K-POP – In a video, the South Korean boy band admits to being “exhausted” and “going through a hard time,” but that they will return “a stronger bunch.”
Published 15 June 2022
K-pop icons BTS announce hiatus – video
K-POP –
The seven “exhausted” members of the K-pop supergroup BTS have announced that they will leave the group to pursue solo careers.
The internationally famous musicians, who are credited with producing billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, revealed the news during their live-streamed annual dinner on Tuesday night, as part of a celebration marking their 10-year anniversary as a group.
Suga, 29, said approximately 20 minutes into the video, which was broadcast on the group’s official YouTube site, “We’re going on a hiatus now.”
K-POP –
However, Hybe, the band’s management organization, later stated that the band would not be taking a break and will continue to work on projects as a group as well as individually.
BTS isn’t on hiatus. The statement indicated members will focus on solo projects, but gave no details. Army, BTS’s fans, flooded social media with solidarity. One fan told Yonhap: “I just want to embrace them.”
Another added, “I’ve waited a long time for this, but not today.” BTS will remain with Army like a tattoo.” A fan called it “courageous.”
It takes bravery to leave a location where you have everything to challenge yourself and grow, she remarked. “BTS teaches me another lesson.”
J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jungkook, V, Jin, and Jimin spoke in Korean at Tuesday’s dinner, with English subtitles.
RM, 27, stated he “didn’t know what kind of group we were” following BTS’s previous few singles, adding that the guys were “exhausted.” “BTS is unique,” he said. K-pop and the idol system don’t let you mature.
Some K-pop fans speculated that military duty was a factor. Jin, the group’s oldest member, will join the army at the end of the year.
The national assembly is debating a legislative reform to exempt persons who boost South Korea’s worldwide standing.
The law is unlikely to succeed due to opposition from men in their 20s, a major proportion of whom voted for Yoon Suk-yeol.
Jimin, 26, stated the members are “slowly figuring things out” and “thinking about how we want to be remembered by our fans”
We’re trying to find our identity, which is hard and time-consuming, he said. Several members of the group behind Dynamite and Butter cried as they thanked their fans.
J-Hope, 28, stated the duo “should take time apart to reunite.” The artist asked supporters not to interpret this as negative. “Make sure it’s healthy”
Suga said this wasn’t a breakup. “We’re not disbanding, just living apart” Jungkook, 24, promised to return “much more mature” and pleaded for fans’ “favor.”
BTS has announced short breaks in 2019 and 2021. The group recently released Proof, an anthology CD including a new track, Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment).
J-Hope claimed the time apart was “essential… for BTS’ second chapter.” The singer will headline Chicago’s Lollapalooza on his own later this summer.
Band that has broken all kinds of records
Despite holding fewer performances, BTS’s label saw a spike in income during the pandemic. The septet is the first all-South Korean group to top Billboard’s US singles chart, a feat they accomplished with Dynamite, the first BTS song entirely in English.
They’re also one of the few acts since The Beatles to have four number one albums in the United States in less than two years. The band has been nominated for a Grammy twice but has never won.
BTS made waves recently for paying a visit to the White House to deliver a message to Vice President Joe Biden about the fight against anti-Asian bigotry.
BTS at White House Press Briefing
Before meeting Biden, the floppy-haired celebs joined White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the briefing room podium, dressed in matching dark suits and ties with white shirts.
“It’s not wrong to be different,” Suga said, appealing for tolerance. I believe that equality begins when we embrace all of our uniqueness.”
BTS was recognized by the White House as “young ambassadors who disseminate a message of hope and positivity around the world.”
