Be (BTS album)

BTS released their fourth Korean-language studio album, Map of the Soul: 7, in February 2020, to critical and commercial acclaim. In support of the album, the band was slated to begin the concert tour, Map of the Soul Tour in April 2020, but the tour was postponed following the COVID-19 pandemic. During a YouTube broadcast, band member RM revealed that BTS were working on a new album. He hinted that they would be sharing the preparation process of the forthcoming album through subsequent self-documented videos as part of their initiative to interact with the fans during the lockdown. In subsequent broadcasts, it was revealed that the album would be written and produced by the band members. In addition to writing songs for the album, the band members were heavily involved in the overall production process, undertaking the role of project managers in various fields, which included developing concepts, themes, as well as its visual design. Jimin was responsible for A&R, acting as a link between the group and their management label. Speaking about the album in an interview with Teen Vogue, BTS stated: "An increase of direct participation in the album-making process allowed us to explore more aspects of our music and creativity." ==Music and lyrics==

Be is primarily a pop record, It makes heavy use of acoustic guitars, Created out of frustration, anxiety, and powerlessness, The record starts off slow with "warm, soothing ballad-esque comforts", exploring themes of comfort, loneliness, Several reviewers, including Rolling Stones Jeff Benjamin, Pertaining to a mellow vibe, The former two switch back and forth in the verses and chorus, while the latter two rap in a "sing-song" style. The song is driven by '70s beats, and jam band percussion in its production. The lyrics detail the connection that one can feel from someone despite physical distance and sees BTS admitting to the disorientation caused by excessive free time. song with elements of funk, soul and bubblegum pop. The upbeat production employs snapping handclaps, bounces, grooves, and beats. The track features a funky bassline, vocal harmonies, and falsettos, with brass, keyboard chords, guitar sound. ==Release and promotion==

On August 13, 2020, Big Hit Entertainment held a corporate briefing where the agency confirmed that the new album would be released in the fourth quarter of that year. On September 27, Big Hit uploaded a teaser poster with the album's name, also announcing the release date. Preorders for the deluxe edition began the following day. On October 30, BTS teased the title of the album's lead single "Life Goes On" on Twitter. On November 10, the band posted the album's track list and digital cover. Three days later, they held an unboxing session of the album which was broadcast live on their YouTube channel. Nine months after Map of the Soul: 7, Be was released worldwide on November 20, 2020, through Big Hit, in conjunction with a music video for "Life Goes On". The album retained the same eight-song tracklist as the deluxe edition, but the packaging's internal components contained some differences. "Surprise gifts" for the band's fandom were sequentially unveiled in the days leading up to the release on February 19. Live performances On November 22, 2020, BTS performed "Life Goes On" for the first time at the American Music Awards of 2020, alongside "Dynamite". The band performed it from the Seoul Olympic Stadium in matching black and white outfits. The following day, they performed "Life Goes On" on Good Morning America and The Late Late Show with James Corden. BTS made their MTV Unplugged debut on the February 23, 2021 special edition of the show titled MTV Unplugged Presents: BTS. The group's half-hour long "historic appearance", as the first Korean act to headline the series, saw them perform a stripped back, five-song setlist consisting of four tracks off the album—"Telepathy", "Blue & Grey", "Life Goes On", and "Dynamite"—and a "surprise cover" of Coldplay's "Fix You". This marked the live premiere of the first two tracks, B-sides that the group had yet to perform since the album's release. Each performance was filmed on a different set to match the mood of the song being sung, including an "arcade[-like] gameroom" for Telepathy, and "an indoor field...with blue and grey flowers" for "Blue & Grey". Siroky singled out Jin and Jimin's vocals on "Blue & Grey", noting how the two "soared in their upper registers, offering lush harmonies throughout". ==Critical reception==

Be received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 80 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". a sentiment echoed by The Arts Desks critic Peter Quinn in his review for the album. and Annabel Nugent of The Independent, who said that the album "avoids the pitfall of sounding like a checklist". with Lexi Lane of NBC News calling it BTS's "brightest and most unifying album yet". Exclaim! writer Eva Zhu felt that the departure of Be towards a more "laidback" sound compared to the band's usual offerings was appealing to newer audience. Reviewers such as Emma Saletta of MTV News, have cited the record as an offering of hope for the future, with Benjamin calling it as BTS's "most on-brand album", A few reviewers found the album unadventurous. For Clash, Malvika Padin asserted that the album is "far simpler" than the band's past releases "yet equally comforting" but criticized its lack of appeal to the casual listeners". In a mixed review for Slant Magazine, Sophia Ordaz acknowledged the album for its simple and lucid message, but argued that it exchanged "overstimulating spectacle for low-key introspection". == Accolades ==

(pictured) to debut at number one on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 simultaneously.|alt=Taylor Swift performing live on a banjo, wearing a beige blouse and pigtails Be debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with 242,000 album-equivalent units, including 177,000 sales, on the chart dated December 5, 2020. The album is BTS's fifth chart-topper in the United States, making BTS the fastest group to earn five number-one albums since the Beatles between 1966 and 1968, as well as the first group to have two chart-topping albums in the country in 2020. Its lead single "Life Goes On" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 with 150,000 downloads and 14.9 million U.S. streams, becoming the band's third number-one song following "Dynamite" and "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" remix. With this, BTS became the fastest group in over 42 years to earn three number-one songs in a span of three months since the Bee Gees. They became the second act following Ariana Grande to score three Hot 100 number one entries in 2020, as well as the first group to land two number-one debuts on the chart. "Life Goes On" marked the first song not sung in an English language to debut atop the chart. BTS became the only act apart from Taylor Swift to debut at number one on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 simultaneously. They also became the first group and ninth overall act to prevail on top of the Artist 100, Hot 100, and Billboard 200 charts at the same time. Seven tracks from the album charted concurrently on the Hot 100 chart, with "Life Goes On" and "Dynamite" in the top-10, "Blue & Grey" in the top-20, and "Stay" in the top-40. This stood as the most simultaneous entries on the Hot 100 chart by a Korean act. With over 252,000 physical copies sold by the end of 2020, according to MRC Data, Be was the fifth best-selling physical album of the year in the US. It was one of two BTS albums to make it on the top-ten ranking, the other being Map of the Soul: 7 in first place, making BTS the only artist with multiple albums on the chart. In Canada, Be arrived at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, giving BTS their fourth chart-topping album in the country. Be became BTS's eighth consecutive million seller in the country. The album exceeded sales of 2,692,000 copies by the end of 2020, achieving the second position on Gaon's year-end chart, only behind Map of the Soul: 7. BTS had the most entries on the 100-spot ranking, with 13 of their albums entering the final chart. In March 2021, the album received a triple million certification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). In Japan, Be reached number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Be debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 19,562 copies, behind Michael Ball and Alfie Boe's Together at Christmas. This became BTS's fourth top-10 album in the country. In Ireland, the album topped the Irish Albums Chart, becoming the band's second chart-topper following Map of the Soul: 7. By doing so, BTS became the first group in eight years to have two number-one albums in the same calendar year since One Direction in 2012, and also the first act since Ed Sheeran in 2017. The album was also a chart-topper in New Zealand, giving BTS their third number one album in the territory. with an additional 36,000 equivalent album units sold. Of this number, 28,000 copies were pure sales, giving the album a third non-consecutive week at number one on the Top Album Sales chart. BTS also returned to the top of the Artist 100 chart for their 16th week overall, further extending their record among all duos/groups. In Japan, the album sold an additional 95,853 copies for the period February 15–21 and re-entered the top three of the weekly Oricon Albums Chart at number two on the issue dated March 1, 2021. The album also ranked at number two on the monthly chart for February, with 118,912 cumulative sales. On March 26, Billboard reported that 32 albums saw an increase in sales—for the week ending March 18—following the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Of these, Be was the 12th highest-selling album—experiencing a 6% increase—and moved 15,300 units, which helped push it into the top 40 of the Billboard 200 at number 39. As of August 2021, the album has remained on the chart for 37 consecutive weeks. ==Track listing==

Credits adapted from liner notes, Big Hit's website, NetEase Music and Tidal. Main Musicians • BTS – primary vocals • Jin – songwriting , production , vocals • Suga – songwriting , production , rap arrangement , recording engineer , vocals • J-Hope – songwriting , production , rap arrangement , recording engineer , vocals • RM – songwriting , production , rap arrangement , recording engineer , vocals , background vocals • Jimin – songwriting , production , vocals , background vocals • V – songwriting , production , vocals , background vocals • Jungkook – songwriting , production , vocals , background vocals • David Stewart – songwriting, production , drums , percussion , bass guitar , synth bass , synthesizer , pads , piano , electric guitars , programmed horns , programmed strings , background vocals • Pdogg – songwriting , production , additional production , keyboard , synthesizer , programming , vocal arrangement , rap arrangement , recording engineer , digital editing • Ghstloop – production , digital editing , gang vocals , keyboard , synthesizer , programming , additional drums • Hiss Noise – songwriting, production , drums , digital editing , synthesizer , gang vocals, recording engineer • Jisoo Park – songwriting, production , guitar , piano , string/clarinet , drums • Ivan Jackson Rosenberg – songwriting , keyboard , guitar , bass , programming • El Capitxn – songwriting, production , keyboard , gang vocals • Randy Runyon – songwriting , guitar • Cosmo's Midnight – songwriting, production • Arston – songwriting, production • Levi – songwriting, production • Metaphor – songwriting, production • Ruuth – songwriting , background vocals • Antonina Armato – songwriting • Chris James – songwriting • Jessica Agombar – songwriting • Joe Femi Griffith – songwriting • Brasstracks – production Instrument • Patrick Liney – keyboard • Cosmo Liney – bass • Young – guitar • nobody – bass • Conor Rayne – additional drums • DJ Friz – scratch • Arston – percussion • Johnny Thurkell – live horns Technical • Erik Reichers – recording engineer • Lee Yeon-su – recording engineer • Son Yu-jeong – recording engineer • Summergal – digital editing , gang vocals • Revin – digital editing • Josh Gudwin – mix engineer • Bob Horn – mix engineer • Yang Ga – mix engineer • Ken Lewis – mix engineer • James F. Reynolds – mix engineer • Serban Ghenea – mix engineer • Elijah Merritt – assistant mixer • Heidi Wang – assistant mixer • Dominik Rivinus – assistant mixer • John Hanes – assistant mixer • Jenna Andrews – vocal production • Juan "Saucy" Peña – vocal engineer • Duane Benjamin – vocal orchestrator Extra Vocals • The Singingforbonez Singers (Kenna Ramsey, Meloney Collins, Dedrick Bonner, Loren Smith) – choir • James Keys – background vocals • Joe Femi Griffith – background vocals • Adora – background vocals • Frants – gang vocals • Slow Rabbit – gang vocals • Jung Woo-yeong – gang vocals • Matt Thomson (Arcades) – gang vocals • Max Lynedoch Graham (Arcades) – gang vocals • Marie Ortinau – gang vocals • Jogn McEwan – gang vocals ==Charts==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications and sales==