BTS Look To The Past To Move Forward With 'Boy With Luv' Teaser Featuring Halsey

Before they were international superstars, BTS were just an audience of immature boys in luv. Right now, several years older — and wiser — the Korean septet are on the cusp of dropping what would be their biggest release although. On Sunday (April 7), BTS reported the lead single from their forthcoming mini album, Map of the Soul: Persona, with a teaser featuring American pop star Halsey. However what surprised fans most wasn't the Halsey collab (though, that's pretty cool because she is a major BTS fan), although rather the title of the single itself: "Boy With Luv."


It's impossible to know what sort of vibe BTS are going for with "Boy With Luv" from this short snippet. Immediately considering that, BTS teasers are notoriously hard to decipher. However what we do hear sounds promising — an electro-pop beat and Jungkook's crystalline vocals singing, "then a boy with love." The imagery is also striking. Halsey, with her hot pink hair, is seen closing a ticket window and strutting past BTS as they sit outdoors a little movie theater, its neon sign reading "Persona" in blue letters. The scene then changes, because the seven members of BTS stand with their backs facing the camera under a sign that says "Love."


obviously, astute fans have already caught on to the fact that the point choreography seen in the teaser mimics that of their 2014 single, "Boy In Luv." Given the fact that leader and rapper RM's Persona intro track also featured a sample from the group's 2014 song, "Intro: Skool Luv Affair," it seems like BTS are coming full circle with their latest release, a testament to their growth and maturity as a crowd along with as individuals.


It's also key to note that the Korean title for "Boy With Luv" roughly translates to "A Poem for the Small Things."


BTS have never shied away from their past, even taking the time to resemble on and own up to past mistakes. And case in point, it looks like "Boy With Luv" is the result of that self-reflection. (Hence the movie theater setting; what better way resemble than to be able to see scenes from your past?) Coming off the heels of the Love Yourself era, in which the sort produced a trilogy of albums that told a story of love, loss, and self-discovery — and ended with a celebration of self-love — Persona aims to pick up where the order left off. Having learned that loving yourself is the key to true happiness, BTS are right now boys with love to share.


The contrast between being men in love then and being males with love right now is critical. Back then, in 2014, they acted out, some days aggressively, in the name of love or infatuation; right now, the passion they harbor comes from within, the purest form of love. This was teased while in the group's efficiency at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in December last year with a brief vignette that read: "You gave me power. You gave me love. So right now I'm a hero, so right now I’m a boy with love. I'll show you the map of the soul. I'll show you the dream."


naturally, "Boy With Luv" isn't a conclusion; BTS aren't so naive as to think they've figured it out totally. They keep evolving — as musicians, as artists, as human beings — because self-discovery is a journey, not a destination.


"Boy With Luv" will be released simultaneously in South Korea and the U.S., Dropping at 6 p.M. KST, or 5 a.M. EST and 2 a.M. PST, on Friday, April 12. The Korean categorize will then make their Saturday Night Live debut on April 13.