j-hope is set to kick off “BTS Chapter 2” with the release of his new solo album, Jack In the Box, on July 15th. As a preview, the BTS member will release the album’s first single this Friday, July 1st.
“Jack In The Box lends voice to j-hope’s aspirations to break the mold and grow further. The album represents j-hope’s own musical personality and vision as an artist,” promises a press release issued by BIGHIT Music on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Weverse Magazine earlier this month, j-hope said he hoped to explore a “different side of me” with the upcoming solo album.
“As you know, I often present myself with a sunny demeanor. So I have a strong desire to display a different side of me. I personally challenged myself to do that in my current projects. I wanted to show an extremely dark, raw side,” j-hope explained.
“I have things I want to say, but I kept feeling like, if I did them in the same style I always have, they wouldn’t come across well,” he added. “If I was going to convey the things I wanted to say, I would have to be darker. It’s something I’ve never done before, so I was excited to try something new. I was heavily influenced by what my heart was telling me, and that’s why I decided to give it a try.”
The album’s announcement comes ahead of j-hope’s appearance at Lollapalooza in July, where he is set to become the first South Korean artist to headline a major American music festival.
It’ll also mark the first release since BTS launched their “second chapter,” a strategy shift which will see the group’s members embark on individual solo projects alongside regular group activities.
j-hope previously released his first solo mixtape, Hope World, in March 2018, which he followed up by teaming with Becky G on “Chicken Noodle Soup” in 2019.