"Show you a more mature side of me" — BTS' j-hope explains his motivation behind creating upcoming song Mona Lisa’s performance

On March 15, 2025, BTS' j-hope took to the South Korean social media platform Weverse, where he shared the motivation behind creating the upcoming track Mona Lisa's performance. The male artist mentioned that since he was in the army, he wanted to showcase his more mature side. He wanted to approach things differently and reveal a fun side. He added, as translated by X user @btsmememories:

"It's a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but still, I wanted to show you a more sexy side of me. It was difficult to say it back and forth, but I felt like doing a more hip, sexy look. So that’s how the “Mona Lisa” performance was born. And that’s why this song was set to be released right away."

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BTS' j-hope wanted to show ARMYs Mona Lisa as a surprise track

During the Weverse Live, the male artist talked about his tracks Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel) and Mona Lisa. He mentioned that following the release of the former song, the fandom felt that he had made a comeback without a performance again.

He stated that he could understand the feeling of missing out that they wanted to see his show. However, ARMYs like it when the members dance. Hence, he prepared a dance performance for Mona Lisa. He added that he wanted to showcase Mona Lisa as a surprise track to the fandom. He said, as translated by X user @ryuminating:

"Sweet Dreams is an important song to me, so I released it first. And then Mona Lisa, I wanted to show it to you as a surprise gift."

BTS' j-hope further elaborated how he had a certain thought of what kind of a song he could do as a surprise performance. He added that after practicing different sessions, he opted for Mona Lisa. He said, as translated by X user @ryuminating:

"I had this thought. What kind of a song is it that J-hope can do a surprise performance for? I can do all kinds of choreo, but for me I had to do some hip-hop. It has to has some hip, either by style or feeling, or vibe. After doing sessions for this song, I thought I could do this song in a fun way."

BTS' j-hope disclosed how he had plans to reveal Sweet Dreams and Mona Lisa in South Korea and the United States, respectively. He expressed his sadness about not revealing Mona Lisa in his home country and mentioned, as translated by X user @ryuminating:

"I'm sure there are people in Korea who are sad they didn't get to see Mona Lisa at the concert. And I feel bad about that too. It would have been great if I could have shown them together. That was a shame."

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The male artist was discharged from mandatory military service in October 2024. He concluded eighteen months of duty.

BTS' j-hope's Mona Lisa will be released on March 21, 2025, at 1 pm Korean Standard Time (KST).