After announcing in a pre-taped interview that they would be going on a hiatus after a decade of non-stop success, the future of BTS is in a sort of limbo. A spokesperson for the group has told Pitchfork and Billboard that “they are not on hiatus, but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats.” Either way, Jin has been toying around with some ideas as to how to pass the time, including appearing on a variety show all on his own.
In a recent interview with Weverse Magazine, the BTS vocalist spoke about finding a balance between his role in the group and his own personal life, saying: “I guess you could say I want to be able to have fun on my own, too. And without inconveniencing anybody else.” Jin then mentioned he’d be up for the challenge of appearing solo on a variety show.
“I thought about going on a variety show to make myself happy, not for the group or because of my popularity or for work, because filming those shows might put me in a happy mood,” he said. “There are some things about variety shows that are tough, of course, but it’s also a chance to laugh your head off on set all day.”
Throughout the year, Jin has had a few chances to view the impact of BTS from the outside looking in. After injuring his finger, the performer took a less-central role in a number of the group’s performances, including an appearance at the 2022 Grammy Awards and a Las Vegas concert. Watching from the sidelines after briefly being on stage, BTS were able to put on a show for him and ARMY in the audience.
“I talked about how I felt like I was watching both the other members and ARMY at the most recent concert, right?” he added. “So I want to do it to enjoy myself — I’m on stage and putting on a performance, but watching a BTS concert up-close at the same time. I’m on a variety show, but watching that show up-close.”
Each member sat with the magazine for an interview, all rolling out separately in support of their latest anthology album Proof. Despite being conducted separately, Jin and J-Hope shared overlapping sentiments as the rapper also looked back on the enjoyment he’s gotten out of being in BTS.
“I have been through a lot, but I think I might be the one who gets the most enjoyment out of what BTS does,” J-Hope said. “Because, through BTS, I can experience things that I would have questioned whether or not I could accomplish alone. We’ve done so many different kinds of performances on stage and tried and experimented with many things, too. So I’ve been taking a meaningful look back at all those times in the past.”