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Update as of June 14: An official statement from HYBE stated that BTS is not going on a hiatus and will continue with group activities, reported The Associated Press. The septet will only be focusing more of their energy on solo projects. This is irrespective of the word “hiatus” used in the English subtitles of the video.
On June 14, K-pop megastars BTS announced their hiatus during their Real Bangtan Dinner anniversary celebration. The group’s last official break was in December 2021, and they will now be taking a hiatus to focus on solo projects.
The Dynamite artists celebrated their ninth anniversary the day before, on June 13, and treated fans to a massive content storm as part of the celebrations.
At the one-hour-long Festa dinner party, BTS’ leader RM, began the conversation by talking about members needing rest and criticizing the K-pop industry for its pressure on artists to continue releasing music.
The second-eldest member, SUGA, then shared the long-avoided conversation and announced that the group would be going on a hiatus and focusing on solo projects.
K-pop legends BTS take a break as group, will start focusing on releasing solo music
BTS’ promotions for their ninth-year anniversary celebrations, called Festa, were ramped up on multiple levels more than ever before. With Festa arrived the group’s anthology album, consisting of 48 tracks that introduced new ARMYs to old music and gave old ARMYs a taste of nostalgia.
As part of the Festa schedule, a Real Bangtan Dinner was held where members got together, drank alcohol, ate delicious food and gave fans a major update - the history-makers were going on a hiatus.
The members discussed the thought processes behind this decision, their desire to mature, contribute to the world, produce quality music, and develop an individual identity, among other things.
The septet’s leader, RM, wore his heart on his sleeve, talking about his feelings towards the group’s explosive success after their first English single, Dynamite. It was Dynamite that opened the doors to the coveted Grammys for a K-pop group for the first time in history.
Speaking about it, the leader said,
“For me, it was like the group BTS was within my grasp until ON and Dynamite, but after Butter and Permission to Dance, I didn’t know what kind of group we were anymore…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.”
Jimin shared that they are “trying to find their identity,” which can be exhausting. SUGA, one of the group’s songwriters, producers and composers, revealed that lyrics are an important part of songs, but “there’s really nothing to say."
“I have to talk about something that I really feel but right now, I’m just squeezing it out because we have to satisfy people’s wants and the listeners…. Back then, I had something to say but just lacked the skills. Now I don’t have anything to say. I don’t know what to say. There’s no time to think of the messages to say.”
The septet became the face of K-pop years ago when they became the first K-pop group to win a Billboard music award in 2017. The group’s influence has remained unparalleled since then.
Each year, they’ve grown exponentially - from being compared to The Beatles to opening the gates of the mainstream US music industry to K-pop - BTS’ impact goes far and wide beyond South Korea.
The members expressed their desire to find their solo identity and develop as an artist. They shared that they will focus on releasing solo albums rather than mixtapes, starting with j-hope.
Although the Fake Love artists did not reveal when they would be back, V mentioned that whenever they do, as a group, it will be incredible for fans.
“We could focus on our solo work this time and later when we gather together as a group, that synergy will be like no other.”
Meanwhile, the Festa 2022 Dinner Party suggests that Proof was BTS’ last group release, but fans can look forward to j-hope’s solo debut in the future.
