BTS’ Jimin has begun his journey as a well-rounded soloist by kicking off the parade for his upcoming solo album premiere with the pre-release track. As a result, Set Me Free Pt 2 MV reactions are already raising the tide on Twitter. As seen from the video, the song has been produced on a grand scale, especially in terms of the performance it puts on display.
The most notable highlight of the music video released on March 17, 2023, a week before the artist’s debut solo album comes out, is that it’s a nod to the previously executed elements in the works of the singer’s K-pop group. While dissecting the grand narrative expressed through his new project, the dancer openly stated how his pre-release video will remind the fans of the song ON, especially since they both sport a similar vibe with a huge dance crew accompanying the artist.
Moreover, the latest MV has also been helmed by the same director, Oui Kim, who captured the frames of the MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ‘Interlude : Shadow’ Comeback Trailer. Jimin’s new track essentially portrays how he, much like many other public figures, feels trapped inside a panopticon. As per the 18th-century theorist Jeremy Bentham, the panopticon is the “perfect prison”. This concept comes to life in a particular architectural design that puts an observation tower right at the centre, thereby confusing the inmates of the cells that encircle and surround it since they cannot know if they are being watched.
The same concept has inspired modern constructs like CCTV or surveillance cameras. Yet metaphorically speaking, celebrities, and even more so K-pop idols, often experience this continuous drive to keep hustling, as the song lyrics also point out, “Going insane to say sane”. With the added pressures of the world watching you, it can’t be easy to always deliver at the top of your performance. Nevertheless, Jimin’s novel project still ends up on top while paying homage to the group’s old concepts and cohesively threading them into his album this time.
As a result, we can conjecture that the song is not just about facing scrutiny from the crowd but also from one’s inner self. The BTS dancer has often reminded the audience how he used to race after a specific ideology of constructed masculinity. However, now he’s let go of all those thoughts to let his true self breathe more freely. The same image can also be drawn from today’s MV release, as it charts his journey from starting on the dark side but eventually shedding it to make way for his innate softer persona and accepting himself.
Another aspect the fans noted was that his fellow member SUGA also had a track on his second mixtape, D-2, with a similar title – Set Me Free. Park Jimin said they didn’t intend to connect these stories early on. His track is more about finding freedom and doing forward, while SUGA’s song sings of previously talked-about stories.
Check Out the Set Me Free Pt 2 MV Reactions
Here are some fan reactions wherein people have not only praised the artist for his creative music project, but also noted down parallels with older songs, choreographies or concepts.
Stream the singer’s solo projects on Spotify. What was your reaction after watching this video? Let us know your thoughts and theories in the comments section below.
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