Did BTS always dream about becoming singers? From journalist to prosecutor, here's what they could have become
BTS has been awarded as the 2020 Music innovator by WSJ Magazine. For the magazine’s November issue, the biggest global K-pop band BTS consisting of Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook sat down and talked about what life would have been if they wouldn’t have chosen to become singers.
The leader of the group, Namjoon aka RM shared that he initially planned to go to college for journalism when he lived in Ilsan. The 27-year-old rapper shared that he first wrote a song in 2007, but he describes it as a ‘disaster’ and now he can’t even tell if the lyrics are Korean. He would have been 12 or 13 at the time. Jin shared that he comes from a family of entrepreneurs as he shares: “My family is all in business, so they’re all good speakers” and V jumps in, “You’ve got your mom’s way with words.”
Suga, the group’s Daegu born rapper shares he comes from a family that has “far from having anything to do with the arts and entertainment,” but his mother took up painting in her 60s and the rapper has started painting this year as well. His father had encouraged him to pursue journalism. Suga also shared that the first time he wrote a song when he was 13 and he plans to use it one day. “I remember it—I’ll use it one day”, the 27-year-old rapper said.
J-Hope, the main dancer and rapper of the group shares that he wonders where his passion for dance came from as his family consists of a literature teacher father and a “strong-willed” mother who once ran an internet cafe. “I used to wonder how I could dance,” the Gwangju born singer says and Jin contributes, “His dad’s quite strict.” The one member who saw a dream of becoming a singer from childhood is V aka Kim Taehyung; the 25-year-old vocalist who shared that he was heavily influenced by his father who wanted to be a star himself. Jin shares, “Tae-hyung’s father is super-talented.”
Jimin shares that he learned kendo (a Japanese martial art using bamboo swords) as a kid and thought of becoming a policeman. But in middle school, he picked dancing and changed his mind. He also added that his father actually wanted him to be a prosecutor. The youngest member of the group, Jungkook, 23 comes from a family of artists. His older brother is a talented illustrator and his parents always liked to sing.
All the seven members have come from different parts of the country and it is their individuality that makes the group work, Jimin shared.
BTS is currently prepping for their upcoming album ‘BE’ and the group also shared that for ‘BE’, how all members competed to produce the lead song as Jimin called the process as ‘painstaking and tearful.’ Jungkook added that they were not only competing with each other but also with talented composers who submitted attempts to Bang Sihyuk, the creator of the group BTS. Jin alone sent three different melodies for the album while RM chose to sit this one out as he shared, “The competition was too fierce.”