Do you hear that? It’s the collective wail of millions of fangirls around the world processing the news that the wildly popular Korean boyband BTS is taking a hiatus to pursue solo projects.
The K-pop sensation announced their indefinite break on Tuesday during the FESTA dinner video celebrating their ninth anniversary as a band. In the refreshingly candid hour-long video, the septet got emotional about their difficult decision. Between sips of soju and spoonfuls of noodles, they explained that after nearly a decade together, they feel like they have lost their direction as a group and need time apart to shape their individual identities.
“I’ve always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature,” said group member RM, speaking out against the South Korean star-making machine. “You have to keep producing music and keep doing something. After I get up in the morning and get my makeup done, there’s no time left for growth.”
RM went on to share that as the main songwriter, rapper, and English-speaking representative for BTS, he has been pigeon-holed and lost sight of the message he wants to convey through his music. “I have a lot of things to say as an individual, but nothing as a group,” he explained. Suga echoed his bandmate’s sentiments, detailing how painful and exhausting it has become to churn out lyrics to please fans rather than to reflect their own points of view.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter erupted with responses ranging from lamentations of heartbreak to declarations of support. “Two hours into BTS hiatus the walls are starting to sound like Jimin’s giggles,” one person wrote (I hope!) jokingly.
“I don’t think I’m crying because of the hiatus,” tweeted one fan. “I think I’m crying out of sadness because these people who have shown me so much love, who have provided me with a safe space to rest, are so afraid of disappointing us they shed tears just to announce they needed rest too.”
If this seems a tad dramatic, know that I too was brought to tears by the video, and my interest in BTS does not extend much beyond being jealous of V’s bone structure. Although, I could be experiencing PTSD from when I tragically learned of One Direction’s “hiatus” in the middle of a Psych 101 lecture in 2015.
There are also plenty of poor, naive ARMY members who are still in the denial stage. “I'm sure BTS hiatus won't be that long we always overreact about things like when they had their first break in 2019 and the whole [timeline] had a mental breakdown,” reads a tweet from one such fan.
Listen, I’ve been there. (See aforementioned One Direction anecdote.) The abandonment of rational thought comes with the territory of stanning a boyband.
It’s true that the “Dynamite” singers have taken brief hiatuses before, in 2019 and 2021. This time, however, their explanation feels meaningfully different. While in the past, they took a couple of months off to unwind, now they are experiencing something of an identity crisis.
“I think now, finally, we’ve come to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered as to our fans,” Jimin said in the FESTA video. “I think that’s why we’re going through a rough patch right now. We’re trying to find our identity and that’s an exhausting and long process.”
It’s not all bad news, though. The BTS ARMY can rest assured that they will continue to hear from their faves as solo artists. In the video, J-Hope and Suga confirmed that they will be releasing solo music, and Jungkook also revealed tentative plans for his own album. Though there’s no timeline for the projects at this stage, J-Hope will be performing solo at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago next month.
“We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things,” Jungkook said, addressing the fans. “We promise we will return someday even more mature than we are now.”
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will be watching BTS’ delightful James-Bond-inspired 2022 Grammys performance on repeat for the rest of the day.
