BTS is taking a break.
During the annual FESTA dinner, which was partly in celebration of the band’s ninth anniversary, BTS have announced an extended break and the pursuit of solo projects. The announcement comes days after the beloved K-pop group released a three-disc career retrospective compilation, Proof.
Throughout the dinner, which was live streamed on the band’s YouTube channel, Jimin explains “We can’t help but think of our fans no matter what— we want to be the kind of artists that are remembered by our fans. 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. Speaking to ARMY, J-Hope continues “Our fans know us and we know us. I hope [our fans] don’t see this as a negative thing, and see it as a healthy plan. I think BTS will become stronger that way.”
J-Hope confirms, it is not the end of BTS, just time for a “second chapter.” RM suggests their individual mixtapes will become more like individual albums, with J-Hope the first member to start “showing [his] individual colours” with a solo performance at Lollapalooza later in the year. While all members have recorded and released solo projects over the years, the recent announcement confirms a shifting focus, all members sharing they will be focusing on recording more solo content.
A spokesperson for the group confirmed the news, sharing a statement with Billboard: “To be clear, they are not on hiatus but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various formats.”