After the incredible success of the Love Yourself series, BTS was on top of the world. They were hitting the Billboard charts, making the rounds on the talk show circuit and winning multiple times at American music award shows. On April 12, 2019, their next album, MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA was released. At a press conference, RM said that the album was meant to convey their honest feelings about the strength they received from their fans’ love, and how that helped them to really discover themselves. The album is also influenced by Carl Jung’s book Jung’s Map of the Soul, about the theories Jung created for psychology.

Life is a series of lessons. We don’t stop learning until it’s over. And who knows, maybe not even then. For now, we’re finishing our exploration of LOVE YOURSELF 結 'Answer' and reviewing what the entire Love Yourself series has taught us over the past two months. The title of the series should have been a dead giveaway, but when it comes to actually loving ourselves, we tend to find any excuse not to. This week, we’ll discover what the acceptance and application of that looks like. It’s been a long journey from “Save Me” to “I’m Fine”, so let’s get to know who we really are, okay?

Over the past six weeks we’ve experienced extreme highs and lows—the joy of discovery and the pain of loss. The final album in BTS’ LYS trilogy, LOVE YOURSELF 結 'Answer', gives us everything from start to finish. This week, we’ll explore the theme of ‘discovery’—we learn new things about ourselves through love—for better or worse. BTS shows us we should embrace what we find, no matter what, because it’s all part of the journey toward reaching that final conclusion.

Every BTS album is a journey, but I don’t know that they have another one which takes us up to the highest mountain peaks and also down to the lowest valleys quite like Love Yourself 轉 'Tear', does. This week, as we wrap up our discussions on this masterpiece, we’ll soar on the wings of hope and heroism, and then plummet into pain and frustration in quick succession—a microcosm of how it can feel when life tosses us around sometimes.

This week, BTS will help us conquer the fear of being real—to appreciate and love ourselves first, so that we’re not tempted to give someone less than who we are, simply because we think they won’t want us. They’ll remind us how to be present in each moment, so we don’t miss opportunities for growth, enjoyment, or for healing.

Elation. Hope. Excitement. Frustration. Confusion. Exhaustion. Shame. Anger. It’s all on Love Yourself 轉 'Tear'—the second album in the LYS trilogy. If Love Yourself 承 ‘HER’ is about the joy of discovering love, ‘Tear’ is largely about what happens when we lose ourselves in love and it begins to tear us apart. It’s a visceral journey of searching for ourselves again, and finding a different, and healthier version of love that will set us free rather than weigh us down.

This week we are finishing up our exploration of Love Yourself 承 ‘HER’ and what a journey it’s been. We’ve been wooed and scolded in equal measure, it’s been both very comforting and confusing. The songs we’re covering this time seem to be polar opposites, but they are all about discovering truths within ourselves. Sometimes those truths are beautiful, sometimes they’re not, but they always affect how we relate to the world around us.

As we further our exploration of the Love Yourself 承 ‘HER’ album, I must warn you before proceeding with this week’s blog… you may not survive it. Our theme of love continues, along with all of the intense emotions it inspires—some of which can be unhealthy—like obsession, envy, and hatred. But, for the most part, be prepared for Bangtan to swing you off your feet, and then gently scold you for spending too much time thinking about them. Even though they’re constantly asking ARMY to love them and never forget about them. Talk about mixed signals, right?

If you can believe it, the second half of 2017 was even busier for BTS than the first half. Not only were they still on their epically long WINGS World Tour, but they also released another album that September. Love Yourself 承 ‘HER’ kicked off a new album trilogy and an entirely new era for the group—one that focused entirely on a message of love—especially on how we show it to ourselves.