BTS's J-Hope Was Going To Include "Boy Meets Evil" In PROOF - Here's Why He Chose "DNA (Demo Version)" Instead

In a recent interview with Weverse Magazine, BTS‘s J-Hope discussed what influenced his choices for the PROOF tracklist and his original plans for what he wanted to show ARMY.

At first, he was going to include a demo of “Boy Meets Evil.” Feeling it didn’t differ too much from the final version, he wanted to provide a demo with it’s own unique charms that was different from the original.

We were originally going to include a rough version of “Boy Meets Evil,” but listening to it now, I think, Wouldn’t it just be better to listen to the final recording? The rough version doesn’t really contain any of the charm you usually associate with the word “rough.”

— J-Hope

So instead, I went looking for something that would make ARMY think, You made this? And that’s when I found “DNA.” I listened to it, like, What is this? And then, Wow! (laughs) I was reminded of my process of working on the song.

— J-Hope

Working on the song on his own, he added his unique sound to it, but ultimately decided to not use it.

The way we work, we take anything good any of us has worked on independently and use that, so first I tried making a whole song by myself. I tried working on “DNA” in a style I was capable of but I didn’t like the way it turned out, so I just kept it away in my hard drive for a while.

— J-Hope

Then I ended up coming across it again later on, and it’s definitely my unique sound, so I thought it really shows the raw originality. I thought it would be fun for ARMY to hear that there was a version of “DNA” like this before it was released.

— J-Hope

Since those days when he originally wrote the song, he’s undergone changes as both and artist and a person.

A recent example would be the way all my time abroad has influenced me. You couldn’t pay to have the experiences I’m having now. We put on huge performances, meet all kinds of different artists, and learn about the culture.

— J-Hope

ARMY couldn’t be happier he decided to hold on to the demo and eventually release it to the public: Praised by fans worldwide, the demo has received an abundance of love since it was released!