J-Hope is painting a picture for ARMYs with his latest track, “Mona Lisa.” Corny pun aside, the highly anticipated single has been teased and hinted the entire month of March, keeping fans on their toes. The first Easter egg appeared on March 6, when J-Hope released “Sweet Dreams” featuring Miguel. In the MV, a painting of the Mona Lisa can be seen hanging on his wall, and toward the end, the artwork comes to life unbeknownst to J-Hope as he daydreams. The subtle clue became an even bigger tease when J-Hope surprised ARMYs by performing the unreleased song during the first stop of the North American leg of his Hope on the Street tour. Naturally, fans were gagged. Now that the song is finally available on streaming platforms, it’s time to break it all down.
J-Hope begins the song with the chorus, describing his ideal type while he passionately attempts to pursue her, singing, “I like my girls pretty, so fine / One plus the nine / How you get me goin’, might just blow it / I like my girls pretty in the face / Art piece to frame / Mona, Mona Lisa, yeah, I need ya (I like my girls).”
In the post-chorus, J-Hope compares his crush’s beauty to a painting — specifically the Mona Lisa, suggesting that she’s a true work of art who needs no validation. He emphasizes this with the lyrics, “Lookin’ just like a painting / Don’t need no validation.” J-Hope continues the sentiment from the chorus, reinforcing how her beauty leaves him swooning. He sings, “Pretty, so fine / One plus the nine / How you get me goin’, might just blow it / I like my girls (Uh-huh) / I like my girls (I like, I like) / I like my girls.”
J- Hope sings about his crush as he describes how she’s an independent woman with her own money, singing, “Independent check (Check) / Got her own check (Check).” J-Hope goes on to describe how overwhelmed he is with feelings for her, yet he knows he desperately wants to pursue her. J-Hope sings, “By the way you look / Yeah, you ’bout to cause a wreck / Yeah, she know I’m on the move / I can’t stop, I’m up next / But she hold me down / She’s so sexy, I’m obsessed, yeah.”
Toward the end of the verse, J-Hope tries to persuade his crush to get with him, comparing the next step in their relationship to stepping into the sand. He goes on to express his appreciation for his crush, praising her confidence and bright demeanor. J. Hope sings, “ Toes all in the sand, come and walk with me (Walk, walk) / Love the way you take the stress and Louis off of me (Of me) / ‘Cause she bad and she know it, yeah, that’s all I need / Earring with the diamond match her smile, yeah, she sparklin’ (Yeah).”
In the pre-chorus, J-Hope confesses his investment in wanting a relationship with his crush, regardless of exes or other potential suitors. Yet, he’s not surprised that his crush is attracting so much attention. He sings, Yeah, you got me all in / Bad, bad, bad, I know your exes callin’ / The way you look, I understand the hype / You know you’re just my type / Gotta, gotta, get ya, ’cause you know just what I like.”
I absolutely can’t wait to hear this song live during my tour date!