In late 2020, BTS held a global press conference to discuss the release of their next album. It had been three months since the release of their smash hit single “Dynamite”, and nine months since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. They weren’t supposed to be releasing an album at that time—if you remember our discussions from previous weeks, they were actually supposed to be on tour, supporting their last album, MAP OF THE SOUL: 7. The pandemic caused them to have to shift gears and replan. After “Dynamite”’s release and surprise success, it seemed natural to keep the momentum going with more music. During the press conference, Jimin mentioned that they hadn’t pre-planned anything for this album, so it had to come together very organically and with a lot of teamwork. They adapted, even though they were supposed to be doing something completely different. And that is one of the reasons why they chose to name the new album BE.