Skip to main content

With BTSā€™ next album, Map of the Soul: 7, right around the corner, some fans speculated about this upcoming album and era. Why is the upcoming BTS album blue? What is the meaning behind songs like ā€œBlack Swanā€ and ā€œInterlude: Shadow?ā€ Here are some fan theories surrounding Map of the Soul: 7 and its shades of sky blue.

BTS performs during 'The Late Late Show with James Corden'
BTS performs during ā€˜The Late Late Show with James Cordenā€™ | Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images

BTS will premiere their album ā€˜Map of the Soul: 7ā€™ during February 2020

Hot off the heels of their historic Grammy performance with Lil Nas X, BTS is back with another album for fans to enjoy. Map of the Soul: 7 premieres on Feb. 21, 2020. Right after, the boys will head on their world tour, making stops at Metlife Stadium, the Rose Bowl Stadium, and the United Kingdomā€™s Twickenham Stadium.

As the second part of the Map of the Soul era and the antithesis of Map of the Soul: Persona, this upcoming BTS album is sky blue. (There are actually four different shades of blue available with the album package, each with a special set of pictures and postcards.)

ā€œSo Map of The Soul: 7ā€™s color on Pantone was described as ā€˜Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era,'ā€ one Twitter user wrote.

Not much is officially known about ā€˜Map of the Soul: 7ā€™

Fans can only really speculate what this next era will be about. Some think it could share themes similar to the Wings era ā€” especially because of the art film released by this group, ā€œBlack Swan.ā€

The K-pop group also funded art installations across multiple cities, leaving up to the albumā€™s premiere date. This could be another reason why the album of blue ā€” because it contains darker, personal themes surround these members and their art.

ā€œIf Map of the Soul: Persona was pink tones and was an album about/for us and Map of the Soul: 7 is blue tones and is about themā€¦ It means that the last one of the trilogy is gonna be purple tones and is gonna be the mix of us and them,ā€ one Twitter user guessed.

ā€œDoes Map of the Soul: 7 means 7 members who connected the world through one language, i.e. music? Just like 7 continents are connected through one ocean and thatā€™s why itā€™s blue,ā€ another Twitter user wrote.

What is the symbolism behind ā€˜Map of the Soul: 7ā€™?

In true BTS fashion, the color of this upcoming album isnā€™t the only symbolism surrounding this album. While on The Late Late Show with James Corden, RM confirmed that ā€œ7ā€ is a special number for this K-pop group. There are 7 members in BTS, they debuted 7 years ago, and Map of the Soul: 7 will be their 7th album.

ā€œYou will know when you listen to our new album and watch the performance that liking BTS was the best decision ever,ā€ J-Hope said at the Grammyā€™s red carpet. Fans will just have to wait to learn more about this upcoming album. Map of the Soul: 7 premieres on Feb. 21, 2020.

Until then, music by BTS, including ā€œBlack Swan,ā€ is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and most major streaming platforms.