More solo projects: South Korean boy band BTS is taking a break

It’s not the first time that the seven musicians from BTS have retired for a while. But this time the break seems to last longer.

On Tuesday evening (local time), the popular boy band released a YouTube video showing them at their annual “Festa” dinner marking the band’s founding anniversary. You are now taking “a break,” announced the 29-year-old rapper Suga. Bandleader RM added that he always thought BTS was different from other bands. “But I didn’t know what kind of band we were anymore.”

The announcement came as a surprise to many fans, who commented on the video both disappointed and appreciative of the decision made by RM, J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, Suga and V. “We promise we’ll be there one day back,” said 24-year-old Jungkook.

The joint dinner took place on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the founding of BTS. The band had stormed the charts with hits like “Dynamite” and “Permission to Dance”. At the American Music Awards in November 2021, the pop stars scooped up three trophies, including the grand prize for artist of the year.

“The K-pop idol system doesn’t give you time to mature,” RM said. “You don’t have time to grow because you still have to produce something.” He has the impression that it has now become his job to be “a rap machine”. His colleague Jimin also spoke of “exhaustion”.

BTS are considered to be the biggest stars in the K-pop industry right now. According to RM, he and his colleagues want to present solo albums first. Jin, 29, also expressed interest in an acting career.

The BTS management had already announced a short break for the musicians in December. It was the first time since the band debuted in 2013 that the seven singers would spend the holiday season with their families, it said at the time. During the break, BTS wanted to prepare for concerts and a new album that should herald a “new chapter”.

The boy band recently released their anthology album »Proof«, which includes the new single »Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)«.

Identity crisis at BTS: The most successful K-Pop band needs a break

It’s news that will shock millions of fans around the world!

For twelve years, BTS was the most successful K-pop band in the world – now the seven singers are in a crisis of meaning and need a break. Singer RM (27, real name: Kim Nam-joon) no longer knows “what kind of band we are”. Also, the musicians are “exhausted,” RM said at the band’s annual birthday dinner.

It sounds like the South Koreans feel trapped in the hardcore K-pop industry, where the band members’ public image is meticulously planned down to the last detail. “I always thought BTS was different from other groups,” RM said. “But the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you the time to mature.”

That’s another reason why the BTS members (“Bangtan Sonyeondan” or in German: “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”) want to devote themselves to solo projects for the time being.

RM: “You have to keep making music and doing something. I’ve changed as a person over the past ten years, so I needed to think and have time to myself.” His bandmate Jimin, 26, says, “We’re starting to think about what kind of artists we are remembered as by our fans want to be kept.”