BTS‘ Jin knows he’s the oldest member of the band, but he also thinks he’s the most handsome.
In a Wednesday (April 15) interview with Rolling Stone, Jin of BTS spoke with senior writer Brian Hiatt about his solo rock music, his love of Coldplay and reuniting with BTS for their new album, ARIRANG, and accompanying world tour. In a particularly vulnerable moment, Jin also spoke about his experiences as the oldest member of the K-pop group.
“I guess it’s always physically taxing,” Jin said when asked what it’s like being an idol at 33 years old (the singer is 35 in the traditional South Korean aging system). “While it’s true that the same moves can feel a bit more difficult now, that’s just my burden to bear.”
The singer said he works extra hard so that he can be in peak form for fans. In a moment of vulnerability, he also shared how he feels about his own performance skills in comparison to those of his bandmates.
“To be honest, I’m aware that I don’t move quite as well as the other members,” Jin said. Rather than letting this deter him, he uses it as motivation to push himself harder. “So I’ve always come early to practice, or stayed late to catch up.”
Despite feeling behind his bandmates in some aspects, there is one lane where Jin believes himself to be on top. “I do think I’m more good-looking than the other members,” Jin jested, acknowledging that everyone in the group is handsome. “I should have at least one thing I’m best at in the group.”
That wasn’t the only thing Jin opened up about. In another candid moment, he talked about not writing any of the songs on the band’s new album, the Billboard 200 chart-topper ARIRANG.
“I didn’t write any of the songs because I was still on my solo tour at the time,” Jin said. Last summer, the idol went on his first ever solo tour, the #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR, to accompany his Billboard 200 No. 3 album Echo. He explains that the writing and recording sessions for ARIRANG were scheduled after his tour, and by the time he returned from the road, all of the tracks were written. “When I arrived at the studio, there were a 100-something songs already made.”
Over the course of seven to 10 days, Jin test recorded the best songs from the bunch and then the album was done. “I do think it would have been better,” Jin said. “But the other members did a beautiful job.”
At the end of the day, Jin is just happy to be back with BTS and to be hitting the road as a collective again.
“My biggest dream has been to go on tour with BTS,” the idol replied when asked about his personal ambitions for the next five years. “And meet as many fans as I can, from all over the world.”
Watch Jin’s full solo interview with Rolling Stone below.