Seoul: BTS rapper J-Hope has opened up about one of the darkest chapters in the global supergroup’s journey, revealing how overwhelming success in 2018 nearly pushed the members into a collective slump.

Appearing on the YouTube variety show Pinggyego, hosted by Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho, J-Hope candidly reflected on the pressure that came with unprecedented global attention. “Around 2018, BTS was receiving so much love that I started wondering if we truly deserved all that attention,” he admitted, as translated by allkpop. “People’s eyes on us became a little scary… it started feeling overwhelming. Even the members went through a bit of a slump.” 

J-Hope shared that the turning point came when the seven members—Namjoon (RM), Jin, Suga, Jimin, Taehyung (V), Jungkook, and he—reconnected with the group’s central message: Love Yourself. “The idea wasn’t just for others; it applied to us, too. And as we embraced it, we found real strength,” he explained, adding that songwriting played a key role in helping them “learn and grow emotionally.”

Looking ahead, J-Hope acknowledged new concerns as BTS prepares for a long-awaited comeback after years apart. “Now that all the members have completed their military service, we’re preparing to resume team activities,” he said. “But it’s been such a long time—we haven’t been together as seven in nearly three or four years. I’m constantly thinking about how to best coordinate things with the members as we reunite… I want to do it right.”

BTS’s last group release, Yet to Come (2022), marked the end of an era before the band entered South Korea’s mandatory military service. Jin was the first to enlist in December 2022 and completed his service in June last year, followed by J-Hope in October 2023. The remaining members—RM, Suga, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—finished their service last month, setting the stage for BTS to make a highly anticipated return as a complete septet.

Fans around the world now wait in eager anticipation to see how BTS will channel past struggles into a new chapter of music and unity.