BTS’ J-Hope says group are “definitely” not on hiatus

nme.com:

BTS rapper J-Hope has confirmed that while the band’s members have largely suspended group activities to pursue other endeavours, the K-pop septet are “definitely” not on hiatus.In a new interview with Variety about his debut solo album, ‘Jack In The Box’, J-Hope was asked about BTS’ announcement in June that they were planning to “take time to explore some solo projects”, and concern from fans that the split could be extended.“When we talked about the temporary break, or focusing on solo projects, we really just were trying to be honest with how we feel and what we want to pursue going forward,” J-Hope told the publication.“I was a little surprised that people took it in a different way than how we expected them to receive or understand that news.

I think there was a little bit of loss in translation as we conveyed that message. And definitely we’re not on hiatus. The team is going to remain active.

We just learned a lot and we grew together as a team over the last decade.”J-Hope’s comments echo ones made by his bandmate RM last month, in which the BTS member said the perception that the group were disbanding was caused by “aggressive keywords taken out of context”, adding that “misinterpretations” regarding the band’s future had “left a bitter feeling in my heart”.

He emphasised: “This is not the end for us.”In his own response, J-Hope went on to explain that while the band’s first chapter had closed, another chapter was needed in order for the group to be sustainable.“Although we grew together and we worked together as a team for the last 10 years, now perhaps it is our time to grow and to pursue what we wanted to do as individuals and focus more on personal growth,” he continued.