On the 28th, BTS held a press conference to commemorate the “BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA Concert” at SoFi Stadium, LA, USA.
This concert is the act’s first offline concert in about two years since “MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR” scheduled for 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19. And the responses are explosive as BTS became the first solo artist/group to sell out all the tickets for 4-day concerts in the history of SoFi Stadium.
No one cried
Jin: Before going on stage, we told each other that we might burst into tears when we saw the audience. We were very nervous, too. And since we hadn’t seen our fans in such a long time, we didn’t want to make mistakes, so we practiced a lot. But no one actually cried (laughs).
I’ll enjoy today’s performance
Jimin: Actually, I feel a little regretful. I felt nervous and scared of the stage. Two years felt longer than I thought. I thought so hard about what expressions and gestures I should make when I meet ARMY. So I regret that I didn’t fully enjoy day one. Today, I’ll take it easy and enjoy the performance to the fullest.
Now my heart also enjoys �
(In regards to the acceptance speech that he shared at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, “There is fear and hesitation”)
Suga: Fear and hesitation always coexist in life. But then I wondered why I couldn’t fully accept them and enjoy the moment back then. So when we won the artist of the year at the AMAs, I was genuinely happy. I’m glad that even my heart can enjoy the moment. I’m feeling grateful.
I’m just a tip of a trophy
RM: 50% of our success is thanks to our fans. The members account for 35%, each being in charge of 5%. And the rest is our label’s effort. If I compare it to a trophy, I’m merely the tip. As an artist, we started out in Korea, and the limitations of our identity, language, genre, and the invisible walls, we felt like they really existed. But we tried to give our best to every show, every performance and every music with all of our hearts. And I think those small moments truly made today’s miracle for us.
We’ll raise a voice that gives strength to Asians
RM: I feel a heavy responsibility for talking about Asians. I wasn’t born or raised overseas. But as an Asian, through the past years and our paths and our awards, I truly felt the wall, and the wall can’t be at all times described with words. We just hope that this can truly help every Asian on the planet who lives in countries abroad. If there’s something we can help, or we can be giving of consolations, we are always open and will try to expand our value and stop discrimination.
Grammy Awards? “Any tree can be felled with 10 strokes of an ax”
Suga: It still feels surreal that we won nominations for two years in a row. Even winning nominations is not easy, let alone winning an award. I’m grateful that there are still walls to overcome and that we can keep on challenging. And I do wish we could overcome it. There’s a Korean saying, “any tree can be felled with 10 strokes of an ax.” If we’ve hit it twice, maybe we can hit it eight more times.
Translator Kim Hoyeun: If you are a fan of K-drama, K-movie, and K-pop, I am your guy. I will continue to provide you with up-to-date K-entertainment news.