Behind The Scenes in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: K-POP sensation BTS announced their plans to focus on their solo careers and music. This announcement at their annual BTS Festa dinner, last Tuesday, has thrown fans into a frenzy. “They gave their blood, sweat, and tears to their career, and they will be exhausted and in need of space.

The K-pop industry is not as great as it seems, but whatever their decision is, we fans have to respect that and keep on supporting them no matter what,” says 23- year-old student Sayantika Chatterjee, who is an enthusiastic BTS fan. The annual dinner was hosted to celebrate nine years of togetherness of the band with their fans, known as ‘Army’.

However, this year’s dinner was a bittersweet one, for both the fans and the band, which comprises Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jeongkook. Currently in Bengaluru, Fernaaz Feroze Kazi, who has been a fan of BTS for four years, had eagerly awaited the comeback with the latest BTS album, Proof. She recalls that the announcement shocked her.

“The music video (of Yet To Come) was everything, filled with symbols from different periods of their career,” she says. But the recent announcement regarding their off-period took her some time to process. She adds, “It’s made me sad – not because they are taking a break from group activities, but because they were scared of how we would react to them going on a resting period.

It was so hard to see them tear up during their talk.” Twenty- three -year- old Unnamalai Lakshman, another die-hard fan, was frustrated watching the Festa dinner where the band hesitatingly shared the need for a break. “I hope that through this break, they can ‘find their direction’ as they said themselves, and come back stronger and better,” she says.

BREAK TIME
Kim Namjoon, aka RM, the leader and spokesperson of Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS), a K-pop boy band, announced that he’s been unsure of the direction of the band for quite some time now. “We’ve lost our direction, and I want some time to think.” Despite feeling that they were letting fans down by taking a break, Min Yoongi aka Suga said, “It’s not like we are disbanding!” However, Kim Taehyung is confident that the band will regroup, asserting that their ‘synergy’ will be like no other.