"Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" is a song by South Korean boy band BTS, 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
On May 6, 2022, the group announced the song and unveiled the artwork. 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. The song was announced as one of three new tracks on the anthology album Proof. 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.
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 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. 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. 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." 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".
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. Billboard highlighted the "powerful chorus". 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." 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."
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."