‘Young artistes don't say that’: Jung Yong-hwa's early impression of BTS
Prominent South Korean singer, musician, and actor Jung Yong-hwa has recently spilled the beans about his first impression of the immensely popular Korean pop band BTS, who were emerging as a boy band when the singer met them.
BTS, comprising seven of Korea's most popular musicians, Jin, Jimin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jungkook, and V, has come up to the top and become a household name with immense popularity. However, their journey was not smooth.
Jung Yong-hwa, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band CNBLUE, has been one of the first to witness BTS' journey to success unfolding from the very beginning, and he recently recounted one of his earliest fond memories of the group in the popular talk show "Suchwita".
These revelations were made in "Suchwita's" latest episode, where Suga hosted the panel and welcomed his senior, Yong-hwa. Amongst the various topics discussed about music and professional lives, one particular moment captured everyone's attention: Yonghwa's perspective on how he saw BTS in their early days.
As per the K-pop idol Jung Yong-hwa, the incident took place in 2015 when he was building his solo career too. As he met the BTS members backstage at a musical event while he was promoting his solo track "One Fine Day", and BTS were promoting "I Need You".
During a casual conversation backstage, he asked the members what they would do on their days off, expressing his surprise at their response.
When asked, BTS members said, "We write songs on our day off." Jung Yong-hwa didn't anticipate such a response from younger artistes, as musicians of their age often start feeling burdened and complain about their agencies for not providing enough time off and having rigorous training schedules.
The singer then said that was the moment he realised that "BTS was going to make it big."
He said, "Younger artistes don't say that. Usually, it's something like, 'The agency doesn't give us days off…' or 'We can't go out to hang out.' 90% of answers are like that." The veteran then added, "But you guys…I knew you'd just make it big so I figured I should get closer to you. That's what I thought."
Recently "BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star", premiered on Disney Plus, documenting the group's journey to the top, highlighting the challenges and struggles they faced in the early stages. Fans appreciate the authenticity of the show, as it aligns with what seniors say about their initial encounters or meetings with BTS in their early days.