It was released on August 24, 2018, by Big Hit Entertainment as the lead single from the band's third compilation album Love Yourself: Answer (2018).
[9][10] Several celebrities joined the challenge, including B.A.P member Zelo and Stephen "tWitch" Boss of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
[11] As described by Billboard's Tamar Herman, "Idol" is a "traditionally inspired track" featuring different classical Korean instruments.
[12] According to media outlets, the song and the music video were inspired by Korean genre pansori and John Woo's 1997 movie Face/Off.
[14] Rolling Stone India said, "According to the group's label Big Hit Entertainment, "Idol" was inspired by gqom, a style of house music that originated in Durban, South Africa.
[17] One of the writers, Ali Tamposi, stated the rep from Big Hit wanted the song to feel intense.
Mostly identical to the original music video, it includes additional scenes of Minaj rapping her part while a Korean transliteration of the lyrics appears onscreen behind her.
The video ends with various clips of the band's fans dancing the song's choreography as part of the "Idol Challenge".
[62] During the European leg of their Love Yourself World Tour, the group guested on the October 12 episode of The Graham Norton Show and performed the song.
[63] In January 2019, Mattel announced a collaboration with BTS that included the creation of a line of dolls modeled after the band's outfits from the "Idol" music video.