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On Friday, March 15, BTS' Taehyung, also known as V, released his latest solo track, FRI(END)S, which immediately captured the hearts of fans. Following the track's release, the idol explained through BigHit Entertainment that the song stands as a sweet confession track for a spring day, with lyrics suggesting the end of a friendship to explore something deeper.
While fans praised the idol's solo comeback, they also noted that the promotions for his track have been quite unique. Before its release, fans found it challenging to decipher the teasers and concept images. Although they got the general gist of the song's aesthetic, further details into its genre, storyline, and accompanying details remained a mystery to them.
Following the release of the music video of FRI(END)S, fans were thoroughly impressed by how the idol tied everything together in a strange and unique manner. Since it always kept the fans on their toes, they enjoyed the release and its promotion period more than anticipated.
BTS’ Taehyung sets new standards with a unique promotional rollout for FRI(END)S
On March 15, the FRI(END)S music video was released, presenting a narrative of a young man with loneliness as he finds himself surrounded by happy couples everywhere he goes. Suddenly, he dies after being hit by a car. Upon awakening, he finds himself in a relationship with a woman, and the loneliness disappears.
However, now he is surrounded by couples who are fighting or displeased with each other. Regardless, he dies again and wakes up on a bed, where he's accompanied by a copy of himself lying next to him. While fans were extremely confused with the plot of the music video, many speculated that the idol was most likely depicting his own version of Groundhog Day.
Groundhog Day, a 1993 American film, narrates the story of a man who realizes he keeps reliving the same day until he eventually figures out how to escape the time loop. Similarly, Taehyung in the FRI(END)S music video is seen to be stuck in a similar time loop. However, with the narrative left open-ended, fans are still unsure as to how the story will extend.
While the music video already gives so much space for fans to create theories and possible endings, fans couldn't help but address the promotions for the song that always kept fans on their toes. When Taehyung released the first teaser for FRI(END)S, many fans anticipated a dark theme, narrating the effects of loneliness.
The second teaser, however, made fans all the more confused as it showcased him dying after bleeding from his head. With the teasers executing two kinds of concepts, fans could never guess what Taehyung had in store for them. Similarly, fans felt that the music video was completely different from what they expected from the teasers. Regardless, they also expressed that all of them somehow tied up effortlessly.
Fans were particularly impressed with Taehyung's take on his new release, noticing how the concept photos executed different themes. They appreciated the methodology he employed to keep fans engaged and intrigued throughout the promotions and release of FRI(END)S.
