BTS’ ‘Love Yourself: Answer’ rules local charts

Proving its unparalleled success in the K-pop scene once again, BTS ruled local charts with the new track “Idol” from its long-anticipated “Love Yourself: Answer” album.

The song fronts the repackaged album that completes the act’s “Love Yourself” series that began last September with “Love Yourself: Her” and “Love Yourself: Tear.” It immediately topped major music charts in Korea including Melon, Mnet, Genie, Bugs, Naver and Soribada, as of Friday evening upon its release.

 

Overflowing with the sound of Korean traditional instruments like kkawenggwari (a brass gong), “Idol” is a unique mix of modern and classic, blending experimental South African dance music with elements of trap electronic dance music.

Six new songs of the album, such as J-Hope’s solo track “Trivial: Just Dance,” Suga’s solo track “Trivia: Seesaw,” “I’m Fine” and “Answer Love Myself” landed in the top 10 on the charts, achieving a perfect all-kill.

The 16-track album, which includes both old and new songs of BTS, is the fourth and final installment of the “Love Yourself” series. Prior to the release of its new album, the seven-piece K-pop act had been riding high on the explosive success of “Love Yourself: Tear,” which became the first K-pop album to top the Billboard 200 and had spawned the smash hit “Fake Love,” the first K-pop song to land in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

BTS will kick off its sold-out “Love Yourself” world tour series on Saturday at Olympic Stadium in Seoul and head to North America next month for over a dozen stops, including the first-ever stadium show by a Korean act at Citi Field on Oct. 7.

(lotus@heraldcorp.com)