J-Hope is first with a 'hiatus' solo, 'Jack in the Box,' out July 15

J-Hope, a member of BTS, will release a solo album on July 15, according to Big Hit Music on Sunday. "J-Hope's solo album, as reflected in the title of the album — 'Jack In The Box' — represents his aspiration to break the mold and grow further,"..

BTS member J-Hope [BIG HIT MUSIC]

J-Hope, a member of BTS, will release a solo album on July 15, according to Big Hit Music on Sunday.

"J-Hope’s solo album, as reflected in the title of the album — 'Jack In The Box' — represents his aspiration to break the mold and grow further," Big Hit Music said in a statement on Sunday.

It said that in the album "J-Hope’s creative identity as an artist will be introduced."

The entertainer will release one track from the new album on July 1 at 1 p.m.

"Jack In The Box" is J-Hope's first solo effort, other than free releases promoted via BigHit's social media presence and available from Dropbox, Google Drive, MediaFire, Spotify and SoundCloud for download.

With seven tracks including lead track "Daydream," "Hope World" was marketed in 2018 as a "mixtape," emphasizing that it was a low-key effort.

It stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for two weeks, climbing as high as No. 38 on the chart.

In September 2019, Big Hit Music released "Chicken Noodle Soup" by J-Hope, featuring Becky G, an American singer. It reached No. 81 on Billboard's Hot 100.

J-Hope will be the first BTS member to release solo work since the band mentioned in a video that the members would be taking a break from group activities, though BigHit says that characterizing the break as a "hiatus" is inaccurate.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]