BTS's Jin Reveals The Positives & Negatives Of Not Being Able To Tour During The Pandemic

While BTS have expressed their disappointment with not being able to meet ARMYs on tour during the pandemic several times, it seems there’s still a silver lining to every cloud. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Jin revealed the positive and negative sides of not being able to go on tour over the past year or so.

BTS’s last tour date was held on October 29, 2019 in Seoul, where the members performed to tens of thousands of ARMYs at the final Love Yourself: Speak Yourself concert. The group was then set to kick off their next world tour in April 2020—but then the pandemic struck. By the end of that month, BTS announced they would sadly have to postpone the entire Map of the Soul tour indefinitely.

When asked whether he felt the pain of not being on tour, Jin revealed to Rolling Stone, “Not just myself, but other members really felt that.” He went on to explain that the members all felt “a sense of loss, a sense of powerlessness” when they were unable to meet ARMYs at concerts last year. In fact, Jin shared that it actually took BTS a while to get over their feelings of sadness.

As many fans may know, Jin went on to write a song about his feelings. In December 2020, Jin released a new solo song to commemorate his birthday: “Abyss.” In the interview, Jin explained that the song’s title really reflects his “sad and down” feelings over the pandemic. “I was feeling very down deep in the abyss when I was writing the lyrics,” he explained, going on to reveal that the process of recording and singing the song helped alleviate those emotions.

That said, it wasn’t all bad. Jin also opened up about how being off the road over the past year actually had some positive sides. “When we were on tour,” he started, “There wasn’t time to reflect on myself and figure out what gives me joy, what makes me relax.” Given that BTS performed over 30 Love Yourself concerts in 2019 alone, on top of numerous other stage events, it’s no surprise that Jin didn’t have much time to grow and develop.

As such, Jin says that being off tour during the pandemic gave him a chance to finally reflect on “what I want and who I am.” In fact, in a possible nod to the group’s last tour title, Jin stated the touring hiatus also allowed him to “sort of learn to love myself.” On top of that, Jin explained that he was able to get more sleep, play video games, watch movies, sing, and even learn that he loves to exercise. “That makes me a lot more satisfied,” he concluded.