genre kpop

j-hope is doing it all now that he’s completed his mandatory military service for South Korea. And as the BTS superstar is preparing to hit the road for his Hope on the Stage Tour, he’s sharing how serving his country gave him time to consider what’s ahead for him.
“I think the period of rest that naturally came with the situation actually became an opportunity for more exploration,” the global star told Rolling Stone in a new interview published Friday (March 7). “I found a lot of new inspiration and got to spend much time thinking about the future. I also started making plans for what I want to do once I complete my military service.”

What’s more, he added, time in the military helped shape him. “I still believe that experiences are invaluable. The thoughts I had during those times have become an inseparable part of me, nurturing and shaping who I am today,” he told the publication. “Ultimately, they have influenced the stories I tell, the music I aspire to create, my choreography and the overall aspects of my work, deepening my understanding of my own thoughts.”

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j-hope completed his time in uniform in October, and became the second member of BTS to finish his service. (Jin, who was first to start military duties, was discharged in June; the rest of the K-pop group — V, Suga, RM, Jimin and Jung Kook — are all expected to complete their service this year, with full group activities resuming after.) By January, j-hope was already teasing that not only was he releasing new solo music this year, but that he was hitting the road as well. After a series of shows in Seoul and late February and early March, he’ll be taking Hope on the Stage to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a pair of shows beginning on March 13, with the tour also making stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Singapore, Bangkok and more before ending June 1 in Osaka, Japan.

As for that new music he teased? It was a new single titled “Sweet Dreams,” featuring Miguel, who j-hope told Rolling Stone he has “respected greatly” for a long time. Said the star of working with the R&B singer-songwriter, “We got in touch, and despite the challenges of it being around the holiday season, he was so kind and eager to collaborate. I remember sending him a personal text to thank him.”

The “Chicken Noodle Soup” singer also shared that his BTS bandmates have also had a chance to listen to his new track. “I played the song for all of the members. I made sure to share it with them when each of them was on their military leave, and I felt proud to be able to play it for them first,” he told the publication. “I was very happy that everyone liked it.”

Next up for j-hope is his solo debut performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, March 10. Miguel will be appearing alongside the K-pop star.

The BLACKPINK solo set quadfecta is now complete, with JENNIE releasing her debut one-woman album, Ruby, Friday (March 7).
The 15-track LP makes JENNIE the final member of her girl group to drop a solo project amid BLACKPINK’s ongoing break, following ROSÉ’s Rosie, JISOO’s AMORTAGE and LISA’s Alter Ego. In addition to previously released singles “Mantra,” “Love Hangover” featuring Dominic Fike and “ExtraL” with Doechii, the album also contains the tracks “Like JENNIE,” “Start a War,” “With the IE (Way Up),” “ZEN,” “F.T.S.,” “Filter,” “Seoul City,” “Starlight” and “Twin.”

Plus, Ruby includes a number of star-studded collaborations, from the FKJ-assisted “Intro” to “Handlebars” featuring Dua Lipa and “Damn Right” with Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis.

The release of Ruby comes about seven years after JENNIE first made her solo debut in 2018 with the aptly titled single “SOLO.” The South Korean star didn’t follow the track up until 2023 with her version of “One of the Girls” from The Weeknd’s HBO show, The Idol, in which she also starred.

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JENNIE has long been working toward a solo album, with the performer opening up about how she “struggled a lot in the beginning” of the creative process in her January Billboard cover story. “A few months, I would say, was just me throwing myself out there, walking into rooms filled with new people,” she continued. “I just had to keep knocking on the door, like, ‘Is this it?’ ‘Is this it?’ and then eventually, we got to a point where I found a good group of people that I linked with, sonically and as friends.”

Now that all four of the BLACKPINK ladies have released their solo projects, the next step is for the band to reunite for a global tour kicking off in July. Dates for the trek were announced in February; around the same time, ROSÉ confirmed that the foursome also has new music in the works.

Of their upcoming reunion, JENNIE told Billboard in her cover interview, “I’ve missed the girls. I’ve missed doing tours with them. I miss our silly moments.”

“I’m excited to see what everyone brings,” she added at the time. “You know, everyone took their own journey [during] this time, and I’m excited to share that with the girls. I want to say it’s going to be the most powerful [versions] of ourselves that anyone has seen.”

Listen to Ruby below.