BTS And Halsey Kick Off Summer Early With 'Boy With Luv'

Five years back, BTS were a crowd of young adults in their teens and early twenties attempting to prepare sense of the world around them. They channeled these confusing coming-of-age emotions and experiences — like first love, disappointment, and heartbreak — into their hard-hitting music, and their 2014 album Skool Luv Affair and its lead single "Boy In Luv" are a reflection of that. Right now, five years older and wiser, the Korean septet are one of the big musical acts in the world, with two successive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, a sold-out global stadium tour, and the internet's most powerful fandom in their corner. However their latest single, "Boy With Luv," proves that while BTS may have matured, they haven't lost their artsy edge.


It's playful, fresh, and still 100 percent BTS.


With their new album, Map of the Soul: Persona, out today (April 12), BTS are looking to their past sort in attempt to move forward, and the bubbly "Boy With Luv" — which parallels their aggressive teen anthem "Boy In Luv" — is a reflection of their growth. The upbeat song, a teamwork with American pop star Halsey, celebrates the act of falling in love and finding joy in the smallest of things. (The song's Korean title roughly translates to "A Poem for the Small Things.")


"You’re the star that turns ordinaries into extraordinaries," Suga raps. "One soon after another, everything is special. The things you’re interested in, the way you walk or talk, and every little trivial habits of yours."


The lyrics cleverly nod to the group's other past works as well. "I'm flying high in the sky," V sings in the pre-chorus. "With the two wings you gave me back then." The wings refer to their 2016 album of the same name, which explored the idea of reaching your potential — or spreading your wings — with unbridled passion. At one point in the music video, the members even find themselves surrounded by neon signs (a visual tip of the hat to Broadway), the names of which length their entire career — from 2 Cool 4 Skool to You Never Walk Alone and Answer.


For her part, Halsey's signature airy vocals float over the sticky hook — a mix of English language and Korean, led by an instantly catchy refrain of "Oh my my my oh my my my" — and she even gets to show off her dancing chops in the visual, shimmying alongside BTS and keeping up with their full-body choreography like an idol herself.


Map of the Soul: Persona marks the starting of an exhilarating new chapter for the artists following their massively successful Love Yourself trilogy, which concluded with Love Yourself: Answer this past November. With over 3 million pre-orders globally, it's safe to mention that BTS are looking at their next No. 1 album here in the U.S. Before embarking on their stadium tour across the globe.


And they certainly have their eyes set on total U.S. Domination this time around: The categorize will perform "Boy With Luv" live for the very first on Saturday Night Live on April 13.