SEOUL — K-pop megastars BTS told fans they were taking a
break from the super group to focus on their solo careers, citing exhaustion
and the pressures of stratospheric success in an emotional video appearance.
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But the Grammy-nominated septet's label HYBE
pushed back on Wednesday as their share price went into freefall, telling AFP
that the pop juggernaut would still be working together.
The seven members of BTS, credited with
generating billions of dollars for the South Korean economy, dropped the
bombshell on Tuesday, telling fans that they were "exhausted" and
needed time apart.
"We're going into an off phase
now," said Suga, 29, speaking Korean to his bandmates at a group dinner, a
video of which was posted to the group's official YouTube channel.
The clip included English subtitles, which
used the word "hiatus", but HYBE quickly disputed that, saying group
activities would not be suspended.
"They will be doing team and individual
projects simultaneously," a representative for the label, whose share
price was down 27 percent early Wednesday, told AFP.
In the video, RM, 27, said they were
"exhausted" and that they "didn't know what kind of group we
were anymore”.
"The problem with K-pop and the whole
idol system is that they don't give you time to mature," he said,
referring to South Korea's notoriously hard-driving music business model.
"Somehow, it's become my job to be a
rapping machine," he said, adding that this made him feel
"trapped".
"I wanted to shed that for a little
bit, but the world wouldn't let me be."
Jimin, 26, said the members are "slowly
trying to figure things out now".
"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."
'Overwhelming'
By the end of the dinner, several of the
members of the group behind "Dynamite" and "Butter" had
grown tearful as they voiced gratitude for their supporters, a fandom known
online as the "ARMY".
J-Hope, 28, said the group "should
spend some time apart to learn how to be one again".
"I hope you don't see this is a
negative thing," the artist implored fans. "And see that it's a
healthy plan".
"It's not that we're disbanding — we're
just living apart for a while," said Suga.
Jungkook, 24, said, "we promise we will
return someday even more mature than we are now", and asked for the
"blessing" of fans.
ARMY's online reaction was tearful but
supportive, with tens of thousands of comments quickly posted under the YouTube
video.
"I can't imagine how much pressure they
felt these latest years. Being called the biggest band in the world, having all
that responsibility... must be overwhelming," one fan wrote.
"I really love how honest they are
here," wrote another.
"They are also people like us. They get
exhausted and worn out. They deserve to rest and enjoy what they love to
do," the commenter added.
BTS has said they were going on short breaks
before, first in 2019 and later in December 2021.
The news comes just days after the group
released "Proof", an anthology album that included a new single,
"Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)".
J-Hope, who is slated to headline Chicago's
Lollapalooza on his own later this summer, said in the clip that time apart
could help BTS "become a stronger group".
'Confusing'
BTS's label enjoyed a surge in profits
despite holding fewer concerts during the pandemic.
But their messaging around the band's next
steps was "confusing" and "not clear", Lee Moon-won, a
K-pop culture commentator, told AFP.
"It appears what they meant is BTS will
continue their 'supplementary' group activities (such as on YouTube) while
pursuing solo careers," he said, while not releasing music as a band.
"It would have been more appropriate
had the label first issued a statement clearly detailing what it would
mean," Lee said, adding that it was a bad decision to have the band
announce the development, which was sure to send fans into a tailspin.
BTS are the first all-South Korean act to
reign over Billboard's US top singles chart, a milestone they achieved with
"Dynamite", the first BTS song sung completely in English.
They're also one of few acts since The
Beatles to release four albums that hit number one stateside in less than two
years.
The group has twice been nominated for a
Grammy but has yet to win.
BTS recently made headlines for visiting the
White House to deliver a message to President Joe Biden on the fight against
anti-Asian racism.
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