When thinking about love, most people’s thoughts immediately go to loving someone or something else. But how about loving yourself? In repackaged album “Love Yourself: Answer” by South Korean boy band Bangtan Boys or BTS, the importance of loving yourself is emphasized through lyrics of seven new songs and songs from “Love Yourself: Tear,” another album, also part of BTS’s Love Yourself series.

BTS consists of seven members: RM, Jin, J-hope, Suga, V, Jimin and Jungkook. The group is under Big Hit Music, which is connected to HYBE Labels. BTS debuted June 13, 2013, and is currently on hiatus to fulfill their mandatory military service for South Korea. They began working on their Love Yourself series in March 2016, and their first album of the series called “Love Yourself: Her” was released in September 2017.

“Love Yourself: Answer” was the last of the three albums in the series. The album was released Aug. 24, 2018. It went on to become BTS’s second top 200 Billboard chart album.

The Love Yourself series touched the hearts of many fans around the world. There are countless articles online written by BTS fans sharing their stories and how BTS taught them to love themselves. For example, as Amanda Rae Valiente shared in an article from Her Campus, “When BTS came out with this Love Yourself series, I finally felt like somebody understood me.” It brought and continues to bring reassurance and comfort to thousands of people.

I became a fan of BTS in early 2019, and “Love Yourself: Answer” immediately became my favorite album. I loved how there were so many different styles of songs in the album, yet they all spoke to the same theme of loving yourself. From the first track, “Euphoria,” to the last track, “Mic Drop,” I felt deeply connected to the dynamic music and impactful lyrics. The majority of the lyrics in the album’s songs are in Korean, as they are K-pop songs, so I am able to understand the lyrics through English translations.

One of the most popular songs from the album to this day is “Idol,” sung by the whole group. The music video currently has 1.2 billion views and 20 million likes on Youtube. Compared to the more mellow songs on the album, “Idol’s” upbeat nature came as a surprise to me when I first heard it. The song is extremely charismatic and catchy throughout. There are many rapping verses, which were not my favorite parts of the song, but I liked how they added diversity to the album.

“Idol” goes from a strong, energetic rapping verse to a smooth and quiet pre-chorus. The lyrics illuminate how others’ opinions of you should not negatively impact how much love and appreciation you have for yourself. One moment where BTS communicates this message is in the last two lines of the pre-chorus of the song. The lyrics translate to: “I do what I do, so you do you. You can’t stop me lovin’ myself.” BTS shares that there is no need to spend time worrying about what others are doing with their lives, and that you should always love yourself no matter what someone else says.

Each BTS member has their own solo song in “Love Yourself: Answer.” Jin’s song, “Epiphany,” stood out to me the most out of the solo songs in the whole album because of his soothing voice and the touching lyrics. It brings a new perspective to the Love Yourself series by relating loving yourself and loving someone else.

“Epiphany” is a slower song, with piano as the main instrument and Jin’s passionate voice shining throughout the song. The lyrics describe how it is important to love and take time for yourself before loving anyone else. It encourages listeners to practice self-care. The chorus is my favorite part of the song because of the combination of the piano building up with slow drums. In the chorus, Jin sings: “I’m the one I should love in this world. Shining me, precious soul of mine. I finally realized so I love me, not so perfect but so beautiful. I’m the one I should love.” These lyrics sparked many moments of self-reflection for me, helped teach me to love myself and gave fans a safe place to appreciate themselves for who they truly are. 

“Magic Shop” is a fan-favorite song and is sung by the whole group. The tone of “Magic Shop” is more personal, as if someone is talking directly to you, reassuring and supporting you when you are facing challenges. It is a direct message to BTS fans that BTS is there for them and will always tell them to love themselves. My favorite line of the song translates to: “Let’s make a door in your heart.” It is comforting to hear this at hard times, as the message can help listeners open up and face their emotions.

The way BTS spreads this warm and reassuring message of self-love through their music is extremely powerful, as it extends globally. All of the tracks on this album are variations of BTS’s message with nuanced differences. No matter the tone, rhythm, length or genre of the song, BTS found a way to teach fans to appreciate and be kind to themselves.