Promise by Jimin

This blog comes nearly two weeks late but I still feel like it has to be done. On the last day of the year, Jimin released ‘Promise’ making sure 2018 went down as the most legendary year to date. Now, I must admit (and anyone who knows me or follows me on Twitter will already know) I am absolutely in love with Park Jimin. So it goes without saying, I dropped everything to give it a listen. After all, being an ARMY is a full time job and Big Hit/BTS never let us breathe.

Let me paint the picture of the first time I heard ‘Promise’: I was lying in bed with one of my uni friends in London nursing a monster hangover while watching football (the European kind, not the American kind). It was my first time being back in the UK in over a year and I fancy it to be my second home, so we went out the night before and went pretty hard. So I lay there dying both from the hangover and the fact I was watching Man United (whom I loathe) when my phone starts blowing up with Twitter notifications along the lines of: ‘This is for you’, ‘Have you seen this yet?’ and ‘It’s finally here.’

When I tell you my hangover melted away, my skin cleared up and the skies of London were clear and sunny for the first time in the history of the UK, I mean it. I don’t entirely know what I expected from Jimin. From his Spotify playlist, I imagined PJM1 would be a smooth R&B jam. Boy, was I wrong. In the best way possible.

From the start, it’s a masterpiece. Quiet, so you’re not sure you’ve even pressed play until his sweet melodic voice catches you off guard and ushers in the guitar. The cadence is slow and passionate, swelling in all the right moments. His voice earnest, sweet and sincere. At the first ‘I just want to blow your mind’, I was a puddle on the floor. Honestly, Jimin releasing an acoustic song is the best thing that could ever happen. His voice is so unique, I was happy to have it in the forefront of the song, not drowned out by heavy beats.

Now, on to the lyrics. Korean is clearly not my first language. I’ve always loved listening to BTS songs without a translation and trying to discern the meaning of the song based on the feeling of the music or emotion in the voice of the delivery. At first listen, I thought ‘Promise’ would be the love song of the century. Shame on me to think Jimin would be that simple. Sure, it could be interpreted as someone mulling over a broken or breaking relationship. But it’s much more than that.

As he croons ‘I want you to be your light, baby. You should be your light’ and ‘Promise me now even if you feel alone… don’t throw yourself away’, the lyrics give way to the idea that this is a much more personal song about choosing to be your own happiness and in those days where you fail to do so, choosing to stay even when it’s hard. Honestly, it’s an important message. As someone who has struggled in the past with mental health, the worst feeling is feeling like you are alone. Yet here he is, asking you to stay. Asking you to promise yourself one more day each time you feel like throwing yourself away.

By his own account, Jimin’s ‘Promise’ is a song written for him and for us. We know they have struggled, and they know we in turn have our own struggles. I am thankful he felt comfortable enough and confident enough to share this masterpiece with us. It will definitely be in my Top 5 songs of 2018. I’m so proud of him and so in love with this song. #PromiseByJimin #JiminPromise #BTS #JIMIN