Outro: Ego - A Review by Charlie Murray
Outro: Ego - A Review
by
Charlie Murray
After being slapped in the face by the aggressive genius of the Shadow trailer, and then left devastated by the eerily devastating lyrics of Black Swan, I was expected to be left once again in emotional ruin by the Ego trailer. What actually dropped was the exact opposite of what I expected, proving that Map of the Soul: 7 is not going to be an easy or simple ride.
The video starts with a callback to BTS’ debut, 2 Cool 4 Skool trailer, which made me audibly gasp and run to my room, as it was at that moment that I knew I should be watching it privately, not freaking out in my lounge where anyone could walk in and see my outburst of a reaction.
We then see rewound footage of Hoseok’s parts in BTS' music videos (as well as solo music videos, as I saw a glimpse of Boy Meets Evil), going all the way back from Boy With Luv to debut. A bit of BTS nostalgia had the tears ready to flow, but Hoseok’s cheery appearance and the bold colours and green screens that were immediately present, snapped me out of it and forced me to just sit and enjoy Hoseok’s verse. He is seen walking down roads highlighting “My Way”, and past shops displaying his suits and records that he has helped to produce; we were taken on a trip through Hope World, guided by the confident swag of Hoseok.
He raps at a frantic speed about such concerns as worrying about the past, and overthinking about “ifs, buts or maybes”, before finally slowing down at the pre-chorus, giving us sultry singer J-Hope. At this point, he states that he doesn’t care about all of these worries anymore, and he accepts that he has already chosen how his life is destined to go, and he is at peace with finding happiness in his own way. This pre-chorus is my personal favourite part of the song, as his voice is calm yet assertive; and I can’t help but feel that his technique has improved a lot.
The pre-chorus starts with the “Ready, set begin” of the 2 Cool 4 Skool trailer, except this time the cool, aloof tone of that trailer is replaced with a more happy-go-lucky chorus of trumpets, which are impossible to listen to without at least tapping your feet or bopping your head. I am immediately anticipating live performances of this song on the Map of the Soul Tour; this song and video already feel like a rush of happiness, so stadiums of ARMY's dancing around to it must result in the most infectious energy.
From this trailer, and the knowledge that BTS like us to listen to the album in order, I get the sense that this album will probably progress from melancholic vibes (from the first single, Black Swan), which then rises to the anger and frustration we saw in Shadow, to letting it all go in a burst of happiness during this outro. It seems like it will be quite a therapeutic album, especially as I can already tell that Ego will be my go-to song whenever I feel down and in need of Hoseok to tell me to let my fears go and focus on a hopeful mindset.
You can watch the music video on YouTube here:
Hi Kathy, Im Michelle. I loved your message to new ARMYs. I'm a 3 year old ARMY and you're right as to finding something new in BTS' music and vids. When I'm out and about and I hear music (I used to listen to) that's not BTS, my brain does something. If I have my headphones I immediately plug them in. It's such a relief to know these boys and I cherish their music very much. It's like being wrapped in a warm comfy blanket where it's just me and them🤗 I feel so special because not many in gp hold them the way we do. I also love the fact that BTS is a unique experience for each of us, even though collectively we are ARMY. I love them so much for that and wish them every happiness💜
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