BTS’ Jimin drops Beatles-inspired single ‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band’
The song and accompanying music video feature an appearance from South Korean rapper Loco
By Emily Zemler
BTS member Jimin has released a new solo single, ‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco),’ along with a whimsical music video. The track, off the singer’s forthcoming LP Muse, was loosely inspired by the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and features South Korean rapper Loco.
Jimin collaborated with producers Pdogg, Ghstloop, and Evan, who also contributed to his debut solo album, Face. During the production of Face, the group casually began calling themselves the Smeraldo Garden Marching Band. A press releases notes that “this playful idea eventually became a reality, solidifying as the title of the pre-release single.” Tommy Brown, known as Mr. Franks, also produced.
The song’s title references a fictional flower ‘Smeraldo,’ which symbolises “the truth untold,” according to the press release. It connects to BTS’ song ‘The Truth Untold (Feat. Steve Aoki)’ off Love Yourself. The music video features the production team along with Jimin and Loco in a fantastical, colourful setting. In the clip, Jimin dances alongside a group of kids before joining choreographed dancers.
Muse is Jimin’s second solo LP. Out July 19, the record is described in a statement from Hybe and BigHit Music as a documentation of the musician’s “journey to find the source of his inspiration.”
Jimin is currently completing his mandatory military service duties in South Korea. The musician enlisted in December 2023 at the same time as BTS’ Jung Kook. But even as he began his stint as an active-duty solider, he had his music and his fans on his mind. At the close of the year, Jimin released “Closer Than This,” a love letter to his fanbr that was at once a parting gift and reassurance for the future.
While creating his debut solo album, Jimin looked towards his fellow BTS members as his muses and inspirations, as well.
“My members were the people who made it possible for me to start preparing this album,” he told Rolling Stone last year. “This all began at the [Permission to Dance on Stage] concerts in Las Vegas last year, and at the time, I was struggling with the emotions that ended up in [‘Like Crazy’]… While we were talking over drinks, I told them, ‘I don’t know if I’m doing well. I don’t even know what I’m doing.’ But the members said that it’s perfectly fine to feel that way, that it’s OK to feel lost sometimes. They suggested, ‘Why don’t you express these emotions through music?’”