Maps of Music

Map of the Soul: 7 (2020)

Where the lyrics of Map of the Soul: 7 take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first meant to be the middle part of a trilogy; the group changed plans and it became a single record named after seven years together.

Key places

Echo Bar Studio, North Hollywood (2020)

Recording site Schnee Studio — Listed as a recording location in the album credits. The point sits at the North Hollywood city centre, not on the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Map of the Soul: 7 is the fourth Korean-language and seventh overall studio album by BTS
• Released February 21, 2020 by Big Hit Entertainment
• Follow-up to the 2019 EP Map of the Soul: Persona, with five of its songs carried over
• Twenty tracks in total: fifteen new and five from Persona
• The longest studio album the band has made to date
• BTS described the album as 'deeply personal'
• Themes include reflection, introspection and self-acceptance
• Described as a pop, R&B and hip-hop record with rock, trap and EDM influences

Background

• After Persona, the group took an extended rest in the middle of the Love Yourself World Tour
• Before the announcement, fans and journalists expected a trilogy named after Jungian psychology: Persona, Shadow and Ego
• RM confirmed the record was originally meant to be part of that trilogy until the group changed plans
• The title 7 reflects seven years since debut and the seven members
• Named among the most anticipated albums of 2020 by Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vulture and others

Recording

• Pdogg is the primary producer; other producing credits include Suga, Jimin, Fred Gibson, Hiss Noise, El Capitxn, Supreme Boi and Arcades
• Halsey appears on 'Boy With Luv'
• Ed Sheeran co-wrote 'Make it Right'
• Troye Sivan co-wrote 'Louder Than Bombs'
• Sia is featured on 'On'
• Recording credits list Echo Bar Studio in North Hollywood, California
• Suga said the album took longer than usual because it was the band's first full album in quite a while

Cover

• The layered number '7' brand mark was designed by graphic studio Sparks Edition to represent the seven-year journey
• Each member's identity is embodied by a different typeface '7' within the mark
• Four album versions were released, each with different concept photos

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• BTS is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010
• Big Hit Entertainment CEO Bang Si-hyuk wanted to form a hip hop group around the underground rapper RM
• Name is the Korean phrase Bangtan Sonyeondan, literally Bulletproof Boy Scouts
• Debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment with single album 2 Cool 4 Skool

Members

• Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook
• Members co-write or co-produce much of their material

Career

• Started out as a hip hop act and expanded into a wide range of genres
• Lyrics cover mental health, troubles of school-age youth, coming of age, loss and the journey toward self-love
• Wings (2016) was their first album to sell one million copies in South Korea
• 2018: first South Korean act to top Billboard 200 with Love Yourself: Tear
• 2020: first all-South Korean act to reach number one on Billboard Hot 100 with Dynamite
• Best-selling musical act in South Korean history
• First Asian act to sell out Wembley Stadium

Around this album

• Crossed into the global market by 2017
• February 2017: repackaged Wings as You Never Walk Alone and began the Wings Tour
• May 2017: won Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, the first K-pop group to win a Billboard award
• September 2017: released Love Yourself: Her, opening the Love Yourself series

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: 'universal acclaim', weighted average 82 out of 100 from 12 critic scores
• AnyDecentMusic?: 7.6 out of 10, based on its assessment of the critical consensus
• Rolling Stone (Rob Sheffield): called it BTS's most smashing album yet, praising mastery of different pop styles
• Clash (Deb Aderinkomi): praised sonic diversity, with continuity through lyrics and general sentiment
• The Line of Best Fit (Sophia Simon-Bashall): described it as impressive, exciting and moving, with slick production
• AllMusic (Neil Z. Yeung): praised the concept and production, turning hip-hop, pop and dance trends into a unique BTS experience
• Los Angeles Times (August Brown): called it the darkest, strangest and most ambitious music BTS had made yet
• NME (Rhian Daly): described it as full of big ideas, strong conviction and unguarded emotion
• The Independent (Roisin O'Connor): called it a gorgeous tapestry
• Stereogum (Chris DeVille): compared it to the Beatles' White Album
• Exclaim! (Corey van den Hoogenband): described it as written for and to the members and fans
• Billboard (Tamar Herman): summarized it as a bright sonic soundscape
• Evening Standard (Jochan Embley): called it an impeccably polished collection
• The New York Times (Jon Caramanica): said the group was sure of its pop place and starting to think about what comes next
• Uproxx (Derrick Rossignol): called it reflective lyrically and adventurous instrumentally
• The Star (Chester Chin): found it sonically darker, with artistry outweighing commercial concerns
• IZM (Do-heon Kim): read it as a narrative summarizing the history of the K-pop boy band

Records

• Billboard 200: debut at number one with 422,000 album-equivalent units, including 347,000 pure sales
• Fourth US number-one album for BTS
• Canada: debut at number one with 23,000 units
• South Korea: debut at number one on Gaon, selling 4.1 million copies in under nine days
• Guinness World Record for best-selling album in South Korea
• KMCA quadruple million certification
• United States: RIAA platinum certification in November 2020
• Japan: platinum certification
• Gold certifications in seven other countries
• Number one in over 20 countries
• UK: number one on the Official Albums Chart with around 36,000 units; BPI Silver
• France: number one on the SNEP chart with 23,502 units
• IFPI named it the best-selling album of 2020 globally
• Album of the Year at the 2020 Genie Music Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards, Melon Music Awards and 46th People's Choice Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The group performed the song for the first time on The Late Late Show with James Corden on January 28.
• The Map of the Soul Tour, planned to promote the album, was postponed and ultimately cancelled in August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A 30-second clip of the lead single 'On' was released on TikTok 12 hours before the song's official release.
• The album was released in four versions, each with different concept photos, from white swans to yearbook-style portraits.
• In October 2021, it was announced that the Marvel Studios film Eternals would feature the song 'Friends'.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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