MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / K-POP NEWS

BTS' Jimin reveals struggles as a young K-pop artist, fans want to give him a hug

Jimin talks the difficulties of growing up too soon in the K-pop industry in an exclusive interview

Overwhelmed by the love BTS has been receiving from ARMY across the globe, Jimin gives a special mention to the fans who have been rooting for BTS throughout this difficult time. In his last Weverse interview in 2020, Jimin talked about how he is the kind of person that wants to be loved in everything he does. He is also thankful for ARMYs reaction to their recent songs.

In his interview with Weverse Magazine in 2021, Jimin was the last member whose interview was uploaded to Weverse. Talking about his past self, Jimin reflected on how his mental well-being was affected because he gave too much thought about what people thought about him. He went on to say, “I’m me, and there’s also a separate me who works, but it’s hard to tell the two apart,” talking more in-depth about how artists coalesce with their work.

READ MORE

BTS' Suga says he's not special, ARMY calls him a 'complete package'

Jungkook calls ARMY the main characters of BTS, lovestruck fans say 'our hearts are yours'

ARMYs light up Jimin's life

On being asked about the reactions of fans for their more recent songs like 'Butter' and 'Permission to Dance', Jimin said he was thankful for the way fans reacted to their songs -- they lit up his life. He loves the way fans interact with the videos in the form of dance covers, music covers and dance challenges. Watching everyone enjoy the songs was fulfilling to all members of BTS. Of all their recent songs, 'Permission to Dance' held a special message of a new beginning, which comforted Jimin too. The hopeful words in the song lifted up Jimin's spirits and cheered him up with the hope of meeting fans soon.

Jimin says he has always wanted to follow his heart and he does so by conveying his honest feelings to others. Even though the newer singles by BTS were all in English and followed along similar lines of fun peppy dance music, Jimin argues that these are all different songs. He says the attitude he took on for each of the songs differed, so did the emotions he felt and the thought process he went through to perform these songs differed greatly. He talked about how singing in English was a challenge, "Even the pronunciation is definitely different, and the part of your throat the sound comes from changes depending on the pronunciation. I think that’s why I was a little flustered," said Jimin

While talking about his growth as a person as well as an artist, Jimin said their music also has been growing along with them. He talked about a time where he was vulnerable saying, "When I couldn’t let things go, my resentment kept growing. My pain, too." He went on to say that they are not the same boys who first performed on stage but have matured into self-reflecting individuals. When asked about how he dealt with his struggles, he said that talking to his parents helped him a lot. Jimin said, "I shared what I was feeling with them, and my mom and dad talked to me like they were my life coaches." He goes on to add that by making changes to themselves BTS are also encouraging fans to change and grow along with BTS. He says that even if it is impossible to address each fan individually, it will be worth the wait to meet fans in person and converse with them in the form of singing, shouting and looking each other in the eyes.

What it is like performing without ARMYs?

Talking in particular about the new audienceless concerts while addressing the difficulties that a performer goes through, Jimin says learning from the mistakes they made on stage and the way fans reacted to them was very genuine feedback, one that he craves. Without being able to see fans in person, performing wholeheartedly for ARMYs gives fans all the more reason to root for the boys.

Jimin also talks about the Grammy nomination. It is alright that they didn’t win because he knows they will keep practicing in order to better themselves and do much better for ARMYs. Talking more in-depth about the way performing without fans' reactions felt, Jimin reiterated that he would always use audience feedback to train himself to do better. He then talks about how being in the money business at a very young age, he forced himself to be alert to what he was saying. He says that because he is young, he maintains a level of respect for those older than him but now as he grows older, he knows that not all concern for him is coming from a good place.

'I'm always proud and happy for you, Jimin'

Fans were quick to gush on twitter with their reactions on the article. One fan said, “After reading the weverse magazine of Jimin I feel like giving him the most tightest hug ever. I love him so much.” Another fan spoke about the infamous rider jacket Jimin mentioned in the interview lauding his commitment saying, “It's beautiful. It makes you think of Jimin's grit, commitment, loyalty to his craft, people, things he holds dear.” One fan of Jimin complimented him and said, “I'm always proud and happy for you, Jimin.”  while another got emotional and said, “I just read jimin’ weverse magazine interview again and started crying god i love him,”

While a few fans were dumbstruck by Jimin’s choice of footwear, they expressed their love for his choice of shoes stating, “Can we also talk about the boots jimin was wearing for his weverse magazine interview photoshoot… god he needs to wear more boots like these.” and another plainly mentioned, “I want the shoes Jimin wore for that weverse interview.”