K-pop supergroup BTS asked for their fans’ blessing as they announced their indefinite hiatus during their ninth-anniversary event on Tuesday.
During the #2022BTSFESTA event, an annual celebration with their fandom also known as ARMY, the members opened up about new directions amid admission of how they’ve changed as a group.
Leader RM revealed that they no longer knew the “story and message” they wanted to tell fans through their songs and were uncertain of their identity as a group, particularly after the successive hits Butter and Permission To Dance over the pandemic.
“I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something… there’s no time left for growth,” RM said as he expressed a desire to pause and rediscover “why I am here,” “who the members are to me” and “what path we’re going to take as a group.”
He further said, “For me, it was a big deal that I didn’t know what we’re going to do as a group from now on. I don’t know what kind of direction our group has to take.”
“But right now, we’ve lost our direction and I just want to take some time to think and then return,” he added.
RM felt though that this move might “be rude to our fans” and disappoint them because they’re not “living up to their expectations.”
Nevertheless, V said he believes their fans wouldn’t think of them that way. “They know our sincerity. I think 90 percent of our fans would root for us, no matter what kind of music or what kind of direction we choose,” he said.
Jimin noted that at this point, they’re trying to slowly figure things out.
“We can’t help but think of our fans no matter what… I think now, finally, we’ve come to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered by our fans,” he said.
“I think that’s why we’re going through a rough patch right now, we’re trying to find our identity, and that’s an exhausting and long process,” Jimin added.
Suga, for his part, noted how it’s been a tough time for them to even just write the lyrics these days. “It was always painful trying to squeeze out ideas,” he said.
Jin said he’s been feeling like a machine but “I have my own hobbies, too. And other things I want to do on my own.”
They agreed that they needed the time to calm down because they’ve been racing ahead.
As for J-Hope, he believes “change is what we need right now” to start the band’s “second chapter.”
“I hope you don’t see this as a negative thing and see that it’s a healthy plan,” J-Hope addressed the ARMYs.
They also stressed that they’re not disbanding but just “living apart for a while.” They also looked back on happy memories of living together, saying that they treated each other “more family than friends.”
During this break, the members disclosed that they will concentrate on their solo endeavors. Some of them have started learning other things to expand their identities as artists.
In the end, they are hoping for the support of the ARMYs, often dubbed as the world’s most powerful fandom.
Jungkook, in particular, asked for the fans’ blessing for their decision to explore other things outside BTS.
“We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday, even more mature than we are now. So, I just hope that you could give us your blessing. That’s what I hope for,” Jungkook added.
“We will be a better version of us.”
The seven-member group just celebrated their ninth anniversary last June 13. The first Asian band to win Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards also just released their new anthology album titled Proof. They also recently met US President Joe Biden at the White House to call attention to hate crimes targeting Asians.
