Map of the soul : 7 - Album
Map of the Soul: 7 is the fourth Korean-language studio album by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on February 21, 2020, by Big Hit Entertainment. It is the follow-up to their 2019 extended play Map of the Soul: Persona, with five of its songs appearing on the album. Map of the Soul: 7 has been described as a pop, R&B and hip-hop album with influences from rock, trap and EDM. Lyrically, it touches upon themes of reflection, introspection and self-acceptance.
Map of the Soul: 7 received critical acclaim upon release, with appraisal towards the album's "cohesive" production despite incorporating various styles. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with 422,000 album-equivalent units sold in the first week, including 347,000 pure album sales, making it BTS' fourth consecutive chart-topper. It also debuted at number one in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom; topping the charts in all of the top five music markets in the world, made BTS the first Asian group to do so. In under nine days of its release, the album sold more than 4.1 million copies in South Korea for the first time in Gaon Album Chart's history, making it the best-selling album in the country's history, breaking the Guinness World Record of its predecessor Map of the Soul: Persona.
Map of the Soul: 7 was supported by two singles, out of which the lead single "On" debuted and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first top five on the chart. To promote the album, the group announced their fourth worldwide concert tour entitled the Map of the Soul Tour.
“The title, 7, is very heavy for us,” RM said, clarifying not to correlate “heavy” with “burden.”
“The title is very strong and you know 7 can symbolize many things,” the BTS leader said. “It symbolizes the number of members and the years we have spent together.”
He continued: “Also seven means very good luck, right? Like jackpot. Lucky number seven. In many different kinds of ways, seven really feels like… this is it. This is the time that we have to use this title.”