibe does suit Jin very well.
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I like it, it’s fun and does good when it pops up in the playlist. A simple sweet song and it suits him very well…
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I like this song, and I can’t wait for next week!
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too many high pitch which not comfortable and heavy breath, his breath problem made me feel bad when use ear plugs
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to be honest, let’s face it. I don’t listen. I’ll be there that much. I have mixed feelings about it.Jin needs to write a better version of the song and make a ballad version. I like his songs most of them don’t give me wrong, but I’ll be there. I never listen to it. It doesn’t really help me that much. I tried listening to it and the music video wasn’t that good it was kind of a little unpredictable Jin needs to do better with the song and he needs to start making a better version of it the only part I like in the song I admit is the bridge but he definitely needs to make a better version of it honestly and his song abyss. He says I’ll be there but still he needs to like make a better version of the song.
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