Here’s Why BTS’s J-Hope Decided To Make The Transformation From Cheerful To Dark With “Jack In The Box”

Jack In The Box isn’t BTS J-Hope‘s first solo. He’s already branched out with more uplighting tracks such as “Daydream”.

4 years later, his latest release Jack In The Box takes on a darker theme with “ARSON” and “More”.

| HYBE

Fans wondered about the sudden change in vibe as he went from literally the sunniest member in the group to releasing a sardonic, fierce album. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, J-Hope discussed the decision behind the shift.

J-Hope felt that he needs to show some darker sides in the name of storytelling through music. He wanted to show that his spectrum is wider than what most may think of him.

I think it’s this: While being part of BTS for 10 years, I’ve experienced a lot. From that standpoint, of course there are stories I want to tell, and I realized that it could be tough to tell some of these stories through music with the existing image and vibe of J-Hope. I felt the need to show some of my darker aspects … and I think I really wanted to do something like this. I wanted people to realize that J-Hope isn’t limited to bright things. He can do these concepts and has a wide spectrum. I wanted to call attention to this ability by challenging myself. I didn’t think much of the future.

— J-Hope

Always wanting to challenge himself, J-Hope focused on conveying rawness and sincerity through Jack In The Box.

Just wholly focused on what I wanted to do, what I wanted to express, what I wanted to show. That was the focus, and Jack in the Box has those raw elements. When this album is “opened,” I am a little worried because it contains only what I wanted to do. [Smiles.] I’m very curious how people will react. But what I really want to say is that the album is filled with my soul and my sincerity. In that way, it’s a unique album, and the album is very meaningful because, in terms of musicality, it’s going to act as a stepping stone for J-Hope to go forward.

— J-Hope

Just as J-Hope hopes, we’re sure that Jack In The Box will definitely open more doors for the multi-talented artist to showcase his many sides.