The biggest of all K-pop groups is taking an undated hiatus. The seven members of BTS want to concentrate on solo projects for the time being. They announced the news on Tuesday night (June 14) at one of their annual founding anniversary dinners.
The disadvantage of being famous
However, the fact that the South Koreans want to move into solo territory from now on does not seem to be the only reason for the break. Frontman RM explained that he always thought that BTS was different from other groups. “But I didn’t know what kind of band we were anymore,” says the 27-year-old. According to him, their careers in the K-Pop machine, which is considered uncompromising, also left little room for personal development for the young men: “The system of the K-Pop idol doesn’t give you time to mature,” says the artist. He continued: “You don’t have time to keep growing because you still have to produce something.” His colleague Jimin spoke of “exhaustion”.
The third break in three years
As early as 2019 and in December last year, their management had announced that the musicians would be taking a short break. It was the first time since the debut in 2013 that the seven singers would spend the holiday season with their families, it said six months ago. The words that have now been published probably indicate a longer sabbatical. To reassure her followers, the youngest member of the septet, Jungkook, said: “We promise we’ll be back one day”.
After hits like “Dynamite” and “Permission to Dance”, millions of teenagers around the world fell in love with the seven singers and dancers. At the American Music Awards in November 2021, the pop stars scooped up three trophies, including the grand prize for artist of the year. Her fame took her to the Oscars stage and even to the White House: she used the audience with Joe Biden in early June to denounce racism against people of Asian descent.