The BTS rapper opens up about his new single \u201cSweet Dreams,\u201d staying in touch with other members, and more in an exclusive Q&A<\/p>\n
On March 1, not quite five months after\u00a0J-Hope<\/a>\u00a0had completed his mandatory military duty in the South Korean Army, the\u00a0BTS<\/a>\u00a0rapper performed for another kind of ARMY \u2014 his fans. It was there that his recent military life converged with his omnipresent pop star status. At the second of three concerts in Seoul, the singer-songwriter-producer\u00a0pointed at a familiar face<\/a>\u00a0in the crowd. But it wasn\u2019t one of his bandmates. Jin, who completed his service last June, would attend the following evening, and RM, SUGA, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook are still with their respective units and won\u2019t be discharged until this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cMy military junior is here!\u201d a clearly delighted J-Hope explained to his fans, while also addressing his friend. \u201cWhat are you doing here? Wow! I was so surprised that I couldn\u2019t concentrate in the middle of the performance. You\u2019re the best!\u201d<\/p>\n There is a Korean phrase that addresses this kind of bond that South Korean men form when they serve in the military together \u2014 \u201c\ub3d9\ubc18 \uc785\ub300,\u201d which translates to \u201cenlisting together.\u201d This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they entered the military as buddies. Rather, they formed a unique kinship based on spending almost all their waking hours serving their country together for roughly 18 months. That J-Hope was able to spot the young man at a sold-out concert is indicative of the idol\u2019s charm. He\u00a0sees\u00a0<\/em>and celebrates his fans, both literally and metaphorically.<\/p>\n Long before J-Hope, 31, became the first South Korean musician to headline a major U.S. music festival (Lollapalooza 2022<\/a>\u00a0in Chicago), and the first Korean solo artist set to headline a U.S. stadium (two upcoming concerts this April at Los Angeles\u2019s BMO Stadium), he was Jeong Hoseok, a scrappy Gwangju native who joined the underground dance team Neuron when he was 13.<\/p>\n Gwangju is famous for a pair of 20th-century uprisings that played an important role in Korea\u2019s democracy. In 1929, the Gwangju Student Movement fought against imperial Japan\u2019s colonization of Korea. And in 1980, after university students demonstrating against martial law were beaten and killed by soldiers ordered by Chun Doo-hwan\u2019s dictatorship, Gwangju\u2019s citizens fought back against the South Korean government in what became known as the Gwangju Uprising. The official report noted that 170 civilians were casualties of what Chun\u2019s regime referred to as the Gwangju\u00a0Riot<\/em>. But experts\u00a0estimate<\/a>\u00a0that the figure was closer to 1,000 deaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n J-Hope referenced these historic events in his hometown in the 2015 BTS song\u00a0\u201cMa City,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0which he co-wrote. His rap (\u201cPress 062-518 everyone\u201d) may seem innocuous to the casual listener. But 062 is Gwangju\u2019s area code, and the beginning of the Gwangju Uprising was on May 18. The lyrics are his way of reminding listeners that the present is informed by the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, J-Hope is wealthy beyond anything he could\u2019ve imagined as a child. But he also hails from a country that was split into two during the Korean War. That kind of generational trauma can have a trickle-down effect as stories of deprivation, separation, and starvation are passed down from grandparents, to parents, to children, to grandchildren. He is a generous philanthropist, who this year donated 100 million Korean won (roughly $68,000) to benefit the victims and families of the Jeju Air crash and another $200 million won to a children\u2019s hospital in Seoul.\u00a0<\/p>\n On March 6, J-Hope hosted a 12-hour comeback livestream on Weverse that had more than 26.9 million views, breaking that platform\u2019s record. Besides talking to ARMY about \u201cSweet Dreams,\u201d he took a shower (off camera), danced, and tucked into a\u00a0late-night meal<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>Korean culture dictates that food doesn\u2019t provide just sustenance, but is a communal activity. So it\u2019s not surprising that idols like J-Hope often eat during their real-time video streams. It\u2019s a way of sharing a meal together, but separately, with their fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n On his soulful new single\u00a0\u201cSweet Dreams,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0released earlier today \u2014 which features Miguel and his trademark falsetto \u2014 J-Hope sounds smooth, rapping in fluid English and making the kind of promises meant to make listeners both wistful and weak at the knees: \u201cWe might never get to sleep tonight\/I\u2019ll give you everything you need tonight\/This kind of love\/I guarantee for life\/Dreams are gonna be sweet tonight.\u201d As he said at his Seoul concert when he debuted this song, this is his first song that\u2019s centered on romantic love.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ahead of the North American leg of his\u00a0Hope on the Stage Tour<\/a>, which kicks off at Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center on March 13, J-Hope did an exclusive interview with\u00a0Rolling Stone\u00a0<\/em>via email, where he talked about music, his time in the military, and facing the challenges of doing it alone.<\/p>\n This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n \n