BTS's Jin, RM, And J-Hope Open Up About Their "Dark Sides"

BTS has their “dark side”, but they’ve learned how to face it and, better yet, channel it creatively.

In an interview with Rolling Stone India, BTS were asked about their 2014 Dark & Wild album and their 2015 The Most Beautiful Moment in Life series. These works tackled the highs and lows of growing up, speaking to the hearts of young people everywhere.

“Now when you look back at these records as successful adults, how has your perspective on what the youth need to hear in music evolved?” Rolling Stone India asked.

“When I was younger,” RM replied. “I thought that sadness had to be dealt with sadness. Now that I am older, I realize that is not always the case. We need a balanced mix of happiness and sadness and light and dark to act as nutritive elements in our lives.”

RM later explored that balance of light and darkness in his 2018 solo mixtape, mono. Its soft-spoken vulnerability was a major departure from the bold, hip-hop heavy RM mixtape he released in 2015.

My color and identity have completely changed again since mono, but I wanted to address that dark and monochrome side of myself then. I hope it can comfort anyone who is in a similar chapter in their life.

— RM

Like RM, Jin brought a side of himself out of the shadows and into the spotlight. His solo song “Epiphany” is about self-love and insecurity; topics that were not comfortable for Jin to open up about.

Self-acceptance and insecurity are topics that I honestly didn’t want to address. I didn’t want to reveal my dark side, but talking to our Chairman and producer Mr. Bang helped me open up. I think I have now accepted that part of me, and learned to understand and love myself.

— Jin

J-Hope is a source of positivity for ARMY, but he too has a dark side that worked its way into his music. His solo song “Blue Side (Outro)” is much different than his usual, upbeat tracks.

“Blue Side” gave us a glimpse of a more melancholic, reflective side of your artistry. Is that something you’d like to explore in detail in the future? Is there a darker side to j-hope that you have yet to unleash artistically?

— Rolling Stone India

“I believe we all have shadows as humans,” J-Hope explained. “I am grateful that music can act as a mechanism to beautifully express those dark sides. I want to continue to try new things by exploring new genres and telling my stories. I’m doing my best to prepare at the moment, so please look forward to it.”