By Woo Jae-yeon
“We kept asking ourselves what choices we should make and what kind of artist we want to be remembered as,” RM, the group’s leader, said. “In the end, we found that the answer wasn’t outside but within us.”
The seven members all spoke candidly about the fears and uncertainties they felt while working on the new album, “Arirang,” and preparing for Saturday’s special performance, and what it meant to finally be back together.
“I had so many worries before standing here today, but seeing you all again, I am happy,” Jin said.
Jimin, clearly moved by the sea of fans braving the cold to fill the square, added, “All seven of us standing on stage together makes me so happy.”
Jungkook shared the pressure he had felt while making the album and the comeback.
“I definitely felt some pressure, but being here in front of you all, it feels great,” he said.
RM, whose ankle injury restricted his movement on stage, spoke about the group’s two months of recording sessions in Los Angeles.
“We were working together to create music that truly feels like us,” he said. “We spent a long time thinking about it and wanted this album to honestly capture who we are and what’s been on our minds.”
Suga said he wanted to show fans “the most honest side of the seven of us.” “We worked hard to show a more mature and evolved BTS, and I am so happy to finally present it,” he said.
J-hope acknowledged the anxieties that came with the music-making process.
“We had anxieties about whether people would keep waiting for us or if we’d be forgotten,” he said.
Suga echoed the sentiment. “We spent a lot of time thinking about what we should hold onto, and what we need to change,” he said. “We are still not completely sure and still feel anxious at times, but I think even those emotions are a part of who we are right now.”
Before the group performed “Swim,” the main track of the new album, V said with resolve, “All we can do is keep moving forward without stopping, one step at a time. I keep making music.”
The performance, livestreamed globally on Netflix, marked the live debut of the group’s fifth studio album, released the previous day.
