BTS' Jimin announces second solo comeback with ‘MUSE’: Decoding the cryptic teaser and Instagram broadcast messages

On June 17, 2024, BTS' Jimin shared a mysterious teaser on BTS' new official Instagram broadcast channel "ARMY ONLY". The video shows him entering a dimly-lit locker room, retrieving sheet music titled "La Lettra" (You will always find the first letter) from a locker, and the lights revealing purple lockers. The teaser, excited BTS fans (ARMYs) due to its intriguing details.

ARMYs suspected a new release and received official confirmation minutes later when BTS announced Jimin's upcoming second solo album, MUSE, on their social media. BigHit Music also posted a notice on Weverse titled "Release Information for Jimin's Second Solo Album MUSE," revealing that the album explores Jimin's quest to discover the origin of his inspiration.

The notice read:

"Following his first solo album, “FACE,” where he sought to explore his true identity, “MUSE” documents his journey in search of the source of his inspiration."

The note further revealed Jimin's 2023 song for fans, Closer Than This, to be a part of the new album,

"Showcasing Jimin’s expanded musical spectrum, “MUSE” includes seven tracks, including the fan song “Closer Than This,” released in December 2023."

Two colorful posters of MUSE - one in turquoise, another in rainbow gradient - also followed, unveiling the album release date to be Friday, July 19, 2024 (1 PM KST/ 0 AM ET). The pre-order period begins on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 (11 AM KST).

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What do the cryptic messages mean? Exploring details we know so far about BTS' Jimin's MUSE

The sheet music BTS' Jimin held in the cryptic teaser released on June 17, brought about several speculations among keen netizens. Fans noticed Jimin's signature black crescent moon nail art and his name printed on the sheet music, which intrigued them further.

The "ARMY ONLY" broadcast channel on Instagram dropped hints, and after greeting fans, it shared exciting news. Subsequent posts introduced the teaser featuring the 28-year-old idol in gray suit-pants with blonde hair.

The sheet music close-up cut was shared, teasing the question,

"Wait... look at this sheet music first... Notice anything strange?"

followed up by,

"You will always find the first letter."

The sheet music popped up again, this time with circles around certain notations. Eagle-eyed fans who were trying to crack the case had simultaneously realized the sheet music hid the words "Closer Than This" in it, also decoding how "La Lettra" is a music score for BTS' The Truth Untold. Theories about whether this could be a gift song for ARMY Day on July 9 also came up.

The channel further dropped a text,

"I bet you all found the hidden messages in the music, no? The answer is "Closer Than This"."

The final message was an image with the FACE singer's handwriting, reading the lyrics to the song Closer Than This which he rolled out on December 22, 2023, expressing his relentless support and commitment to ARMYs.

"When it rains, I’ll think of the time we sang under the rain, When it snows, I'll think of you smiling for me, because you know I like the snow, I know that if I cry, you'll be sad, so I won't, So don't you cry either" (via X/_BTSMoments_)

Naturally, BTS' Jimin started trending on X under hashtags like JIMIN IS COMING, WHAT IS GOING ON, MUSE IS COMING, PJM2 IS COMING, and more.

Fueling the anticipation further, electronic duo HONNE also left a comment under Jimin's "La Lettra" reel on BTS' official Instagram account with a shocked face emoji. ARMYs are trying to work out whether this means something.

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Jimin, who is currently in the military, released his debut solo album FACE, featuring 6 tracks on March 24, 2023. The album recently became the first Korean and non-English album by an Asian soloist to sell over 500K units in the US, becoming eligible to be certified Gold by RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).