J-Hope took fans behind the scenes of the cover shoot for his debut solo album Jack in the Box on Tuesday (Aug. 9).
“I’m thinking of an album art that also has me in it, and I’m honored to say that art designer KAWS agreed to create a great art cover,” the BTS member says directly to the camera in the video uploaded to the boy band’s official YouTube channel. “It’s a great honor. I’m so happy that I can’t hold it in.” (English translation courtesy of YouTube.)
Partway through the shoot, J-Hope gets a surprise visit from none other than his BTS bandmate Jung Kook, who stops by after having his own picture taken for a graduation ID. After Jung Kook wishes him “good luck,” J-Hope then moves on to his second outfit: the black-and-white checkered suit inspired by an optical illusion that ultimately became the final look for the album cover.
“One of the reasons that I went for this checked pattern is because this album talks about the crossroads of choices,” the rapper explains. “So I thought that instead of showing the image outright, going with black-and-white to offer either one of specific choice gives more clarity.”
Released July 15, the old-school-hip-hop-inspired album bowed at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 as well as No. 5 on the Top Album Sales chart and features singles “MORE” and “Arson.” Following the project’s unveiling, J-Hope made history as the first South Korean artist to ever headline Lollapalooza.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video of J-Hope’s Jack in the Box cover shoot below.
