On Nov. 20, South Korean boy band, BTS, released their globally anticipated studio album titled ‘BE’. The album’s release date had been announced late September and the group had teased several concept photos prior to the date.

The general concept of the album surprised certain fans. “It was not what I expected, I thought they were going to have a similar sound as their old albums. [However], this recent album was a perfect piece, especially for what’s going on right now,” said senior Diane Nguyen.

For other BTS fans, the album exceeded their expectations as junior Michelle Zou expresses, “I knew it was going to be a healing album but I wasn’t expecting it to be even better than my expectations.”

There were several aspects to this album that stood prominent to fans. The members’ collaboration helped make this album significant for themselves and their fans. “Each member was involved in the making of this album which made its release more special,” said Nguyen.

Specific songs in the album gave longtime BTS fans a nostalgic feel of similarity to older songs. “What stood out to me was [how] some of the songs reminded me of their older songs, before they got super popular,” said Zou.

Even with fans excited for this album, there was still a noticeable difference in the enthusiasm for this album compared to their “Map of the Soul: 7” album release in February. 

“This album wasn’t hyped up as usual. It was surprising, because people would be talking about it a lot, but to my surprise, a lot of my friends didn’t even know they had a comeback,” said Zou.

“BE” held many emotions in its lyrics, as well as its musicality. BTS has mentioned their goal for this album in recent interviews, stating how this album is meant to relax and calm their fans. With this, fans have already proven the success of the group’s goal. 

“[When listening to the music], I felt as if someone was there for me and we’re all going through tough times together,” said Nguyen. The songs in the album provide a soothing effect to fans and creates a serene mood. “This album makes me feel happy, calm, and at peace,” said Zou.

The title track for “BE” is “Life Goes On” and it has touched fans in more ways than one. “The lyrics and the name of their song, ‘Life Goes On’, has a deep meaning about how the world must move on despite the darkness that’s occurring at the moment,” said Nguyen. 

BTS released this album with the objective to help mend and ease their fans, along with anyone who comes across their music. “This album feels different, because it is more about healing and reflecting on oneself and current events,” said Nguyen.