RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook have been officially together as BTS since 2013, working tirelessly as they became the biggest band in the world. The group recently announced that they would embark on a new chapter together, one that, for now, focuses on solo activities. Although individual members have released mixtapes or singles in the past, none have officially released a full-length solo album, so far.
At first glance, J-Hope may look like the most cheerful and upbeat member of BTS, with a big perpetual smile on his face. But there is much more to it than meets the eye. He is the main dancer of the group, but also participates in the creative process of each BTS album. He puts extreme care into his craft and is not afraid to experiment.
With his new album, Jack in the Box, J-Hope, born Jeong Hoseok, becomes introspective, showing a darker side of his person, not to mention how multidimensional he is. With “More,” the album’s pre-release rock / hip-hop single, he surprised the audience and even his bandmate RM with his approach. (The title of the album is a play on the Pandora’s box, which also inspired her stage name.)
Speaking to Rolling Stone in Korean, for Zoom, the 28-year-old delved into the creative process and what Jack in the Box means to him and his identity.
The whole world is about to hear Jack in the Box. How do you feel? It’s half nervousness, half emotion. Since I’m the first to go solo, I feel a sense of responsibility and there’s certainly a bit of pressure as well. Jack in the Box is just full of things I personally wanted to do, almost to the point that I worry, “Did I focus too much on just what I wanted to do?” [Laughs.] I think that’s where the half-nervousness comes from. This album is very meaningful to me and most of all, I feel proud and excited that it will come out.
Although BTS members have released mixtapes and singles in the past, you’re the first to release a full-length solo album. How did this decision come about? Instead of thinking of an order from who I would release first, while promoting as a BTS, I asked myself “What kind of music can I make as a BTS J-Hope?” I always ask myself this question, constantly having a plan. I think by doing this, of course, mine [2018] The mixtape Hope World came out … and after thinking more, I realized I wanted to show more dancing, which you can consider as my main base. This led to the creation of [2019 solo single] “Chicken Noodle Soup,” which includes more of that. I started to think that J-Hope should show more sincerity in the music, and that’s what I focused on as I approached Jack in the Box. I think in terms of time, I ended up becoming the first one because I was constantly preparing. I didn’t approach the project with the desire to be the first in mind.
How long do you have Jack in the box been in preparation? You mentioned in the past that you always have a plan, and in a recent V Live, you confirmed that the artwork for last year’s full version of “Blue Side” was a bit of a spoiler for this album, with the jack-in-the-box the illustration and the words “the Pandora’s box”.The jack-in-the-box concept is very much tied to my stage name, so I think I’ve always had the idea in my back pocket. I’ve always felt the need to reveal music related to box making thematically for a long time. The Pandora’s box is also an analogy for my name. “When can I post this? When can I make an album that includes these items?” These questions were always in my head. I wanted to include spoilers of these themes in the “Blue Side” artwork and while talking to the artist behind the work, I made it clear that I wanted these elements to be included. So systematic was my approach while preparing the album and its tracks.
You’ve shown the darker sides to themes like “1Verse,” from 2015. Even with Hope World, while visually it may look colorful, the lyrics show depth. How did you decide to go visually darker and heavier with “More” and the full album? First of all, how do you know “1verse”? [Laughs.]
I think that’s it: while I’ve been a part of BTS for 10 years, I’ve experienced a lot of things. From this point of view, of course, there are stories I want to tell, and I realized that it might be difficult to tell some of these stories through music with the existing image and atmosphere of J-Hope. I felt the need to show some of my darkest aspects … and I think I was really looking forward to doing something like that. I wanted people to realize that J-Hope isn’t limited to brilliant things. You can do these concepts and it has a wide spectrum. I wanted to draw attention to this ability by challenging myself. I didn’t think much about the future.
I just focused completely on what I wanted to do, what I wanted to express, what I wanted to show. That was the focus, and Jack in the Box has those raw elements. When this album opens, I’m a little worried because it just contains what I wanted to do. [Smiles.] I’m very curious how people will react. But what I really mean is that the record is full of my soul and my sincerity. That way, it’s a unique album, and the album is very significant because, in terms of musicality, it’s going to act as a springboard for J-Hope to move forward.
With rhythms, you’re using more of that old-school hip-hop sound as a base; “What If …” even shows Ol ‘Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” What made you want to take the album in that direction? When you listen to music, you’ll know, but that sound is my foundation. The music I listened to when I danced [dances], the atmosphere I had … that’s what I express in the music, and that’s what was included in Jack in the Box, going back to what I wanted to do, what I’m capable of, as a base. I think through that, I’ve become more sincere, more J-Hope-esque, while visually, I’m able to show something very different. I think the album contains fun and engaging elements both visually and auditionally. I think for fans, there are definitely elements that you will find very similar to J-Hope.
When “More” came out, some people were surprised. “J-Hope? J-Hope is making music like that? Rock? Emo? Hip-hop? Emo-rock?” But I think if you listen to the album, you’ll start to realize that there’s a clear reason why J-Hope chose music like this, why he chose this song, why he chose that line.
Jack in the Box includes two songs from the title, “More” and “Arson”. [In the Korean music industry, “title track” is often used to describe the lead track of an album, regardless of whether the track shares a title with the album.] You said you were surprised when “More” was chosen as one of them. How did you decide on “Arson” as your second lead song? As soon as I heard it, I felt it had to be. I put everything I am able to convey and only most of my … my energy into this song. I chose it because I felt that the style of the song shows the zenith of J-Hope’s emotions. “Arson” is a song that looks like a turning point and a crossroads. He has the fire, the passion he wanted you to own this album. The song is also the last on the song list. One of the reasons for this is that I found this song to pack my thoughts very well behind the reason I created this album. The theme acts as a dot at the end of a sentence, and clarifies what I wanted to express with this album.
You had shared that BTS members were all with you when “More” was posted. Have members listened to the entire album? Do they have any favorites? The first person I shared the album with … the same thing always happens to me. I always share with RM first. He might as well have shared it with Suga, but he likes to be very respectful of the process. He told me, “I’ll listen to it when it comes out.” He always tells me that. There is a bit of commotion and motivation after hearing it. “When it’s published, I’ll look for it and listen to it.” So I let RM hear it first … and then it was Jung Kook. For the other members, I taught them the title songs, but not the full album.
When RM heard the album, he said, “Wow, I didn’t think you’d make music like this. I have a bit of a frozen brain.” [Smiles.] “And that’s how you are. The fact that you’ve brought this music right now … I respect it so much and I love that it’s so you.” He gave me that comment.
For Jung Kook, it was a lot of fun. After listening to the album, he suddenly went to his studio. [Laughs]. I think he felt the motivation to start. I love that one of our biggest motivators is each other. I am like that myself. When one of my members is making a certain type of music or working on an album, I see their individuality and color, and I think to myself, “I also have my own color. I also want to reveal mine.” We influence each other positively and motivate each other.
When “More” came out, we were all together to work. [Smiles.] They were very surprised by the strong visual direction, that J-Hope made this kind of music … They were surprised.
And of course, congratulations on Lollapalooza. You are the first South Korean artist to head a major festival in the United States, which is great news! How did you react when you found out? It is a great honor to be invited to such a big festival and also to be headliner. If you’ve heard “More” and when you listen to Jack in the Box, you’ll clearly realize why I told him OK to Lollapalooza and decided to participate. I really want to show my musicality, and I wanted to show the live J-Hope [show] to a large audience. While practicing, I’m used to acting like BTS’s J-Hope, one of the seven. Now that I’m trying to fill out a one-hour setlist alone, I realize it’s hard. [Smiles.] I feel the need to really focus and be detail oriented while …