The members of the group want to pursue their own activities. But they promise to be on stage together again.
After announcing a musical hiatus as a group, South Korean boy band BTS have denied rumors of a breakup.
They would have wanted to say that each member has their own projects planned for the time being and “definitely not that we are no longer performing as BTS,” said rapper Jungkook on Wednesday evening in his new “V-Live” video on YouTube. “We’re not going to break up (as a band).” At 24, Jungkook is the youngest member of the popular boy band.
At the start since 2013
The seven members of what is currently K-Pop’s most successful music formation sparked concerns about the future of the band among fans in South Korea and around the world on Tuesday with their statements in a video marking their nine-year anniversary. They also caused irritation. It was not clear from the information how long the break should last.
The entertainment company Hybe, under whose subsidiary Bighit Music the band made its debut in 2013, put the statements into perspective. The announcement is “not about a break,” the newspaper “JoongAng Ilbo” quoted a statement from Bighit Music. They only talked about their future solo activities.
Time needed to mature
In the BTS video, however, the rapper Suga spoke of a “time out”. Jungkook also emphasized that the band promises that they will come back one day. His colleague RM also expressed frustration. The K-pop idol’s system doesn’t give them time to mature. The interpreters of Korean pop music are also referred to as “idols”.
On the stock market, Hybe’s price initially fell sharply after the band’s announcement. On Wednesday morning it fell by 27 percent compared to the day before. As a result, the company lost 1.7 billion dollars (about 1.63 billion euros) in value.
The boy band stormed the charts with hits like “Dynamite” and “Permission to Dance”. At the American Music Awards in November 2021, the pop stars scooped up three trophies, including the grand prize for artist of the year. (dpa)