BTS’s Jungkook Reveals How ARMY Helped Him Rediscover His Life’s Meaning
2020 has been difficult for everyone, including BTS. The members are missing their fans, but they’re finding ways to stay connected.
On October 10 and 11, BTS performed MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E, a virtual concert that included songs from their MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 album. Originally, BTS had planned to premiere some of these performances on their MAP OF THE SOUL world tour.
In Jungkook‘s latest log, he talked about how performing just doesn’t feel the same without an audience. He wondered if this new normal, so different from previous years, was going to become BTS’s daily life.
Oh yeah, we recently had a concert. Oh that time, really, I was very happy. I was so, so happy. Normally these days, there’s no audience, so from our perspective ARMYs aren’t there in front of us.
So, every time, no matter how hard we work on the show, there’s no roaring crowd, so when we do a performance, we only check to see if it came out nicely, and if we’ve done well, and it kept on repeating to a point where I wondered if that was really going to be our daily lives now.
— Jungkook
Unlike BTS’s other 2020 virtual performances, MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E featured livestreamed video from the fans watching it. Seeing ARMY reawakened the feelings Jungkook used to feel at in-person shows.
Of course, now we did a variety of performances, so it felt new and it was a great opportunity, but when we did the concert this time, it was like, ‘Oh yeah. Yeah, these were the feelings I used to feel.
I’m starting to get those feelings back now, and there was the cheering ambiance effect though it wasn’t the actual cheer of ARMY, that cheer perked me up.
— Jungkook
He explained that seeing and hearing ARMY is a major part of BTS’s shows and it sets him free on stage.
Even when I was doing that, 80% to 90% of the driving force of a performance is the roaring sound of ARMY, and the way you look at us, and your facial expressions, and the way you enjoy yourselves while listening to our songs.
Those things really are 80% to 90% of the driving force that sort of lets me break out of my body a little more, but we didn’t have that recently. We only had the ambiance effects, so it really perked me up.
— Jungkook
Jungkook’s experience with ARMY at MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E helped him to rediscover the meaning of his life, and he’s very thankful for it.
And also, we could see your faces. And we could actually hear the roaring sound you were making so it sort of, I mentioned this during the ending speech too, I think I was able to sort of find the meaning of my life again and a sense of hope.
Should I say a sense of relief? I think it was a concert where I was able to feel those things. So my mind has become really calm and relaxed. So, thank you so much, my ARMY…
— Jungkook
Watch the log here:
