BTS members continue to thrive in their solo journey
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It’s been 10 months since BTS began its hiatus from group activities as the members needed to take some time off to fulfill their mandatory military service.
Jin, the oldest in the group, was the first member to enlist in the Army in December last year.
Since then, Jin has been sharing his moments in the Army with fans by posting pictures on social media.
Last week, Jin posted a picture of himself in his military uniform with other BTS members J-Hope and Jimin, who had come to pay him a visit.
The next member to begin military duty is J-Hope.
J-Hope announced last month that he will be enlisting soon, as he thinks it would be better to get it done as soon as possible.
Early this month, J-Hope dropped a new single called “on the street” to send out a message to his fans before setting off to the military.
J-Hope assured his fans through the single that he will continue to walk with them.
“On the street” came seven months after his solo debut with the album “Jack in the Box” in July.
He also appeared on the late-night music talk show “The Seasons-Jay Park’s Drive” last week and said, “You guys are my driving force behind making me move, create and present. I'll continue to work hard to remain in your hearts for a long while. I'll be back safe from the military."
Jimin of BTS also awaits a solo debut with his first solo album “Face” on March 24.
According to Big Hit Music, "Face" will be an album that shares Jimin's story of facing himself before embarking on a new journey as a solo artist. With the album, Jimin is set to portray his musical universe and unique talents through his charming vocals and smooth performances.
Jimin will be the fourth member from the septet to come out solo, following J-Hope, Jin and RM.
Meanwhile, RM was featured on Hwang So-yoon's latest single “Smoke Sprite" unveiled on Tuesday. Hwang is a South Korean indie rock band Se So Neon.
In the single, RM shows off his sensual rapping skills to sing about the fine line between dreams and reality.
“Smoke Sprite” follows the release of RM’s solo album “Indigo” which was dropped in December.
With "Indigo," RM became the first K-pop soloist to land at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 as well as the only K-pop soloist ever to reach the top five of the all-genre albums chart.
Suga of BTS is preparing for a world tour to kick off in April.
He will be visiting six different countries starting with the US, where he will perform at Belmont Park on April 26. He will go on to other cities in the US including Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland.
Then, Suga will be moving on to the Asian leg of the tour starting with a gig in Indonesia on May 26 followed by those in Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan.
This is Suga's first tour as a solo artist since his debut in August 2016 with his first album “Agust D.”
Suga is also expected to release a solo album in time for his world tour.
The world tour will likely be his last work before he starts his mandatory military service.
Jungkook of BTS did a livestream to communicate with his fans on Tuesday, during which he shed tears.
He cried from reading supportive fan messages after singing live for around three hours.
“I want you to also be happy without us. You mean a lot to us. When I do live, I feel at peace and happy. I feel more comfortable with you guys than being with my friends,” Jungkook said.
Last but not least, V is currently starring in cable channel tvN’s smash-hit cooking and travel show “Jinny’s Kitchen.”
Besides V, the variety show features South Korean movie stars Lee, Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-joon and Choi Woo-shik.
The star-studded cast sells Korean street foods including gimbap, tteokbokki, Korean-style hot dogs and more in Bacalar, a tropical destination in southern Mexico.
V, joining the series for the first time as an intern, said that he was more than happy to be a part of the “Jinny’s Kitchen” crew.
"Many tasks were waiting for me, and I had to work hard," V said, recalling his duties as an intern.
“I felt grateful to be able to share unforgettable memories with everyone. As part of BTS, I considered myself as someone who couldn’t cook, but I got to be a chef in the series.”
Meanwhile, Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, who is the mastermind behind BTS, told reporters during the Kwanghun Forum on Wednesday that he hopes BTS can make a comeback by 2025 but that it cannot be guaranteed.
“It does not mean that BTS will resume group activities in 2025. I said we all hope that by 2025 they can. So I don’t want it to be seen as a target year. We and BTS will put efforts to make it happen but you need to understand that military service does not work the way we want it to and BTS needs some time to prepare for their comeback as well,” Bang explained.
In regards to the enlistment schedule of remaining BTS members, Bang said he will disclose the dates transparently once they are confirmed.
He was also asked whether BTS plans to renew their contract with Big Hit Music when the current one expires.
“Contract renewal is undecided for now. We still have time left (until the contract ends). We'll discuss (with the members) within the time, and I believe it will be right for us to speak about it after we close the discussion."
By Hong Yoo(yoohong@heraldcorp.com)
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