Singer and rapper B.I’s latest album “To Die For” is both an ode to the undying passion within himself as an artist as well as a sincere letter of apology he wants to send to everyone who has been disappointed by his past misdeeds.

“I truly don’t think there has been, or ever will be, a day that I’ve forgotten what I did wrong,” he told reporters in a showcase held on Thursday in western Seoul for his new music.

“I am so sorry to have disappointed everyone due to my wrong decisions and misjudgments. I am sorry for causing trouble. I don’t think I’ve actually properly said this, so I wanted to take a chance to extend my sincere apology to everyone — the press, the public, the fans and everyone else.”

B.I debuted in 2015 as a member of boy band iKON and left the group in 2019 after it was revealed that he purchased illegal drugs. The rapper was handed a suspended prison sentence of four years in September 2021, meaning that he’s on probation until 2025.

After leaving iKON, he has been releasing his own music and proving himself as an able soloist, seeing success with tracks such as "Cosmos" (2021), "illa illa" (2021) and "Keep me up" (2022).

“To Die For” comes as his second full-length album, exactly two years since his first full-length album "Waterfall" was rolled out on June 1, 2021.

It is a 15-track album with double lead tracks "Die for love" featuring rapper Jessi and "Dare to Love" featuring rapper BIG Naughty. "Dare to Love" was performed for the first time during the 2023 Daegu Hiphop Festival on May 7 and will be recorded as an official song for the upcoming album.

The album has been made in a unique manner where the lead tracks aren’t accompanied by the standard 3-to-5-minute long music videos, but nine tracks from the album are explained in a 1-minute special “Episode film” format that follows through a narrative of a young couple falling into a toxic relationship.

Each episode follows the story of how two people fall in love, get into trouble and try their best to handle it. The whole idea comes from his take on the idea of youth, which itself is a body of resistance and rebellion, according to B.I.

“I think if you look back on your youth, you only remember certain parts of certain memories, like short films,” he said. “I wanted to get across that segmented vibe for the whole album, which is why my way of giving another dimension to the idea of youth.”

He added, “There was a part of me that wanted to deviate from the given path for this album. I think that’s how I came up with the whole idea.”

The rapper repeatedly apologized and expressed his regret when asked by reporters about how much he has repented, mentioning the “uncomfortable and displeased opinions people have” of him. Nevertheless, he has a growing a fan base overseas where the idea of using illegal drugs is not as frowned upon as it is in Korea.

“I want to thank them so much, the overseas fans,” he said. “I myself am the most curious when it comes to why they love me and like me so much. What did I ever do to deserve such unconditional love? I’m always sincere but I’m not sure if I properly get that all across to them. I’m still not sure why people love me but I’m trying my best to repay that love and find the answer.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]