Every BTS Solo Song Ranked

“Badbye” is a bewitching song that, at just under two minutes, is also the shortest on Mono. Which is unfortunate, because it’s sonically so beautiful. Handling the majority of vocals is eAeon, eerily singing words that leave no hope for a happy ending: “Bad badbye, no goodbye.” When RM joins in, repeating “Kill me, kill softly,” we can only imagine what led to this tragic badbye.

Gentle guitars start off this hidden track from Jimin’s solo debut album, Face. With his voice dropping to a low register, he sings about the unknown future. Still, he’s hopeful that listeners will “stay by my side.”

A remake of DJ Webstar and Young B’s 2006 song of the same name, J-Hope’s “Chicken Noodle Soup” begins with Becky G chanting “Let it rain, and clear it out.” That start gives off a techno-pop vibe reminiscent of Rain’s “It’s Raining” more than any previous J-Hope track. Sung in Korean, English, and Spanish, the duo’s rendition is a peppy, free-flowing hip-hop track set to a heavy bass line and lots and lots of energy.

There are both English and Korean versions of this song, which starts with indiscernible whispers, giving it a mysterious start. One could argue about the lyrics being overtly sexual (“Give me a good ride”), but as Jimin wraps his warm vocals around the words, he turns it into a gentle plea.

J-Hope can be dark and deep. But he can also flip the switch and create some upbeat and vibrant songs. “Future” is a joyful song of hope. Whitney Houston once sang “I believe the children are our future,” and J-hope believes it too. As a children’s choir chirps “Na na na” in the background, you can almost feel his smile.

In this dreamlike collaboration between Suga and Halsey, the pair contemplate their burgeoning careers and the complications of fame. “I was full of dreams and made them come true,” Suga reveals on the atmospheric track. “Yet maybe those dreams as dreams could have been better.”

This brutally honest song technically belongs to Tablo. But the Epik High rapper has said it wouldn’t exist without RM. Set to a languid beat, “Stop the Rain” offers unflinching insight into the despair each artist went through to get to where they are today. RM sings of suicidal ideation (“When I was a kid, I was convinced that I was destined for the 27 club”). Interestingly, the almost all-English track offers one Korean line near the end (다시 덫 뒤에 덫). Its inclusion is powerful, alluding to a cyclical feeling of being trapped — as if the revelation is too personal to reveal in a language too many people understand.

J-Hope presents a darker, aggressive self in “What If, …” a song that deals with his doubts and fears. Fans of 1990s hip-hop will recognize Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” which J-Hope sampled. In 2024, J-Hope released an extended dance mix of this song on JHope On the Street Volume 1. (The song is featured in the trailer for Prime Video’s spy thriller Butterfly.)

Jimin sings of loneliness and losing himself in this seductive ballad. Accompanied by lilting piano trills, he plays off his usual higher pitch by singing back in a lower register. It all works well in this angsty but gentle song.

Breaking up is hard to do, but as Jin says, “Don’t say that you love me because it hurts the most/You’ve just got to let me go.” This bittersweet pop song would’ve fit in so well at the end of a 1980s John Hughes film, when one boy is left heartbroken as the girl he loves goes off with someone else. But he still wishes her well. Kind of.

The song ties together J-Hope’s past with his dance crew Neuron, the nervous system that responds to his mind, and a fresh start or, as he raps, a “new run.” South Korean hip-hop artist Gaeko and South Korean American rapper Yoon Mi-rae guest on this track. The trio sound great together, working through the sharp lyrics and a smooth flow.

Taking advantage of his expressive voice, Jin soars through this power ballad, where he promises ARMY that for him, “the world is only you.”

Jung Kook is all grown up and not shy about expressing his carnal desires: “So if you’re ready, and you’ll let me/I wanna see it in motion in 3D.” But some of you may be wondering if the youngest member isn’t talking about something more innocent, like pickleball maybe? Mmmm ‘k, but look up what his promise of champagne confetti means. Still, I was glad it was Jack Harlow, and not JK, who had the line, “I got you playing with yourself on camera.”

Jin hits those high notes like no other on “Yours,” which was featured in the K-drama Jirisan. But just as important, he fills the song with emotion because of how he parses each phrase to convey the necessary emotions. Jin’s interpretation transcends language barriers, helping listeners understand his torn feelings even without comprehension of the literal words.

It’s unclear if Suga is calling out the media, liars, or just haters in general, but lines like “Between so many truths and so many lies/Are we seeing this world right?” indicate that it’s probably all of the above and then some. As he lists a litany of duplicitous acts, Suga draws us in with his breathy delivery, before taking ownership. “It’s all dirty,” he raps. “Am I also clean?”

A superfun power-pop song with Jin and singer Yena trading verses about who’s the loser “if you lose me.” If anyone can keep up with Jin’s cheeky delivery, it’s the former IZ*ONE member who gives as good as she gets.

V produced this cover of Adele’s gorgeous powerhouse ballad “Someone Like You.” He wisely chose not to do a straight-on copy of her song, which embodies raw hurt. Instead, V interprets the song as a heartfelt wish. When Adele sings “I wish nothing but the best for you,” it’s a cathartic release that leaves listeners internally screaming, When V sings that same line, the sentiment is a poignant wish for a former partner who has moved on. The song is spare, with a piano melody caressing V’s voice.

A throwback to the 1970s disco era, “Lock/Unlock” would’ve gotten everyone at Studio 54 on the dance floor. A debonair J-Hope seductively invites us to, what? Everything. Meanwhile, the throbbing bass line is intoxicating, helping to create a number that is part funk, part electro-pop, and 100 percent fun.

As a child, RM had aspirations of becoming a rapper. But it wasn’t until he was 11 and heard Epik High’s “Fly” that he felt it could be a possibility. In this long-awaited first collaboration between RM and Epik High leader Tablo, the two musicians navigate a world that’s full of algorithms, but little soul. Their mutual respect is evident in how they pay homage to each other’s hits in their rhymes. Tablo references BTS songs “DNA” and “Dynamite,” while “fly” pops up throughout RM’s verses. The song questions why we’re fighting all day for survival, but ultimately offers hope: “When the cruel world seems to be laughing at you/No matter what the world says, we fly.”

Listening to BTS members’ songs can feel like attending a lecture where we learn about subjects that are often pretty esoteric for pop music. I mean, who among us actually knew that the song title referred to the portion of our brain that processes emotions? We listen as Suga mournfully lists the memories stored in his amygdala that he has been unable to erase — his mother’s heart surgery, his father’s liver cancer, his own debilitating accident, and his recurring suicidal ideation. The song is dark, desperate, and raw, with Suga’s vocals appropriately mournful as he pleads, “My amygdala, please save me.” This is a song he worked on for three years before he was satisfied with the arrangement. In the end, he creates a sobering look at what Min Yoon-gi had to go through before he became Suga, and then eventually Agust D.

J-Hope likes his girls “pretty, so fine,” independent and unique, and to be one-of-a-kind like da Vinci’s famous painting. He sings his girl’s praises, noting, “How you get me goin’, might just blow it,” which can be interpreted as her being elusive enough to lose or, um, blowing it in that other way. Running under three minutes, the sassy song is catchy from start to finish.

Winter and Christmas are themes that V returns to often in his music. “Winter Ahead” features a lush harmonic blend of V’s tenor and balladeer Park Hyo-shin’s smooth vocals. The song is a jazzy ode to the holiday season, with trumpets and piano adding a layer of gravitas to this otherwise light song. Like many of V’s solo songs, “Winter Ahead” has a retro vibe that would’ve fit in during previous generations. 

Nell’s Kim Jong-wan starts this song repeating the Korean word jinaga (지나가). In the context of this airy, enchanting collab, it translates to “This too shall pass.” Life’s cyclical nature is addressed in the repetitive words, lulling the listener into an almost trance-like state. Almost. Just as we’re getting comfortable, RM jumps in and goes off, before ultimately reaffirming that “it all passes, someday for certain.”

Not one to shy away from haters, Suga hits back at them creatively with traditional Korean instruments, pansori (a traditional style of storytelling), and pointed disses: “I’m not weak like you pathetic fucks putting on a talent show.” Ouch! The aggressive melody mixed with modern raps creates a sing-along hook where we all want to vent with Suga. 

RM tackles inequality, racism, sociopolitical issues, humanity, and even high IQs (RM’s is genius level) in this collaboration with rapper Wale. He also throws a barb at social media bullies: “Everybody’s mad/Kill people with fingers on Twitter/More than a gun, more than a knife.”

It’s not easy to take a Harry Styles song and make the listener forget about Harry himself. But Jung Kook isn’t just any singer and does exactly this while covering Styles’ soulful ballad “Falling.” Accompanied by an understated piano melody, Jung Kook’s voice trembles with emotion. By the time he pleads “What am I now?/What if I’m someone I don’t want around?” the listener is ready to go to battle for him. Nothing about this song feels forced or overproduced. Jung Kook’s vocal talent and his innate understanding of this song’s meaning is simply outstanding.