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0613magazine · 9 months

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032723 AERA Magazine

Last year in June, BTS announced that they would be doing both group and solo activities in parallel. How have you been spending your time since this announcement 10 months ago?

I lived as best as I could. There was almost no time to rest as there was the production of FACE, the collaboration with SOL from Bigbang, filming content with the BTS members etc. Once the promotion activities for FACE are finished maybe there will be a bit of free time.

Following in the footsteps of j-hope, Jin and RM, you released FACE, your solo album, on March 24th.

For me this album is a new and big challenge. To tell the truth the pressure is immense. Because really, I will be judged on my skills alone. There is no escape or hiding. I need to make up for my shortcomings and give it my all. I’m also worried at times if I can make it. I really want to do well because I’m doing this as BTS’s Jimin. I don’t want to tarnish the BTS name. I think the members are also looking out for me so I want to do my best.

You said your spirits are different when doing solo activities than doing it with the members.

When I’m with the members, I end up laughing naturally and getting better even when tired but now that I am alone I feel the members’ absence even more.

One of the reasons why BTS has taken the hearts of many around the world is putting their own story into their songs. Is Jimin’s story also told in FACE?

I decided the theme of the songs, wrote the lyrics, and was every day with the producers to the point you’d think we were living together, and worked with them. It was a time when I could acknowledge again how hard music production is. When making FACE, rather than wanting to send any kind of message, I wanted through this album to sublimate the feelings I had during the 2 years of the pandemic.

I faced myself, I slowly dug into the deepest parts of my heart, weaved it into lyrics, turned it into songs and it became this album.

If you listen to it in order from the first track, I think you can grasp the change of emotions from what I thought during the time we couldn’t meet, my mental fluctuations and how I overcame it.

T/N1: sublimate as in the science process of turning something from solid to gas state

Due to corona, the world stopped temporarily. BTS also couldn’t carry on with their plans. At this time, you were struck with a feeling of powerlessness.

When the pandemic started, I put on a brave face and said this: “we just have to wait a bit”. But for me, the damage from being unable to do anything was bigger than I thought. My mental was more and more shaken. Singers exist because there are people to watch them. I felt as if we had lost our meaning when we couldn’t meet the fans anymore. Then my mind became increasingly tired.

At the same time, many changes started to happen within us. I was other powerless facing this. I had never imagined I could become like this, so I was really confused at this change in me.

RM also participated in the title track Like Crazy.

During the production, each word from the members became a big strength. I wanted advice from RM, especially seeing his long experience in song producing, so I had him come to our production studio. I told him I wanted to express in the song a moment that feels as sweet as a dream, and he told me “What you want to say in this song is really clear compared to the others so don’t overthink it”. He corrected the lyrics, gave me lots of advice and I was very thankful.

In February you went with j-hope to meet Jin who is in the military. On March 9th, you sent to SUGA a birthday message saying “Marry me”. You often show your interactions on social networks with V who is your age. You’re not living all together in a dorm like in the past but the BTS bond is unchanging, as strong as before. What do the members mean to you?

They are family. The members and the fans all know, I wonder if it’s necessary to put it into words anymore. Right now we are spending some time apart but close or far, family is family right. This is just the same. Just like Jungkook decided in the past, I live as one of seven men.

The members’ love is deep and strong.

One of the reasons I love the members is that they all have strong beliefs of their own. For me, rather than taking up this job because of a certain belief, I do it because it’s fun and I want to do it. The members have a clear vision of what they want to do and act accordingly. Seeing this by their side has a big positive influence on me and makes me think I want to become someone they can be proud of and inspire me to do my best too.

Which song are you the most emotionally attached to?

There are too many…Each song we performed live is carved with memories. Recently we watched all BTS videos with the producers. All the albums’ songs are dear to me, but every time a title song would come up I’d think back of what happened or how it was at that time, and it sent be back on a trip down memory lane.

When I watched the video of our debut song No More Dream, many memories came rushing out. I came to the capital from Busan, and in 6 months became a BTS member, did recording, dance practice, and our showcase. I remember everything, all the way to how cold it felt during our first TV filming.

You’re one of many charms. Your high-tone falsetto is your particularity but your sharp, powerful singing voice also stands out. You’re both stoic and a perfectionist, all while having a mischievous and naughty side to you too. You’re both handsome and cute. Your most noteworthy charm is your dancing. You’re making the choreography yours, adding your own color and rich expressions to it. You move from the tip of your fingers to your toes, sometimes smooth, bewitching, powerful, beautiful, gentle, as your express the music. You’re often the one in charge of that in BTS performances. When I asked him like this about his charms, he gave me an unexpected answer.

Huuum. I don’t know really. I never thought about it. I don’t want to differentiate myself from others either. (Taking a theatrical voice) “My weapon is the smoothness that comes from my experience in contemporary dancing” well actually, no, that’s not it (laughs). I just dance thinking what is the best way to express a song, no matter what it is.

Ah. I found one charm! My thighs. My dance comes from my thighs. My thighs are my weapon.

You were sleeping only 2 hours a day as a trainee to practice dance. Right now, you’re still very serious about it.

The FACE promotion is coming so I’m spending lots of time in dance practice. What I’m thinking about while I do it? What I will eat once it’s finished (laughs).

One keyword when talking about Jimin is “effort”. How can you be so persistent with it?

You’re really asking questions about my internal personality today (laughs). The answer is simple. I want to bring good music to the fans so I also want to deliver good performances. Even if through my career I gained some knowledge and experience, I’m still nervous when preparing an album and stage performances. I’m practicing to gain confidence.

Another reason that keeps pushing me forward is the sense of responsibility I feel towards BTS. The fact that I do not want to embarrass BTS allows me to keep doing my best.

You said you still have some unexplored areas in dancing.

Recently I think j-hope’s steps are really cool. He’s experienced in many street dances, and he puts what he wants to do into something that can be seen by the fans. Watching j-hope, it made me want to become good at street dance too. I’ll do my best to be able to show something to you all in a not too far future!

The first time I meet Jimin was autumn 2013, right after your debut. I could feel from your light-hearted smile and words how excited and nervous you were, not knowing what to say in your first encounter with Japanese journalists. After many other interviews we meet again the day after your concert in Los Angeles in 2019. Your calm voice and modesty, how you chose your words with care really struck me. And then now. My impression of you has changed a bit again. You’re relaxed all the way through, showing your inner thoughts clearly with jokes and honest talk. I can feel your mind being at peace, having overcome something. When I told him “You’ve become a good talker”, he laughed.

Really? It’s because my current self has nothing to hide. If I’ve become better at talking, it’s because I’ve accumulated so-called “rings of age.”

In the interview you’re talking frankly about your inner thoughts. In concerts, you’re talking about your love towards your fans directly. But originally, you’re not very good at expressing your feelings into words.

I wouldn’t say I’m bad at it but I’m not the type to explain things in careful details. I don’t use undirect or layered expressions and tell my thoughts directly so there might be a clear distinction between people who like or hate me. On the other hand, I want to put care into how I express my emotions in performances.

Therefore, I’m also working hard on this to be better at it. I think pouring emotions into performances is BTS’s strength. A lot of people value this, so it’s something that needs and should be treasured.

You will be 28 years old. You debuted in your teenage years, and lived as a worldwide popstar in your 20s. What do you think you’ll become in the future?

To be honest I can’t picture my future self yet. I can’t even imagine the me of next year. But looking at Jin, I realized that not much is changing because you age (laughs).

Just like now, I want to keep doing concerts with the members, have fun, and live faithfully doing what I should do.

As an artist, I want to nurture my own vision and show you guys on stage how my skills have matured again.

As a human, I want to have a good influence on the people around me. I think it’s better now than the past but I’m still a work in progress.

In 2017, you received for the first time the Billboard Award for Top Social Artist. Only 4 years after your debut, you stood at the frontline of the world music scene. Your song Dynamite, with its message in English about hope and comfort to the people of the world during the pandemic was a bit hit. Your direct environment has also changed.

The stage’s size got bigger, and the set and performance also changed for something more dynamic that can be enjoyed from anywhere in the venue. The number of people watching us, supporting us has also increased and so have our feelings of gratitude. I feel even more that I want to do my best to make even better music, better performances.

We challenged ourselves musically a lot too. Through all of these, we were able to acknowledge again what we should be doing and now, we came back again to our music. It feels like this.

You’ve become a worldwide popstar both in name and reality. How do you see it?

I feel that we were able to reach this stage because of the powerful bond with ARMY. Of course, it’s the same with all artists but I feel that in our case, the bond between the members and the fans is especially strong. There are people who are with us since we did concerts in small live houses, who held our hand when things were tough, walked with us and raised us. All the memories created there became the seed of this bond, which became this big.

You have planned a special one-on-one video call with the fans as part of the release event of FACE. Your strong feelings towards the fans are the reason behind this.

When I asked if it was possible to do something together with the fans because we couldn’t meet them for a long time, a staff member told me about this. I thought it would become a great memory if I could meet directly with everyone. I’ll meet lots of people so the time will be short but I’m really looking forward to seeing their faces and greeting them directly.

What will you be saying to ARMY?

(In Japanese) It’s been a while!

Your voice is so energetic.

Is it because I’m watching too many Japanese manga (laughs)

On social networks we often see people write about how their days got brighter thanks to BTS or how they can go through hard ones thanks to you. When I said this, he whispered slowly, in a sweet, gentle voice.

Me too, I’m also able to live thanks to you all.

What do you want to tell ARMY now.

There are many things I want to say. There are too many… (lost for words).

I think “waiting” is not an easy thing. For some people it’s okay to stay put without doing nothing but when you really miss, love and want to meet someone you can’t wait like this. That’s why I am thankful from the bottom of my heat to our fans who keep waiting for us. What I want to tell them now is this: “I always think about what I can do. I will go meet you. Soon, again.”

I think there is nothing as comforting as meeting directly. It will still take a bit more time until all the members are reunited but if you could wait, I’d be so happy.

English translations by: @bangtan_elfe

#2023 #bts #jimin #aera magazine

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