BTS leader RM summed up the theme of their newest album, Map of the Soul: 7 best during the septet's appearance on the Today Show in New York City. "This album is like a big statement and declaration that we admit our destiny, we admit our shadows and lights at the same time," he said. "We recognize our destiny and all the paths."

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Nearly 10 months after the record-breaking EP Map of the Soul: Persona topped the Billboard 200, BTS is back with one of their most ambitious projects yet. Single "ON" leads it, as an explosive, fierce anthem in which the Korean juggernauts reflect on their journey over the past seven years, their acceptance of the present surreal reality, and lay out their unwavering convictions for the future.

The video for the single, called the "Kinetic Manifesto Film: Come Prima," is strikingly stark for an important reason. Set in Los Angeles' Sepulveda Dam, and supported by creative agency The Lab's dancers (including "Dionysus" contributing choreographer Sienna Lalau) and the Blue Devils marching band, the visual puts the focus on the group and their message. (The official music video for “ON” will be released on Feb. 28, and an alternate version of the track can be found on the album that features Sia).

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You don't need to understand Korean to soak up the song, but thanks to the tireless efforts of ARMY who voluntarily interpret the band's work, many can get an even more vibrant picture of what this BTS represents.

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"ON," according to the group, is a reflection of the group's 2013 single, "N.O," an intense hip-hop track that detailed the asphyxiating pressure society puts on young people to excel. It recalls the previous single in the visual's black and white color palette and its opening lines, sung by Jimin and V (as interpreted by notable ARMY translator Wisha):

"Having woken from sleep and opened my eyes, I wonder where "here" is / Perhaps Seoul, or New York or Paris / Having gotten up, my body sways."

While BTS are now in their 20s and no longer necessarily feeling the weight of academic pressure or that of the adults in charge on their shoulders, they describe a foe that, in many ways, is much more threatening: themselves.

In these first lines of "ON," the group acknowledges being wrapped up in the glamour of waking up "in Seoul, or New York or Paris," and that with every leap they take to rise higher in recognition, the demons follow ("When I lift one foot, the shadow grows one step larger"). Fans might recall a poem Suga wrote in a 2018 episode of the band's reality series, Run BTS!, that reads: "It is true that the more light that burns upon us, the more shadows appear."

The "shadow" is a direct reference to the Jungian psychoanalytic idea that the human mind is made up of major archetypes that make up one's personality: persona, shadow, ego, and self. Rapper Suga divulged his fears as he faces the perils of fame in "Interlude: Shadow," which begins the series of new songs on MOTS7. “I’m afraid, flying high is terrifying," he raps. "No one told me how lonely it is up here.” RM continues with the same fears in the lyrics to "ON".
credits : https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/02/9449254/bts-on-lyrics-meaning