K-pop supergroup BTS has announced that they will be taking a hiatus from group activities in order to focus on their solo careers during their annual celebration with fans, ARMYs, in light of their 9th debut anniversary.
On Tuesday, the group wrapped up their 2022 "Festa Dinner with BTS" by releasing a video through which they shared a meal and made an important announcement about their future.
The band's leader RM opens up about struggling with BTS' overall identity, saying that he came to the point of not knowing "what kind of story" he should tell the ARMYs.
"Up until ‘ON’ and ‘Dynamite,’ I felt like the group BTS was within my hands. But as we did ‘Butter’ and ‘Permission to Dance,’ I didn’t really know what kind of group we were anymore," RM said.
"For me, it was a big deal that I didn’t know what we were going to do as a group from now on. I don’t know what kind of direction our group has to take," he added.
RM went on to talk about just how hectic and busy idol life was, noting how there was no "time to mature."
"There’s no time for me to grow. Not just in terms of my skills, but as a human. I’m a very different person from who I was 10 years ago, and I need time to think and be on my own, so those thoughts can mature into something uniquely mine," he continued.
"But after spending the past 10 years as BTS, while carrying out our busy schedule together, I can’t mature."
Jimin, meanwhile, quipped that the members are now entering the phase where they "try to find their identities."
"I think we’re just now starting to think about what kind of artist we each want to remembered as by our fans. I think that’s why we’re going through a tough time right now, because we’ve entered a phase where we’re only now trying to find our identities," he said.
Meanwhile, Suga, one of the group’s producers, songwriter, and main rapper, admitted that writing lyrics for the BTS has already become “one of the hardest things” to do.
"The hardest thing is writing lyrics. I can’t think of anything to say. I have to write about things that I personally feel and want to say, but I feel like I’m just forcing things out right now… and that’s so difficult," Suga said.
He also emphasized that they are not disbanding.
Just last week, BTS made their long-awaited comeback with their anthology album “Proof” and its title track “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" in celebration of their ninth anniversary.
The members disclosed they will focus on their solo ventures for the time being.
One of the first members to embark on his solo activities journey is J-Hope who is headlining the 2022 Lollapalooza on July 31.
HYBE clarifies
On the other hand, BTS' agency HYBE clarified that the group will not go on hiatus since they are planning to work on projects both as a group and individually.
"BTS are not taking a hiatus. Members will be focusing more on solo projects at this time," its statement read.
