BTS Announces Hiatus After 9 Years to Focus on Solo Careers: ‘We’re Going Through a Rough Patch Now’

usmagazine.com:

Goodbye for now. BTS announced that while they aren’t going through a breakup, they are going to take a hiatus to focus on their solo careers.The K-pop stars made the big announcement on Tuesday, June 14, during their FESTA dinner, part of their 9th anniversary celebration. RM, Jimin, J-Hope, V, Jungkook, Jin and Suga told fans that an extended break would give them time to pursue solo projects as well as get some much-needed rest.“I started music and became BTS because I had a message for the world,” RM, 27, explained. “I didn’t know what I would do after ‘ON’ but then COVID-19 came up so we did ‘Dynamite,’ ‘Butter,’ ‘Permission to Dance,’ ‘Life Goes On.’ And then I realized the group has definitely changed.

We have to accept that we’ve changed.”The rapper explained that after going so fast for so long, he’s creatively and physically exhausted and isn’t so sure of what the group’s direction.“After ‘Butter’ and ‘Permission to Dance,’ I didn’t know what kind of group we were anymore,” he said. “Whenever I write lyrics and songs, it’s really important what kind of story and message I want to give out, but it was like that was gone now.

I don’t know what kind of story I should tell now.The performer believes the issue isn’t specific to BTS but all Korean pop groups.“I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature,” RM said. “You have to keep producing music and keep doing something.

After I get up in the morning and get makeup done, there’s no time left for work. And it’s not just about music and work I’ve changed as a human over the past 10 years, so I needed to think and have some alone time and then those thoughts