K-pop superstars BTS have announced that they will be taking time off to work on solo projects, but the group members, including J-Hope, who will co-star Lollapalooza, were in tears during the announcement. surprise.
The seven members, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, who are credited with generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the bombshell on their official YouTube channel.
“We’re going to take a break now,” Suga said about 20 minutes into the clip, where the band made candid remarks about the struggles they were having, despite the recent success of hits like Butter, Permission to Dance and the world hit Dynamite. .
The most shocking comments came from rapper RM and singer and dancer Park Ji-Min, who both said the group was exhausted and struggling.
Band member RM aka Rap Monster said that after the band’s latest singles, he “didn’t know what kind of band we were anymore”, later adding that the band members were “exhausted”.
The group, which is the first all-South Korean group to reign on Billboard’s US Top Singles chart, was celebrating the ninth anniversary of its first release.
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Jimin, 26, said the members are “starting to think about what kind of artists we each want our fans to remember.”
At the end of their annual “FESTA” dinner, the band members cried as they said thanks to their supporters, known online as “ARMY” – a fan base of more than 40 million.
J-Hope, 28, said the group “should spend some time apart to learn how to be one again”.
“I hope you don’t see that it’s a negative thing,” the artist implored. “And see that’s a sound plan.”
Is this the end? Or a break for BTS?
BTS said they took short breaks before, first in 2019 and later in December 2021.
But the video suggests that is not the case.
“It’s not that we’re breaking up – we’re just living apart for a while,” Suga said.
The group spoke in Korean, and the word “hiatus” was used in the video’s English subtitles.
A statement from Hybe, the entertainment company behind BTS, said they would always work on projects as a group, as well as individually.
Jungkook said, “We promise that someday we will come back even more mature than we are now,” and asked for the fans’ “blessing.”
J-Hope said in the clip that time apart could help BTS “become a stronger group” and that time was “important…for BTS’s second chapter.”
ARMY fan reaction
The announcement rocked ARMY members
Vanessa Madden manages the BTS Australia fan account on Twitter.
She says the group is relatable and inspiring to young people.
“A lot of emotions that we feel especially through puberty and all that big changes in our lives, their songs and messages are a huge comfort. Their genuine kindness and we got to see their struggles and hard work and determination,” Ms Madden said.
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BTS was planning a world tour before COVID hit which could have included Australia. It’s now unlikely to happen and it’s a blow to fans who may never see their idols perform in groups again.
But Ms Madden says true fans will understand.
“Me and all the other ARMYs around the world, we just want them to be happy,” she said.
On Twitter, fans were quick to share their grief at the announcement.
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“Namjoon you are the best leader ever and our love for you will never change,” one fan tweeted.
“Dear BTS, I can’t stop crying,” one person shared, “tears of sadness and happiness.”
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“I will wait for the day when you come back as one,” said another fan.
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“I can’t. I broke down,” tweeted another. “I’m still streaming, but I’m crying at the same time.”
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The Late Show tweeted “ARMY FOREVER” after the announcement. BTS performed on the show with Stephen Colbert in 2021.
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BTS records
The news comes just days after the band released Proof, an anthology album that included a new single, Yet To Come.
Launched in 2013, initially as a hip-hop group when many members were teenagers, they dominated the South Korean K-pop scene, but their biggest hits have come outside of the country.
The group became one of the few groups since the Beatles to have four number one albums in the United States in less than two years, began selling out arenas and, by 2018, were performing at award nights in music in the United States and Saturday Night Live.
V even made a name for himself at this year’s Grammy’s thanks to a flirtatious appearance with American singer Olivia Rodrigo during a theatrical performance of Butter.
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The group recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly and traveled to the White House to deliver a message on combating anti-Asian racism.
Suga called for tolerance, saying, “It’s okay to be different. I think equality starts when we open up and accept all of our differences.”
AFP/ABC
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