KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 -- Jin of K-pop group BTS will release his second solo album, Echo, on May 16, his agency BigHit Music announced yesterday.

The seven-track EP will be released at 1pm KST (12pm Malaysian time), marking Jin's first solo release since Happy in November.

According to Yonhap, BigHit said the earlier-than-expected release reflects the artist's wish to stay closely connected with fans.

"This album was prepared with the intention of giving fans more frequent updates," the agency said in a statement.

To promote Echo, a video message was unveiled yesterday on the K-pop Square screen at the COEX exhibition centre in southern Seoul.

The message will be displayed every 30 minutes from 6am to 11.30pm daily until Saturday. ...