BTS leader RM expressed gratitude to the members who have been with him for 14 years.
On the 28th, the BDNS channel uploaded a video titled "BTS RM waiting with V for the jokbal from Jangchung-dong that never arrives."
On that day, BDNS's Moon Sang-hoon talked with BTS RM and V about various topics as they prepared for a comeback. In the midst of this, when asked about how they came to hold a songwriting camp in LA after all the members were discharged, RM began, "We had been discharged, right? Somehow it took about two and a half years to be discharged, and members Jin and J-Hope were actively promoting on our behalf and worked very hard to maintain our brand, so they suffered a lot."
He said, "All five of us were discharged together in June, and I knew that. Now we have to release an album again, and it has to be a full album. We have to repay this favor. Right after discharge, someone suggested going to LA immediately and doing sessions together for two months, and at first I hesitated but then said 'okay.' That's how we ended up living together again after seven years. Around 2018 or 2019 we all went our separate ways and lived independently, and after about seven years we rented a mansion and made rooms and lived together, and that was so nice."
He continued, "Because living together as seven men with someone is, to be honest, a lot. And since we already lived with about 20 people in the military, you might dislike that, but being cramped together again and the things that happen, the give-and-take between each other — that became a reminder, and I really liked that. I really liked living together," he reflected.
RM said, "You might be curious about our schedule, so to be exact, we work six days a week. When you think of a studio you usually imagine a dingy basement recording room, but in LA there are studios made up of four or five standalone buildings outdoors. One building is one studio. We rented those studios for two months and rotated four rooms, working six days a week. Usually we wake up and exercise together, eat lunch at 1 p.m., go to the studio around 2 p.m., and work in our individual rooms from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. with songwriters, producers, and new people coming in. That's how we worked six days a week. After two months more than 100 songs were archived. We narrowed it down to 14 songs. At night when everyone came back we'd sometimes drink and talk," he recounted of the situation at the time.
Hearing this, Moon Sang-hoon said, "I think ARMY will love what you just said. They probably already know, but aren't parents proudest when siblings get along well? So parents would be very pleased that the members have become close again, and that makes this album even more anticipated."
RM said, "It's truly difficult to continue for 14 years without a single member leaving, and this holds a lot of meaning — they're really kind. From what I see, the members are considerate, love each other a lot, and above all they share a desire to convey something to ARMYs, and that has helped maintain our bond, which fills me with deep emotion," he said, expressing his feelings toward the members.
V also spoke about the songwriting camp, saying, "We had to make working in the studio a habit. Living there for two months and constantly going to the studio to come up with ideas, create melodies, and generate lyrical themes was a system we hadn't experienced before, so it was both novel and fun. And the environment is LA, so it was enjoyable," he said. RM also expressed satisfaction, saying, "I didn't know that the weather could affect people this much. In those two months there wasn't a single day of rain or cloudiness."
Meanwhile, BTS released their fifth studio album ARIRANG on the 20th and made a full-group comeback for the first time in about three years and nine months. After holding a comeback live show at Gwanghwamun Square on the 21st, BTS will continue their world tour starting with BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN GOYANG at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex for four days from Apr. 9 to Apr. 12.
[Photo] BDNS
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