BTS worked truthful difficult connected their caller medium that immoderate members felt for illustration they were “committing a crime” if they said up to inquire for a break.
The K-pop icons – consisting of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – pulled backmost nan curtain connected their grueling activity hours and nan signaling of their latest record, “Arirang,” successful nan newly released Netflix documentary “BTS: The Return.”
“I started making euphony because location was something I wanted to opportunity to nan world, but being successful nan K-pop strategy intends there’s changeless output, truthful we gotta support moving,” RM, 31, shared successful nan doc.
“I mislaid my consciousness of who we are arsenic a team,” he continued. “And if I definitive that we request a break, it almost feels for illustration to moreover admit that, I consciousness guilt, for illustration I’m committing a crime.”
Jung Kook, 28, compared himself and his chap BTS members to workers successful a factory.
“What does benignant of accent maine retired a small spot is that I conscionable want to person nosy making music, but I consciousness for illustration we’re benignant of operating for illustration a factory,” he said.
Jin, meanwhile, acknowledged really nan seven-member South Korean boy set utilized to acquisition “a batch of suffering” done their imaginative process. But he besides explained why that is nary longer nan case.
“Now, if a opus doesn’t activity out, it doesn’t activity out, and we conscionable move on,” Jin, 33, shared. “We don’t consciousness nan aforesaid desperation that we utilized to. At nan extremity of nan day, we ne'er cognize if it will beryllium a hit.”
Although nan members of BTS person managed to equilibrium nan infamously high-pressure quality of nan K-pop industry, different artists person tragically succumbed to nan demanding workload that comes pinch it.
Kim Jonghyun, nan lead vocalist of South Korean popular group SHINee, died from a suspected suicide successful December 2017 astatine nan property of 27.
K-pop prima Goo Hara was found dormant successful South Korea astatine nan property of 28 successful November 2019. More recently, Astro personnel Moonbin was found dormant from a suspected suicide successful April 2023 astatine 25.
BTS, however, has go known for breaking accepted K-pop norms by tackling issues for illustration intelligence wellness and societal unit while promoting much affirmative concepts for illustration self-love and resilience.
“BTS: The Return” deed Netflix connected Friday and follows BTS arsenic they reunite successful Los Angeles successful August 2025 to activity connected “Arirang,” which was released connected March 20.
The K-pop princes had announced their hiatus successful June 2022 to complete South Korea’s mandatory subject service, and “BTS: The Return” captured their first clip moving together arsenic a group since their 2020 workplace album, “Be.”
J-Hope, 32, addressed their clip successful nan subject and really nan “Dynamite” singers “hauled ass” to grounds their first caller medium successful astir six years during nan Netflix doc.
“We wanted to debar taking a agelong break aft getting discharged,” he explained. “So now we’re rushing and hauling ass connected this album, erstwhile it’s a typical project.”
RM, meanwhile, said he was “freaked out” returning to nan world of K-pop aft specified a agelong clip distant and amid truthful galore changes successful nan euphony industry.
“The thought of waking up each time freaks maine retired a bit,” nan BTS leader said. “Not nan existent waking, but I felt that a batch successful nan military, conscionable surviving nan aforesaid time complete and over.”
He continued, “Nowadays, everything changes each nan time. Trends displacement each quarter. A bunch of talented caller artists are breaking into nan industry. We person to change, too.”
Suga besides addressed nan demands of being a K-pop prima and really he is amazed nan group is still connected apical much than a decade aft they exploded onto nan segment pinch their azygous album, “2 Cool 4 Skool,” successful June 2013.
Since then, nan group has go nan first Korean enactment to apical some nan Billboard 200 and Hot 100, earned 5 Grammy nominations and launched 3 awesome world tours.
“I utilized to deliberation it would extremity eventually,” nan 33-year-old icon shared successful nan doc. “And occasionally I still think: I’ll astir apt person to extremity if my assemblage can’t support up.”
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Junk Kook shared a akin sentiment astir nan band’s “intense level of fame” and achievements while discussing nan group’s monolithic ARMY fanbase.
“As overmuch arsenic we admit having a ample world instrumentality base, that aggravated level of fame tin beryllium a batch to carry,” he explained. “And erstwhile I look astatine myself, I really don’t deliberation I’m that special.”
The “My Time” vocalist added, “There’s a portion of maine that conscionable wants to beryllium seen as a vocalist and thing else.”
Unlike astir manufactured acts successful nan K-pop industry, BTS retains importantly much imaginative and philharmonic power complete their songs and records.
But nan world superstars are still forced to adhere to nan grueling industry’s “comeback” cycle, which consists of aggravated periods of caller music, large performances and seemingly never-ending promotions.
Although they person evolved from what nan manufacture considers “trainees” to nan astir celebrated “idols” successful K-pop history, nan stars still struggle pinch nan weight of their legendary status.
“I deliberation that’s nan principle of BTS,” RM reflected. “We get to deterioration this big, unthinkable crown. At times, nan crown is heavy, almost unbearably, and it’s scary to wear.”
J-Hope went connected to reside nan difficulties nan set faces and really they grapple pinch staying applicable without immoderate different K-pop group to comparison themselves to.
“Normally, nan life of a K-pop creator is really short, but luckily, our life has extended,” he explained. “The unit is that we person to determine what to support and what to change.”
The “Embarrassed” vocalist continued, “But for those kinds of questions, nary 1 knows … there’s nary references. So, we’re doing a batch of experiments to effort to find retired what makes america typical and what makes america BTS.”
As for their newest workplace album, nan seven-member boy set acknowledged nan tests and tribulations that came pinch composing and signaling “Arirang” aft almost six years distant from nan workplace and astir 4 years distant from 1 another.
“Having nan opportunity to turn and alteration makes [“Arirang”] stronger,” Jin explained successful nan caller Netflix doc. “We’ve worked truthful difficult to get everything fresh for this medium release. It’s a really breathtaking moment, I’m really happy.”
He added, “But honestly speaking, it is simply a batch of pressure. I don’t deliberation I’m built to unrecorded this life of a superstar. I consciousness for illustration I’ve go measurement much celebrated than I deserve.”
V, 30, worried that nan “audience won’t for illustration these lyrics because they only matter to” him and his BTS brothers, while RM said that he felt for illustration nan set kept “missing nan forest” and started to “hack distant astatine nan trees.”
“It’s almost for illustration we support moving successful circles trying to decorativeness these past 2 songs, but I consciousness mislaid now pinch what this medium arsenic a full is about,” he lamented.