Rapper J-Hope, a member of the South Korean music sensation BTS, is set to drop his solo album 'Jack In The Box' on July 15. BTS management agency BigHit Music made the announcement on the fan community forum Weverse on Saturday night, days after the group said they will focus on solo projects for a while. "We would like to announce the release of 'Jack In The Box,' j-hope's solo album. BTS has turned the page on their new chapter, throughout which the members will harmoniously carry out their group and individual activities. j-hope will be the first member of BTS to start this new journey and release his solo album," the agency said in a statement.
The album's first single will be unveiled on July 1, with all the tracks released on July 15. BigHit Music said J-Hope's solo album represents "his aspirations to break the mold and grow further".
"Starting with his pre-release track to be released on July 1st, diverse content to show j-hope's creative identity as an artist will be introduced. Please stay tuned and we will continue to provide you with more details on the album.
We hope that you look forward to 'Jack In The Box' and send j-hope your love and support as he takes his first step as a solo artist," the agency further said.
J-Hope, whose real name is Jeong Ho-seok, is also set to perform at the closing of the upcoming Lollapalooza music festival on July 31, making the rapper "the first South Korean" musician to lead the music festival.
The 28-year-old artiste released his first solo mixtape 'Hope World' in 2018 and collaborated with American singer Becky G on his 2019 hit single "Chicken Noodle Soup".
On Friday, BTS member Jungkook released his much anticipated collaborative single "Left and Right" with American singer Charlie Puth.
The song will be featured on Puth's upcoming album 'Charlie'.
BTS released their anthology album 'Proof' on June 10, four days before they said they will be taking a break as a group.