It’s officially comeback season! Here’s a roundup of everything we know so far about BTS’ new 2019 album Map of the Soul: Persona including the release date, concept photos, comeback trailer, lyrics, and where to pre-order!

Editors note: We’ll continue to update this page as more details about BTS’ Map of the Soul: Persona are revealed!

BTS ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ release date and more:

– Map of the Soul: Persona release date: April 12, 2019
– BTS on SNL: April 13, 2019
– BTS Global Press conference (The event will be live streamed on BANGTANTV) April 16, 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET
– BTS performing at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with Halsey: May 1, 2019
– BTS world tour kicks off in Los Angeles: May 4, 2019

BTS releases ‘ARMY With Luv’ version of ‘Boy With Luv’!:

Without warning Big Hit dropped an “ARMY With Luv” version of the “Boy With Luv” music video and it’s packed full of new and cute moments of BTS!

Halsey is also featured more in this version which is great to see! Her parts really blend in nicely with the boys so it makes it even better.

BTS performs ‘Boy With Luv’ on ‘SNL’:

For the first time BTS had their comeback stage in America, and it was also their first time performing on SNL! Not only was it a historic moment for them, but BTS also became the first Korean musical guest to appear on SNL.

Seeing the choreography for “Boy With Luv” live for the first time, it was amazing to see how much fun BTS was able to have while putting on their stage. It looks like this one will quickly became a favorite for us on stage!!

For their second song, BTS also brought a firey performance of their hit “MIC DROP”!

BTS ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ press release:

On April 11 (April 12 in Seoul), Big Hit sent out a press release describing the upcoming album.

Global sensation BTS will mark the beginning of a new story with the worldwide release of their eagerly awaited album MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA set for April 12, 6 PM KST. Having concluded their ‘LOVE YOURSELF’ series last year, the iconic band returns on a quest to find one’s true self.

Woven seamlessly throughout seven brand new tracks, the EP is a nod to the band’s past while showcasing their maturity and new found understanding of love and the ever-widening world around them. The tracks have a clear message: finding joy in love and reaching out to the world.

Their lead single ‘Boy With Luv’ – which Grammy nominated and chart topping singer-songwriter Halsey lends her vocals to – parallels their past teen anthem ‘Boy In Luv’ from 2014. While the band’s prior release talked about young love, ‘Boy With Luv feat. Halsey’ is about how true strength and love come from finding joy in the smallest things in life.

Another exciting collaboration comes with Ed Sheeran in the form of the delicate track ‘Make It Right’. RM’s solo piece ‘Intro : Persona’ asks the fundamental question ‘Who am I?’, while ‘Mikrokosmos’ paints the world through human interest. In ‘HOME’, BTS finds refuge where their fans are. ‘Jamais Vu’ is a unit song by j-hope, Jin, Jung Kook and ‘Dionysus’ blasts signature BTS hip hop beats from start to finish.

As global superstars who play stadiums, have addressed the UN and initiated an unprecedented international campaign ARMYPEDIA, BTS now looks to shape the future reflecting on and using the power they have gained while embracing all its shadows.

BTS commented, “We find strength and happiness in every moment. You’ve given us so much love, and now we want to get to know our fans more. We filled our album with our genuine feelings and the messages that we want to share with you.”

The band will make their TV performance premiere of the new lead single on SNL on April 13. They’ll be embarking on a stadium tour across the globe starting May.

About BTS’ new album arriving in 2019:

If you’re wondering where the inspiration came from for BTS’ new album, just check out Jung’s Map of the Soul. Big Hit had the book sitting in their online shop right in front of our faces for quite a while without any of us realizing it was a clue for the new album.

One of the concepts in Jung’s Map of the Soul is the the idea of personas. According to Simply Psychology, “The ‘persona’ (or mask) is the outward face we present to the world. It conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the “conformity” archetype. This is the public face or role a person presents to others as someone different to who we really are (like an actor).”

It’s quite possible that BTS will make this into a trilogy much like the Love Yourself albums. Map of the Soul: Shadow and Map of the Soul: Ego could be coming our way next.

It’s also widely believed that we’ll see many references to past material from BTS, as already seen in the first comeback trailer!

Not only will this allow BTS to throwback to past concepts, but will also show how they’ve grown and evolved over time. As the band members have basically grown up in front of the public eye, they’ve naturally gone through many changes as they learned to deal with all the attention (negative and positive).

Related: BTS song, album list: A complete guide to every single tune

BTS ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ tracklist:

1. Intro: Persona
2. 작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv) feat. Halsey
3. 소우주 (Mikrokosmos)
4. Make It Right
5. HOME
6. Jamais Vu
7. Dionysus

BTS ‘작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv)’ feat. Halsey Official music video:

BTS “작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv)” feat. Halsey lyrics:

I’m curious about everything How’s your day
Oh tell me
What makes you happy
Oh text me

Your every picture
I wanna have it by my pillow oh bae
Come be my teacher
Teach me everything about you
Your 1, your 2

Listen my my baby I’m
Flying high in the sky
(With the two wings you gave me back then)
Now it’s so high up here
I want you tuned in to my eyes
Yeah you makin’ me a boy with luv

Oh my my my oh my my my
You got me high so fast
I want to be with you for everything
Oh my my my oh my my my
You got me fly so fast
Now I kinda get it

Love is nothing stronger
Than a boy with luv
Love is nothing stronger
Than a boy with luv

From the moment I met you ya my life was all you ya
You’re the star that turns ordinaries into extraordinaries
One after another, everything is special
The things you’re interested in, the way you walk or talk, and every little trivial habits of yours

Everyone says that I used to be so little and now I became a hero (oh nah)
I say that something like destiny was never my thing (oh nah)
World peace (no way)
A great order (no way)
I’m just gonna keep you safe
(Boy with luv)

Listen my my baby I’m
Flying high in the sky
(With the two wings you gave me back then)
Now it’s so high up here
I want you tuned in to my eyes
Yeah you makin’ me a boy with luv

Oh my my my oh my my my
You got me high so fast
I want to be with you for everything
Oh my my my oh my my my
You got me fly so fast
Now I kinda get it

Love is nothing stronger
Than a boy with luv
Love is nothing stronger
Than a boy with luv

I’ll speak very frankly
Sometimes I was a little stuck up
Elevated sky, expanded halls
Sometimes I prayed let me run away
But your pain is my pain
When I realised that, I vowed to myself,
With the wings of Icarus you gave me
Not toward the sun but toward you
Let me fly

Oh my my my oh my my my
I’ve waited all my life
I want to be with you for everything
Oh my my my oh my my my
Looking for something right
Now I kinda get it

I want something stronger
Than a moment, than a moment, love
Love is nothing stronger
Than a boy with luv

BTS ‘작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv)’ feat. Halsey Official Teasers:

It looks like we’re finally getting a BTS and Halsey collaboration!!!!!!! Halsey and the boys have had a long standing friendship built on a mutual respect for each other’s musical abilities.

With all of Halsey’s talent this might end up being BTS’ best collaboration yet. We’re certainly anticipating hearing more!

And for ARMYs unaware of Halsey’s history, she’s also a great collaboration because of her history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community (she identifies as bisexual herself) and also for shining a spotlight on victims of sexual assault.

BTS ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ album cover:

It looks like the hearts are back for the Map of the Soul: Persona album cover! Much like the Love Yourself: Answer covers, the Map of the Soul: Persona album cover looks as though the heart was hand drawn.

Though the lines of this heart disconnect rather than flowing together. And they also appear to have a gridline much like a literal map! It will be interesting to see what the dots on the Map of the Soul could mean!

BTS ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ concept photos:

The Map of the Soul: Persona concept photos feature 4 different versions, as usual, which show off the many different personalities of the members. While some of the concept photos are more serious, others are playful and fun.

There’s already many fan theories as to what the different versions could be inspired by, and some also wonder if the items within the images could also have hidden meanings as well. Such as the clothes that are in the background, and some of the things from the bathroom shots likes the toothbrushes which correspond to the colors from the 4th Muster.

BTS ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ comeback trailer:

The first comeback trailer released features RM and what will likely be his solo song “Persona.” Right away, the comeback trailer references the Skool Luv Affair comeback trailer, as though a callback to RM’s younger self.

It also features the rapper in front of a blackboard that’s been written all over, much like the music video for “NO MORE DREAM.” Of course, there’s references to Persona, Shadow, and Ego on the board. As well as actual quotes from Carl Jung!

“Persona” also seems to go back to RM’s heavily influenced hip-hop roots and the lyrics deal with his continued search to find out who he is, even as others are quick to judge him.

Watch the BTS Map of the Soul: Persona comeback trailer below featuring RM:

Read the English BTS ‘Persona’ lyrics below:

‘Who am I’ the question I had my whole life
The question which I probably won’t find an answer to my whole life
If I were answerable with a few mere words
Then God wouldn’t have created all those various beauties
How you feel? How’re you feeling right now?

Actually I’m real good but a little uncomfortable
I’m still not so sure if I’m a dog or a pig or what else
But then other people come and put the pearl necklace on me
Ptui!

I laugh more than I did before
I dreamt of becoming a superhero
Now it feels like I really became one
But as it goes on there’s so much blabbering
One says ‘run’ another says ‘stop’
This one says ‘look at the forest’ that one says ‘look at the wild flower’

My shadow, I wrote and called it ‘hesitation’
It has never hesitated after becoming that
It keeps appearing under the stage or the light
Keeps glaring at me scorchingly like a heat wave (Oh shit)

Hey have you already forgotten why you even started this
You were just digging it that someone was listening
Sometimes everything sounds like freakin’ nonsense
You know what comes out of you when you’re drunk.. like immaturity

Someone like me ain’t good enough for music
Someone like me ain’t good enough for the truth
Someone like me ain’t good enough for a calling
Someone like me ain’t good enough to be a muse

The flaws of mine that I know
Maybe that’s all I’ve got really
The world is actually not interested in my clumsiness at all
The regrets that I don’t even get sick of anymore
I tumble with them every night until I’m disgusted
and twist the irreversible time habitually

There’s something that raised me up again every time
The first question
The three syllables of my name and the word ‘but’ that should come before any of those

So I’m askin’ once again yeah
Who the hell am I?
Tell me all your names baby
Do you wanna die?
Oh do you wanna go?
Do you wanna fly?
Where’s your soul? where’s your dream?
Do you think you’re alive?

My name is R
The ‘me’ that I remember and people know
The ‘me’ that I created myself to vent out
Yeah maybe I have been deceiving myself
Maybe I’ve been lying
But I’m not embarrassed anymore this is the map of my soul
Dear myself
You must never lose your temperature
Cuz you don’t need to be neither warm nor cold
Though I might sometimes be hypocritical
or pretend to be evil
This is the barometer of my direction I want to keep

The ‘me’ that I want myself to be
The ‘me’ that people want me to be
The ‘me’ that you love
And the ‘me’ that I create
The ‘me’ that’s smiling
The ‘me’ that’s sometimes in tears
Vividly breathing each second and every moment even now

Persona
Who the hell am I
I just wanna go
I just wanna fly
I just wanna give you all the voices till I die
I just wanna give you all the shoulders when you cry

Persona
Who the hell am I
I just wanna go
I just wanna fly
I just wanna give you all the voices till I die
I just wanna give you all the shoulders when you cry

Pre-order BTS’ ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’ from the links below:

Big Hit Shop
Target
Amazon
Walmart

Are you ready for BTS’ new album ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’?