On March 11th, BTS announced their comeback (which means a new album and at least one new music video). The new album titled "Map of the Soul: Persona" is slated to come out April 12th. Since the Love Yourself era came to an end in August, fans have been curious what this new era will bring. The "Map of the Soul: Persona" album title is believed to be a reference to Carl Jung's work on persona
If you aren't a member of the BTS ARMY, this probably is inconsequential to you, but I suggest you stay around for the rest of the article to see into the life of someone you've most likely stereotyped. And, for anyone who is an ARMY or looking to become one, these are the 18 steps every Army takes once a BTS comeback is announced.
1. Constantly Check Twitter Until Confirmation/ Translations Are Out
If you have Twitter notifications turned on for the @bts_bighit like I do, you can usually tell when they're announcing something. However, if you're like me, you only speak English and navigating the Korean language website to get to the English article normally takes longer than refreshing the page for 5-10 minutes until a kind ARMY has translated the news.
2. Freak Out
The only logical thing to do next is freak out. Just be careful not to throw your phone or accidentally punch someone as you throw your arms into the air. However, it might be better simply to post your excitement on social media.
3. Analyze
With every BTS album title, song title, or teaser comes a vast range of theory and speculation. While not every song title means something, the most recent album title "Map of Soul: Persona" like I mentioned is a reference to the work of Carl Jung. However, it also has a clever play on words between "soul" and "Seoul".
4. Research
Research these theories. You'll only be prepared to take in the full album when you understand the meaning behind the songs. If you're lazy or don't want to do research, plenty of ARMY are constantly posting theories and research on Twitter and Instagram, so it's usually not too much work.
5. Find Out The Poster On Your Wall Has Been A Clue All Along
Literally happened to me. A poster from the last album, "Love Yourself: Answer" subtly spells out the word "Persona". And, I even saw one ARMY on Instagram that found a clue linking to the word persona all the way back from when "DNA" came out in September 2017.
6. Read Other ARMY's Theories
You can't expect to figure everything out on your own! BTS theories are often deep and convoluted, so it only makes sense to peep at a few others. This is especially helpful if you don't want to do the research yourself.
7. Try To Figure Out The Member's Hair Colors
With every new BTS comeback comes a slew of new hair colors for the members. Oftentimes, the members will wear hats or even go as far as black hairspray to hide their true hair colors. It's impossible to know every member's color before the main music video drops (it can sometimes even differ from the concept photos).
8. Pre-Order The Album
If you're reading this anytime after March 11 (which you definitely should be), "Map of the Soul: Persona" is available for pre-order! It's surely to break pre-order records and come with a bunch of goodies.
9. Anticipate The Teasers And Concept Photos
Concept photos (which set the tone and hint at the comeback's themes and aesthetics) typically drop around one or two weeks before the comeback. Not only are these photos made into posters and sure to be swoon-worthy, they will drop big hints for what is to come.
10. Analyze Teasers and Concept Photos
Once these concept photos and the music video teasers drop, you've got at most a week before the album and music video comes out. It's time to analyze them like crazy and make any last minute predictions.
11. Research The Concepts Of The Albums
In these coming days, you're sure to have gathered more information on the concepts simply from the osmosis of your social media timelines. Pay attention to them and you won't believe how they come in handy once the album drops.
12. Make Record Breaking Goals
ARMY successfully helped BTS' "Idol" break the YouTube record for most views in the first 24 hours (which has since been surpassed by Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next"). This comeback will not be an exception. ARMY will most likely attempt to break multiple records (and will probably succeed in breaking at least a few).
13. Request Comeback Day Off
Okay, I'm kidding. But, if you can get comeback day off, it certainly means you can stream the album all day, right?
14. Binge Listen To All The Previous Albums
While you probably do this all the time, binging all the previous albums is the perfect way to remind yourself of just how far the group has come from the early days in 2013 and 2014. There may be some crying involved when you listen to "2! 3!" and you might laugh at how different "No More Dream" is from today's BTS, but it'll bring back all the memories of when you first heard them.
15. Dry Clean Your BTS Merch To Wear On The Day
OK, again, slightly kidding. But, hey, might as well pull it out of the back of your closet and toss it through the dryer so it's ready.
16. Stay Up To Watch The Music Video
Or, if you're old like me, set an alarm for 2am to get up.
17. Cry
Regardless of if the music video is upbeat or emotional, there's certainly going to be tears. Whether it be from the aesthetics, the lyrics, or simply how amazing the vocals are you better break out the tissues ahead of time.
18. Realize You Have To Wait Months For The Next Comeback
Normally comebacks happen roughly every six months (although sometimes with a gap as short as three to four months), so it'll be at least a few months before you get to experience this again. But, it'll take at least that long to figure out all the clues and hints at the next comeback. Plus, the members are likely to upload covers, mixtapes, and possibly an extra music video to keep us satiated.
April 12th can't come fast enough!
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