"Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" is a song by South Korean
boy bandBTS, released on June 10, 2022, through
Big Hit Music and
Universal Music Group, as the lead single from their first anthology album Proof. It is the band's first original Korean-language single since 2020's "
Life Goes On". An
alternative hip hop track, the song's lyrics are a reflection on the past nine years of the band's career while also looking forward to what the future holds. It was written by Dan Gleyzer,
J-Hope,
Max,
Pdogg,
RM, and
Suga, with Pdogg serving as producer. The song received generally positive reviews from critics.
"Yet to Come" reached number one in India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. It charted in the top 10 in Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and South Korea, and the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Lithuania, Peru, Sweden and the United States. BTS promoted the song in South Korea with performances on M Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo.
An accompanying music video, set in the desert, was released alongside the single. It contains numerous visual references to past music videos from different eras in BTS' career. An animated music video, featuring avatars of the band from their mobile game BTS Island: In the Seom, followed on June 20. In July, a tribute video featuring submissions from the band's fans was released as part of a promotional
YouTube campaign.
Background and release
I feel like we’ve done a great job getting where we are now, and I think our new song marks a comma, not a period in our career. I want its message to our fans to be that we are going to return with a more mature version of ourselves.
— Jimin talks about 'Yet to Come', BTS Radio: Past & Present[1]
On May 6, 2022, the group announced the song and unveiled the artwork.[2] The song title refers to "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life" series, also called the "HYYH" era. The era consisted of several short films, as well as a storyline realized through 20 interconnected music videos.[3] The song was announced as one of three new tracks on the anthology album Proof.[4] As a part of
Hyundai's "Goal of the Century" marketing campaign for the
2022 FIFA World Cup, a
British rock remix version of "Yet to Come" was produced in collaboration with the automobile company. On September 22, a minute-long preview of the music video for "Yet To Come (Hyundai Ver.)" was posted. The following day, the official music video was released.[5][6]
Composition
"Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" was co-written by the group's rap line (
RM,
J-Hope, and
Suga), their longtime producer
Pdogg, and American artists
Max and Dan Gleyzer. The song is in
4 4 common time in the
key of
D-flat major with a
tempo of 86 beats per minute. BTS' vocal range span from
A♭4 to
B♭5.[7] References to songs like "Young Forever" and
Kanye West's "
Touch The Sky" are abundant, and the production is laid-back with striking background
synths, and
old-school hip hop beats from the early 2000s.[8] Lyrically, the group reflects on their career of the previous nine years and looks forward to the future. The track finds the members weighing up "everything from the accolades that have been bestowed on them over the years, their purpose and their future."[9] It was described as a "feel-good alternative hip-hop track with a medium tempo steering the melody ahead" that features a "chipmunk soul sampling style".[10]
Critical reception
Writing for NME, Rhian Daly awarded the song five out of five stars, praising the track for being "simultaneously tinged with nostalgia and brimming with optimism for the future". Daly pointed out
V's and
Suga's performance on the song.[9]Billboard highlighted the "powerful chorus".[11]Rolling Stone magazine described the single as "a classic BTS blend of sparkling pop and old-school hip-hop that offers a hopeful promise of an even brighter future."[12] Abbie Aitken of
Clash wrote that "Yet To Come" compels listeners to pay close attention to the members words and "emphasize nostalgia surrounding the group and their music."[13]
Consequence included "Yet to Come" on its year-end list of the 'Top 50 Songs of 2022', at number 21, with Mary Siroky writing that the track served as "a loving ode to [the band's] past and a hopeful look towards the future", as its members are "more interested in the business of 'dreams and hope going forward,' a vision they're already making good on since the song's heartfelt release."[14] Other publications who ranked it among the best songs of 2022 include South China Morning Post (14th),[15]Teen Vogue,[16]Esquire,[17] and Tidal.[18]
Commercial performance
In South Korea, "Yet to Come" debuted at number 13 on the Week 24 issue of
Gaon Digital Chart as the highest-charting new entry for the period dated June 5–11.[19] The song also entered the Download and BGM Chart at number 2,[20][21] and number 71 on the Streaming Chart.[22] After that, the song peaked at number 4 on the digital chart[23] and number 7 on the Streaming Chart.[24] In Japan, the single debuted at number 1 on the
Oricon Daily Digital Single Chart with 6,672 copies sold,[25] and number 2 on the Weekly Digital Single chart for the period dated June 6–12, with 13,118 copies sold in total during that time.[26] It debuted at number 5 on the Weekly Streaming Chart with 5,952,112 streams,[27] and peaked at number 1 on its second week with 14,428,730 cumulative streams.[28] The single debuted at number five on the
Billboard Japan Hot 100[29] and at number three on the component Download Songs chart.[30] The song rose to number 1 with 12,435,525 streams on the country's Hot 100 chart the following week.[31][32] In the United States, the song debuted at number 13 on the
Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the
World Digital Song Sales.[33][unreliable source?] Globally, "Yet to Come” charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart with 96.5 million streams and 42,000 sold in territories outside the U.S. on the June 10–16 tracking week. This marks the group's sixth appearance on the chart since the chart was created.[34]
Music video
Background
On June 8, 2022, BTS posted a teaser of the music video.[35] The 35-second teaser shows the members in a desert, with each referencing one of the group's past music videos.[36] The official four-minute music video was released on YouTube on June 10, 2022.[37] On June 18, 2022, BTS shared behind-the-scenes footage of the members filming in a desert outside Las Vegas, where they were seen confronting several problems: the Day One shoot had to be cancelled due to a massive sandstorm.[38][unreliable source?]
An animated video of the single was released on June 20, 2022. It features the group’s avatars from the mobile game BTS Island: In the Seom.[39] On July 12, 2022, BTS released a tribute video that included fan videos from their #MyBTStory
YouTube campaign.[40]
Synopsis
The video begins with
Jungkook making a hand gesture as a reference to the band's Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa On Stage: Prologue video. The camera then zooms in through his fingers to reveal the seven band members seated in a barren desert, in the same order as seen in the 2014 "Just One Day" music video.
Jin is seen in the truck he previously used in "
Run"'s music video, facing the angel statue from "
Blood Sweat & Tears." The old brown piano from
Suga's "First Love" short film also makes an appearance. The blue container trailer that
RM had passed in "Run" is now in front of him, and
J-Hope is standing alongside the train from "
Spring Day" on the dunes. BTS' first chapter ends where it began nine years ago, as the boys stand together in front of the bus. Where
V covered Jin's eyes with his hands in the music video for "Blood Sweat & Tears," six years later, in "Yet to Come," Jin removes his hands to present to V the symbol of BTS' beginning — the yellow school bus from their very first music video, "No More Dream." They don dazzling white clothes that complement their happy looks instead of the dark and heavy makeup they wore nine years before. The septet is back on the bus, seated in the same configuration as in "Spring Day," and ready to head to their next destination, which has not yet been reached.[42]
BTS performed "Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)", together with their B-side track "For Youth", on
Mnet's M Countdown,
KBS2's Music Bank, and
SBS' Inkigayo. It was the first time since their 2020 single, "
On", that the group performed on South Korean music shows.[60] The group, accompanied by
Anderson .Paak on drums, performed the single for their "Proof Live" in celebration of their 9th anniversary on June 13, 2022.[61] On October 8, 2022, they performed "Yet to Come" and "For Youth" at
The Fact Music Awards.[62] BTS performed the single at the "Yet To Come" concert on October 15 in
Busan.[63]
^
abJang, Woo-young (June 30, 2022).
방탄소년단, 'Yet To Come' 9관왕..'엠카' 트리플 크라운 [종합] [BTS, 'Yet To Come' 9 crowns... 'Mcar' triple crown [Comprehensive]]. OSEN (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022 – via Naver.
^주간 인기상 [Weekly Popularity]. Melon (in Korean). Archived from
the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
^Hong, Hye-min (February 18, 2023).
방탄소년단, '써클차트 어워즈' 5관왕...걸그룹 기세도 거셌다 [종합] [BTS won five times at the "Circle Chart Awards". Girl groups were also strong. [Roundup]]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean).
Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Baek, Min-kyung (June 15, 2022).
"방탄소년단, 컴백과 동시에 1위…조유리·원어스 막방 (쇼챔)[종합]" [BTS, 1st Place at the Same Time as the Comeback…Jo Yu-ri·Oneus Goodbye Stage (Show Champion)]. Xportsnews (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
^"방탄소년단, 컴백과 동시 1위…지민 "행복합니다" (엠카)[종합]" [BTS, 1st Place at the Same Time as the Comeback, Jimin Said "I'm Happy" (M Countdown)]. Xports News (in Korean). June 16, 2022.
Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
^Kim, Han-gil (June 23, 2022).
"방탄소년단, '엠카' 1위…임영웅, 상큼 댄스 [종합]" [BTS Won at 'M Countdown'…Lim Young-woong, Refreshing Dance]. TV Daily (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
^Kim, Jin-seok (June 18, 2022).
"방탄소년단, '뮤직뱅크'도 1위… 음악방송 3관왕" [BTS, 'Music Bank' 1st Place Too…Music Program 3 Wins]. JTBC (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
^Han, Hyun-jung (June 24, 2022).
"방탄소년단, '뮤뱅' 상반기 결산까지 1위" [BTS, 'Music Bank' 1st Place Until the End of the First Half]. Star Today (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
^Jung, Ji-won (June 25, 2022).
"방탄소년단, 싸이·임영웅 누르고 '음악중심' 1위" [BTS Beat Psy and Lim Young-woong to Win at 'Music Core']. Joynews24 (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
^Heo, Ji-hyung (June 19, 2022).
"방탄소년단, '인기가요'도 1위…음악방송 4관왕" [BTS, 'Inkigayo' 1st Place Too…Music Program 4 Wins]. Celuv Media (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
^Park, Jeong-min (June 26, 2022).
"'인가' 방탄소년단, 출연 없이 1위…트와이스 나연 솔로 데뷔(종합)" ['Inkigayo' BTS, Won Without Appearance…TWICE Nayeon Solo Debut]. Newsen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
^Park, Dong-jae (June 3, 2022).
방탄소년단(BTS), 새 앨범 'Proof' 발매 후 음방 출연..'Yet To Come' 무대 공개 [BTS appears on music shows after the release of their new album 'Proof'..'Yet To Come' performance]. Break News.
Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.