BTS ready for a close-up

Band describes conquering fears, doubts

SEOUL The young stars in South Korean boy band BTS said Monday their new album deals with how they have overcome doubts and fears encountered since they burst on the K-pop scene seven years ago.

Having performed at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last month, BTS stands at the forefront of South Korean pop music and has helped gather an international audience for the genre.

On Friday, the band released Map of the Soul: 7, its fourth album. The 20 tracks include collaborations with Sia and Troye Sivan.

Plans for a large media event in Seoul for the album were cancelled because of the coronavirus health scare, but the band instead livestreamed a news conference, with members urging fans to take care of themselves.

“Sometimes we were uncertain, sometimes we were lost. Every time that happened, the shadows and fear inside us grew,” rapper Suga told the news conference aired via Youtube.

“But it’s been seven years. I think we have grounded ourselves now, and we learned how to do that, the difficulties and wounds we face and fight them.”

Though several young K-pop stars have struggled with cyber bullying and depression, Suga did not elaborate on what difficulties BTS faced.

But the group, whose seven members are in their 20s, took an unexpectedly long vacation last year to “recharge.”

When asked about the comment by Bong Joon Ho, director of the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, who recently said BTS was 3,000 times more influential than him, Suga said he was an avid fan of Bong ’s work and hoped more South Korean artists would be introduced to the world.

Leader and rapper RM likened K-pop to a “giftbox” integrating music, dance, video and interaction with fans, saying the personal elements the band infuses in its music might have boosted its global popularity.

“We try to instil personal stories in our music and dance and I think the concerns and feelings that we have resonate with people around the world,” he said.

But making music is a “constant battle to show your weakness and fight the fear of expressing your fear,” he said.

BTS broke into the North American market in 2017 and was the first Korean group to win a Billboard music award. It is set to launch a new world tour in April, beginning in Seoul.