K-pop mainstays BTS have released a comeback trailer video to tease their forthcoming album Map of the Soul: 7, featuring a new track from member Suga titled, ‘Shadow’.
The audacious solo track sees the rapper reflect on the group’s explosive rise to fame while maintaining his self-identity and weathering the ups and downs as a band of brothers.
“People say, ‘there’s splendour in that bright light’/ But my growing shadow swallows me and becomes a monster,” he raps, as he becomes enveloped by a faceless group of people dressed in black.
The visual fits the evocative tone of the track, riddled with metaphors about reconciling your personal identity with how fans and audiences see you. Towards the end of the trailer, Suga is surrounded by cameras and flashes until he recedes into the background.
Amidst the flashes of vulnerability, there’s also plenty of swagger to the track as Suga raps:
“I wanna be a rap star / I wanna be the top / I wanna be a rockstar / I want it all mine / I wanna be rich / I wanna be the king.”
Born Min Yoon-gi, Suga first debuted as a member BTS in 2013 and released his first solo mixtape, Agust D, back in 2016. ‘Shadow’ displays the same sense of vulnerability on his previous mixtape.
In a culture that’s not always forthright about mental health, Suga has been the most vocal member of BTS to talk openly about his struggles with depression and anxiety.
Suga’s solo single follows BTS’ member RM’s solo track ‘Intro: Persona’, which preceded the release of last year’s Billboard 200 chart-topping Map of the Soul: Persona.
‘Shadow’ is the first in a series of releases that are anticipated in the lead up to the band’s fourth Korean-language studio albums.
With pre-orders starting today, Map of the Soul: 7 is set to arrive on 21 February.
Listen to the best of BTS on Apple Music and Spotify.