BTS Fan Theories Flood In Over the Group's New Album Title

Published on March 3, 2022 at 12:00 PM

So many exciting things are in store for BTS fans in 2022. First up, the septet will perform three back-to-back concerts in Seoul this March. Then, just weeks later, the group will fly out to the US to perform another set of shows in Las Vegas (and hopefully attend the Grammys). BTS also confirmed they're planning to drop a new album this year, and although its release date hasn't been revealed, there are rumors it could arrive either in late March or sometime in April. The last time BTS dropped a full-length record was in November 2020, so you can imagine how eager members of the BTS ARMY are to hear the group's next project. Since BTS love to hide Easter eggs in their music videos and live performances, fans have been busy digging around the internet for any possible clues about the group's new album, like what it could be called. Here are the most popular guesses surrounding BTS's next album title, and let me tell you, they're so convincing.

Will BTS's 2022 Album Be Called "Fear"?

BTS's "Be" album could have been the start of a new album trilogy series where all three records are meant to spell "Be Fearless." If it's true, their next album will be "Fear."

There are a few clues that support this theory. First of all, BTS are known for hiding hints about their upcoming releases in the videos that play during their live performances. The word "Fear" appeared during BTS's VCRs at the 2020 KBS Song Festival and 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMAs). Not to mention, the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, whose works inspired BTS's "Map of the Soul" albums, has also shared important quotes about fear in his research, which has us convinced the group could have used his findings to inspire their music.

Will BTS's 2022 Album Be Called "Dream"?

BTS's VCR at the 2018 MAMAs may have given ARMY a major hint at their next album title. At the start of their MAMAs performance, a video played that featured the words, "SO NOW I'M A BOY WITH LOVE," "I'LL SHOW YOU THE MAP OF THE SOUL," and "I'LL SHOW YOU THE DREAM." Of course, we know the first two phrases turned out to be spoilers for BTS's next comeback, because that following April, the group dropped an album called "Map of the Soul: Persona," which included the lead single "Boy With Luv."

Since the group have yet to release a big project containing the phrase "The Dream" or "Dream," it's possible that could be the name of their new album. Interestingly enough, in February 2020, the words "No More Dream" appeared at the end of BTS's "On" music video before it changed to just "Dream." Twitter user @pjmtrivias_ on also pointed out Jung has theorized about dreams in his work, so maybe BTS will reference his research in their music once more.

Will BTS's 2022 Album Be Called "Me"?

A popular theory among ARMY is that BTS will drop a set of albums called "Me" and "We." It all started on Feb. 9 when J-Hope shared an Instagram Story with text on the screen that read "Me." Later, RM reportedly posted an Instagram with the caption "We," but he deleted it shortly afterward, which has us wondering why. Could it have been a spoiler for BTS's next comeback?

Some fans found it interesting that "We" is basically "Me" flipped upside down. It reminded them of the time BTS released a poster for their "Love Yourself: Her" album in 2017 that read "I'm Fine" when you looked at it right side up and "Save Me" when you looked at it upside down. A year after they unveiled the poster, BTS dropped their "Love Yourself: Answer" album, which featured a song called "I'm Fine," which referenced BTS's 2016 single "Save Me."

Since BTS have previously dropped hints at their upcoming projects on social media, we can't help but overanalyze RM and J-Hope's IG posts. Plus, "Me" and "We" would be perfect follow-ups to BTS's "Be" album, right?

Will BTS's 2022 Album Be Called "Forever"?

The most recent theory floating around suggests BTS's next album is called "Forever." BTS have a playlist of all their albums on YouTube, and on Feb. 17, the playlist was reportedly updated to feature an album called "Forever" that included 34 songs. That day, some of the thumbnails for BTS's YouTube videos were also temporarily replaced with the artwork of the "Forever" album. "Forever" would also reportedly appear on Google when fans searched for the name of BTS's new 2022 album.

According to The Sun Daily, the whole thing was likely just a YouTube glitch, because there were a few things that didn't make sense. First, BTS's record label for the "Forever" album was listed as J Records instead of Hybe or Big Hit Music. Second, the album's release date was apparently supposed to be Feb. 15, but clearly, it didn't drop that day. Finally, the artwork for "Forever" had reportedly already existed online before the "leak."

So, this all leads us to wonder, what is BTS's new album really called? If we're lucky, maybe the group will give us some clues during their upcoming concerts in Seoul and Las Vegas!