It's Time To Talk About The Fact That Jungkook Deleted "Decalcomania"

BTS has had an amazing 2021 so far. They’ve released hit singles like “Butter” and “Permission To Dance,” and now, there’s the possibility a mixtape is coming, too. As fans know, the guys enjoy branching out and experimenting with different projects as individuals. While they've all worked on songs outside of BTS, RM, Suga, and J-Hope are the only members who've dropped solo mixtapes. Jungkook has been teasing that he has one in the works for a while, and fans can’t wait to hear it. Since it could drop at any moment, here's everything ARMYs need to know about BTS' Jungkook's mixtape to prepare.

Jungkook first mentioned his mixtape in a May 2018 interview with Buzzfeed, and fans have been waiting patiently (read: anxiously) ever since. But after realizing how long the process would take to create an album alone, he told fans not to expect it any time soon. "I’m not at the level of skill yet where I can release a mixtape on my own. I’ll practice more and try harder," Jungkook explained during a Map of the Soul: Persona press conference in April 2019.

Although Jungkook has confirmed he's still busy working on his solo work, fans still have so many questions about the album's details. If you're curious, here's everything to know about the project.

Jungkook's Mixtape's Progress: It's almost finished.

Following BTS' extended vacation from August to September 2019, Jungkook revealed during a Sept. 27 VLIVE his mixtape was supposed to drop already, but he delayed it. "I’m also working hard, producing. At first, I wanted to share it right after the break ended, but I wasn’t pleased with it," Jungkook said.

The next time he updated fans about his progress was during an "AskAnythingChat" session in November 2019. He teased the album was reaching its final stages, but he still wasn't satisfied with it. "I'm working on it, actually I recorded all the songs but I need to record them again... so I'm trying to release one song first rather than the mixtape," Jungkook said.

Jungkook has been sharing his journey toward completing his mixtape with fans on social media. Every time he comes back with another update, he says he’s one step closer to releasing it. In a July 26 interview with Weverse Magazine, Jungkook said he was working on it just before talking with the publication. He explained that it’s been taking a long time to record because he wants to everything just right. “It’s hard. I could just make it about myself, and then it would be like, I started as a trainee when I was 13, I worked hard, and found success. But anyone could do that,” he explained. “So I keep thinking I want to make up my own original, complex story and write the songs from there.”

Jungkook revealed Billie Eilish’s debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, left a big impact on him and although he would love to create a record that’s just as “cohesive,” he’d be OK if it was all “jumbled up,” too. “These days, rather than focusing on the album’s story as a whole, I’m just going to write whatever it is I want to say in each song. If I get that feeling right after listening to a track, I’ll try and make it. And I’m going to try and make it a little bit light-hearted,” he said.

Jungkook's Music Videos For His Mixtape

In his BE-hind interview on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021, Jungkook got more specific about his mixtape than ever, revealing his vision for the visuals accompanying the new tracks. Jungkook said he envisions the mixtape having three main songs, which he will turn into three videos that each feature a distinct style of dance.

BTS' Quotes About Jungkook's Mixtape

In that same interview, Suga, who revealed he's also got a mixtape coming, offered Jungkook some helpful advice. Suga knows Jungkook can be a perfectionist when it comes to recording songs, so he urged him to just release his already. "I guarantee that if you edit it in that way, you won’t end up releasing it," he said. "Even if you’re going to regret it, you have to release it and then regret it."

Jungkook insisted he wanted his debut solo release to be perfect for fans and that's why he was considering sharing a few songs at a time first. "No no, so rather than calling it a mixtape, I’m planning on releasing the songs one after another within a short time frame," he explained.

In an April 25 livestream, Suga said he's heard Jungkook's mixtape and told fans it will definitely be worth the wait. "For the people who wait, there’s going to be a big blessing. It will come," he teased.

A Sneak Peek Of Jungkook's Mixtape

Jungkook gave fans a first taste of his record on Aug. 31. 2019 — a day before his birthday on Sept. 1 — when he gifted fans with a preview of an original song called "Decalcomania." Fans were surprised to hear Jungkook singing entirely in English on the track. Even though the teaser was only about a minute long, ARMYs already fell in love with the song. The lyrics hinted it was going to be about Jungkook showing different sides of himself. “Do you even see me, do you know who I am, or how do I look now?” he sings on the track.

"This... please look forward to it," Jungkook teased.

Two years after giving fans a sneak peek of the song, Jungkook still hasn’t dropped the full version. During BTS’ Zoom fan meeting on Aug. 9, he revealed he actually deleted the file for "Decalcomania," making fans wonder if he would ever release the official track. According to a translation by @btsbaragi_jk on Twitter, the conversation surrounding his song began when J-Hope noticed all the comments mentioned "Decalcomania.”

“Do you still have the file? Did it get disassembled?” J-Hope asked Jungkook. “No, no it’s in my head. I can just make it again,” Jungkook replied, reassuring ARMYs the track isn’t deleted forever, which means there’s still a chance fans can get the official version of the song one day.

Watch Jungkook discuss "Decalcomania” below.

Jungkook's Mixtape's Release Date

Jungkook hasn't given fans an exact timeline for when his solo project will drop. His mixtape has been two years in the making, so ARMYs' expectations are definitely high. Fans hope it arrives sometime this year, but they'll understand if Jungkook decides to release it later on in order to get it just right, especially because in a November 2020 letter to fans, he revealed the project is still not at the place he wants it to be.

"The mixtape seems to be constantly delaying as each day goes. I want to keep perfecting it. I'm really sorry. I'll try do it as soon as I can. Still, as you guys constantly keep waiting for it and supporting it. It gives me a lot of strength and makes my heart beat," Jungkook wrote in his thank you note to ARMYs as part of the BTS BE album.

On the same day, he also admitted "Stay" was supposed to be the final track on his mixtape, but in the end, he put it on BTS' BE album. If "Stay" is anything to go by, Jungkook's mixtape is going to be amazing.

In his July 24 interview with Weverse, Jungkook revealed his progress on his mixtape is coming along nicely. “I’ll do my best to release it as soon as possible,” he said.

Because RM and J-Hope released their mixtapes when fans least expected, Jungkook's can literally come any day, so fans just need to be prepared for anything.