Jimin, a name that has long elicited screams from adoring fans around the globe, remains a beloved icon even during his brief hiatus to fulfill his mandatory military service in South Korea. With his return, the BTS member is set to captivate hearts anew with his second solo album, “MUSE.”

In March 2023, Jimin released his debut solo project, “FACE,” making history as the first Korean solo artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 with his single “Like Crazy.” This EP was a deep dive into Jimin’s personal journey and artistic evolution, featuring a sophisticated blend of orchestral grandeur and dynamic choreography that showcased his passionate voice. As described by his performance director Minseong Kim, Jimin’s performances are marked by “his rich expressions and his tireless dedication to conveying the artistic essence of his work.”

“MUSE” builds upon this foundation, exploring themes of love and self-discovery through its seven tracks. The album tells a compelling story of reimagined love, fleeting confidence, and a path that leads from being lost to finding oneself. The album opens with “Rebirth (Intro),” where radiant high notes shimmer over a rhythmic heartbeat, capturing the thrill of new love. Jimin’s lyrics reflect his desire to get closer to his special someone, making each move feel intentional and heartfelt.

Next, “Interlude: Showtime” presents an instrumental piece that reflects Jimin’s dynamic and rhythmic performance style. His welcoming of “today’s show” smoothly transitions into the pre-release track “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco).” The music video, subtly inspired by The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” blends lively and mellow tones, combining vibrancy with introspection. In “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco),” Jimin’s yearning for connection continues, while “Slow Dance (feat. Sofia Carson)” blends both voices in a sultry and melodic performance that sets a romantic ambiance. “Be Mine” introduces a confident, Afrobeats-infused rhythm, with Jimin metaphorically dancing under the moonlight. The lead single “Who” brings a poignant sense of longing, with Jimin on an urgent quest to find his soulmate.

The album wraps up with “Closer Than This,” a sweet message to his fans released shortly after his enlistment in December 2023. Even though he’s not physically there, Jimin’s promise to come back soon hits home with his fans. Although Jimin is not here to reinvent the wheel, “MUSE” understands the value of keeping a fanbase well fed and satisfied. As Minseong Kim, his performance director, puts it, “Jimin’s versatility and commitment have shaped his unique style, making his performances some of the most exciting in pop music right now.”  Whereas “FACE” explored darker themes, “MUSE” embraces a spirit of joy and love, keeping fans engaged and entertaining for that much longer. 

For more insight into the album, V spoke with performance director Minseong Kim (who worked on the performances for “Who” and ‘‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco)”) and Pdogg and GHSTLOOP, the two producers for MUSE (and also members of ‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band’.)

V MAGAZINE: Jimin is well known for his formidable performance skills. From his debut solo album FACE to the second solo album MUSE, he seems to deliver one of the most exciting performances in pop music right now. What do you think makes Jimin an iconic performer?

Minseong Kim: Jimin has familiarized himself with contemporary and street dance from a very early age. His tireless hard work in these facets of dance gained him the title of an all-rounder with an impressively wide performance spectrum and versatility. I think one of the elements that makes Jimin a top-notch performer is his rich expressions. When we were working together, I saw Jimin putting a lot of thought into delivering the song’s choreography as a visual art form. He uses his detailed expressions to convey various artistic elements in the performance beyond simply presenting stylish, energetic choreography. He is always devoted to emphasizing the artistic elements of the performance by forming a visceral connection to it. I believe that his commitment and passion has shaped Jimin’s unique style and allows him to deliver one of the most exciting performances in pop music.

V MAGAZINE: From the lively, upbeat performance of pre-release track “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco)” to that of the main track “Who,” which showcases both Jimin’s softness and strength, this album seems to deliver performances that capture all of Jimin’s unique qualities. What was it like to work with Jimin on the performances for “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco)” and “Who”? What were the aspects that Jimin considered the most important in the performances for both songs?

Minseong Kim: While promoting FACE, I remember Jimin playing for me the songs that he was working on at the time. Although he was busy promoting the album, you could see it in his eyes how much affection and enthusiasm he had for them. There was so much he wanted to do with those songs and expressed eagerness to show his fans what now became the MUSE album. Once we started wrapping things up for FACE, we began working on the new project together.

With the performance for the main track “Who,” we mainly focused on showcasing a more charismatic, masculine side of Jimin, which entirely contrasts from the performances for FACE. We had countless discussions about how to visually articulate the story and message of the song through the performance on a larger scale, in a manner that’s true to the song’s title “Who.” When the choreography was completed, Jimin was utterly pleased with the performance having all the elements he had wished to incorporate. While he was learning the choreography, he would practice the parts where he felt were lacking or unsatisfactory at home and watch videos of his rehearsals over 1,000 times. His meticulousness and dedication surprised us all. That’s just a snippet of how much love and labor he put into the album.

“Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco)” was a song through which Jimin wanted to express the feeling of joy that he was feeling at that moment. It was important to him that he incorporated into the performance the elements he felt his fans would love. As the song talks about ‘the truth untold,’ the performance was crafted to convey an image of Jimin confessing on behalf of those unable to express their feelings in a manner that unfolds like a musical production. We crafted the choreography in the style that would capture Jimin’s soft charms as much as possible. From the dance practice all the way to filming the track video, the entire process was pure joy.

V MAGAZINE: Jimin participated in producing six of the seven tracks in MUSE. What was it like to work with Jimin overall on the album? Were there any differences in the way that you and Jimin collaborated on this album compared to his previous solo debut album FACE?

Pdogg: There wasn’t a major difference in the way we worked on the albums. That’s largely because we began working on this album while we were all in LA for a choir session during the production of FACE. However, Jimin went into working on MUSE with a significantly different mindset. During the production of FACE, he was emotionally struggling due to the pandemic. By the time we started on MUSE, he had already resolved some of those emotional struggles through FACE. Also, just being surrounded by the laid-back, chill vibe of LA allowed us to begin producing the feel-good songs. I also believe the experience of collaborating with various producers and songwriters in LA and NY gave Jimin the opportunity to further explore his limitless potential.

V MAGAZINE: From the global success of FACE to the upcoming release of MUSE, Jimin seems to be solidifying his distinctive musical style as a solo artist. What were some key elements of the album that Jimin and the producers focused on during the making of MUSE?

Pdogg: While the previous album overall focused on darker emotions, the new album focuses on capturing Jimin’s lively, joyful emotions in the music. Since this album took off loosely inspired by The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, we aimed to approach the lyrics in a more conceptual manner. As for “Who,” we focused on delivering Jimin’s emotional state in the most organic way. In terms of the sound, we tried to showcase a wide spectrum of genres ranging from 2000s hip-hop to R&B and afrobeats. If you listen to the album, you’d be able to hear how Jimin is continuing to expand his musical palette.

V MAGAZINE: MUSE experiments with a wider range of sounds following the previous album. Among those tracks, the main track “Who” is a R&B, hip-hop track, reminiscent of the sound that dominated the 2000s. Can you tell us about how the collaboration and the recording session with Jimin went?

GHSTLOOP: Producer Pdogg worked on the initial version of “Who”, and it was further developed in collaboration with Jon Bellion’s team in New York last year. In the meetings we held before and during the production process with Jimin on his second album, he expressed a desire to convey more uplifting themes in comparison to FACE. Ultimately, he came up with the key question “Where is my true love?” This led us to create “Who” with the early 2000s pop vibes that is also suitable for an unconventional performance. Jimin was pleased with the way the song turned out and carefully considered how to deliver its message. He needed to convey the emotional changes of the song through the variation in his vocal tone, and to achieve this, he worked diligently on strengthening his vocal techniques and delivery. He pushed himself to the point of putting a strain on his vocal cords from numerous recording sessions, and this, combined with Pdogg’s direction, enabled us to achieve outstanding results. When I saw the entire performance of “Who” with the final mix, I thought to myself, ‘This is it.’ I personally feel very attached to the song.

V MAGAZINE: Jimin is a multifaceted artist with unique vocals and top-notch performance skills. How did you try to capture Jimin’s distinctive musical colors as a solo artist in this album?

GHSTLOOP: Similar to FACE, one of our main focuses for Jimin’s second solo project was to show a new side of him.We weren’t trying to completely depart from Jimin’s previous work, but rather aimed to show his distinctive character while focusing on the more mature side of him. Thus, we wanted to fill the album with songs that hold weight and are true to his artistry. In my earlier response, I mentioned the emotional changes in Jimin’s tone, and I believe these were expressed very well in each song of the album. Of course, songs like “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” and “Closer Than This” are more on the bright side and in line with Jimin’s character that we already know, but how he expresses his maturity and artistry within that brightness made a difference. While we aimed to showcase a new side of Jimin, the most important aspect was to create an album that feels true to Jimin. Jimin is essentially an artist with great versatility, and this allowed him to take on many different challenges for this album. As a result, we were able to create MUSE that rightfully captures his unique artistry and charm.

MUSE by Jimin is now available on all digital streaming platforms.