Among the things Jin, real name Kim Seokjin, loves most in this world are Coldplay’s music, his certified “worldwide handsome” status, and most importantly, being a member of BTS. Even in a group known for its exceptional fan closeness, his attention to the ARMY’s feelings is particularly intense – he saw his solo EPs and shows primarily as a way to keep fans engaged during the group’s hiatus, and he pushed to expand the BTS tour. He’s also the group’s designated rocker and has even worked with Coldplay – although he hasn’t been able to see as many bands live as he would have liked. “To be honest, I haven’t been to many concerts,” he says in a February interview at Hybe’s Seoul headquarters. “Even though I’ve given so many myself.”
I really love your solo song “Loser”.
For the song, I collaborated with a Korean artist named Choi Yena. I’m 35 now [nach dem traditionellen koreanischen Alterssystem – international entspricht das 33]. But for this song I wanted to create a younger vibe. I’m very pleased that you like it.
I generally lean towards rock-related genres and have always wanted to bring that sound into a solo album. That’s why this time I expressed more wishes than usual. In the early stages, the song didn’t sound intense enough, so I asked things like: “What if we increase the screaming part – what if we change the sound?” I made a lot of adjustments.
How do you feel about still being an idol at 35? You look very young, feel good – but how do you reconcile that in your head?
Of course, it’s always physically demanding. It’s true that some movements feel a little harder now – but that’s my burden to bear. I have to show my best side in front of the audience. So I have to work harder. To be honest, I know that I don’t move quite as smoothly as the other members. That’s why I always came to practice earlier or stayed late to catch up. I still do it that way.
But still good looking. I have to say that.
Yes, I guess I was lucky. I do think I look better than the other members. Even if everyone looks very good. I should have at least one thing that I’m the best at in the group [lächelt].
Your solo show had rock energy and a new approach – it was very different from what you do with BTS. How did this experience influence both the creation of the album and the upcoming BTS tour?
I was only on tour with the band for a few months. With BTS, however, over a decade. I don’t think band experience will make much of a difference. The group has made music together and played together for over ten years. I think we’ll get back into our touring harmony without any major problems. All the members really want to go on tour again – they’ve held on with gritted teeth. It was hard for me to keep up, but I’m doing my best.
You completed your solo show during the writing process for the album. “Arirang” is great – but imagine how much better it would be if it had a few more songwriting credits from you on it!
[Lächelt.] I think it would have actually been better. But the other members did a fantastic job. Also, if I had been greedy and focused the entire session solely on including my own songs, this interview wouldn’t happen for a few months. Wouldn’t the fans be too bored in the meantime? The recording was planned about three months in advance, and my tour even earlier. The schedule just didn’t work out.
I feel like your rock music has influenced the others, even if you weren’t there when it was written. I feel that the album takes those rock elements that you love and uses them so convincingly.
I don’t know if the album has too many rock elements. After all, our group has always had a hip-hop basis. The other members like rock music too, but I’m the biggest fan. That’s why my solo album has a rock approach. I can’t say whether that had a major influence beyond that.
On the sidelines, especially in the second half, I hear the rock.
If there’s anything… the others saw me at my concert and kept telling me that they wanted to perform too. So if I influenced anything, it might be like this: My concert awakened such a longing in them and gave them a little impulse. That might have had a small effect. V once appeared as a guest at my concert. And when he saw me on stage, he was overcome with such longing that he burst into tears on stage.
Favorite rock song of all time
What is your favorite rock song of all time?
I would say my favorite is “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. I attended her concert twice as a guest. I really wanted to see this song, even though it wasn’t until much later. I remember jumping backstage alone while listening to the song… There are of course other great songs, some very well known ones, but this song is special to me. When I see this stage I feel my heart beating faster. It has such a stirring, emotional quality. It’s the kind of song that always gives me new inspiration. These feelings were on my mind a lot when I was making my solo album.
Being the oldest in the band comes with a certain amount of responsibility. What do you like – and what don’t you like – about this role?
I’m the oldest, but within the team the members don’t really treat me… like the oldest? Does that sound strange? I don’t think they think in those terms. And I don’t act like that either. But when they approach me in a friendly way, call me brother and treat me at ease – that’s what I value most. The opposite of that is that I don’t like it when they get too loose. For example, when they slap my butt. This is probably my least favorite part [lacht].
By the way: 35 is very young.
Yes, I know, I know. But I noticed: There is definitely a difference between 25 and 35.
Oldest in the band
And you’re always the first in the band to experience it.
You are absolutely right. Let me tell you what a member once told me. He said, “Jin, if you have difficulty, you can just try harder and overcome it!” – and he’s about two or three years younger than me. Two or three years later he came to me and said, “Wow, did you feel that bad at that age? I had no idea.”
Her role in the Korean variety show “Kian’s Bizarre B&B” was a huge success – everyone loved her. How does this influence your idea of possible career paths?
I always thought that there was no reason to continue if it wasn’t with the group. A solo career is just not that important to me. If I were to do anything it would be… try something different within the group when the fans are bored. I’m not interested in acting or anything like that.
Have you finally let go of this thought? He was always somehow floating in the air.
I haven’t seriously considered this possibility in years. I think I figured the timing would never be right. And I’m pretty convinced it won’t fit for a very long time.
What is your greatest personal wish for the next five years?
My biggest dream was to go on tour with BTS and meet as many fans as possible from all over the world. However, when we initially got our tour plans, there were very few stops planned and the tour was only supposed to last about three to four months. I said, “Now that we’re back, we promised so many people that we would come and meet them – I feel like we’re breaking that promise. I’d like to restructure this tour so that we hit more cities than we have before.” This is how we came to the final tour plan. We were able to expand a four-month tour into over a year.
