Global sensation BTS surprised fans Friday by releasing a digital single, “Dynamite,” ahead of its next album later this year. 

The track is all in English -- something the band had never tried before in the seven years since its debut. 

During an online media showcase, band leader RM explained that the unprecedented step had indeed presented a challenge for the band. 

“We never released a song before the official album release or in English, and frankly, it wasn’t our plan either,” he said. “But while recording for our upcoming album, we thought this track’s energy was so fun and fitting, and considering the ongoing situation around the world, we wanted to enjoy it as quickly as possible with as many people as possible.” 

In another first, the song was released at 1 p.m. Seoul time instead of the usual 6 p.m. -- apparently a strategic move to maximize its performance on music charts overseas. 

The band has recently been busy with its reality show, “In the SOOP,” which kicked off earlier this week. The musicians also look ahead to the release of “Break the Silence: The Movie” and of their album, which will be out this year as planned, said member Jimin at the showcase. 

Here are the questions from the showcase, and the band members’ answers.

Q. What is the meaning of “Dynamite”? 

Suga: “Dynamite” is a bright, cheerful disco-pop and a message of confidence and happiness. It’s like after you fell on the ground, you’re trying to get back up again. That’s what this song is like.

Jin: It’s a song that BTS wants to say at this current moment.

Q. Why did you decide to release “Dynamite” early? Or was it something you had in mind? 

RM: The release of “Dynamite” wasn’t planned at all; since the beginning of this year, we were working on our album and “Dynamite” was one of the songs we met in that process. It was a light, fun song that didn’t have any seriousness. While recording, we danced along to it a lot. And while recording, we thought we wanted to share this energy with our fans as quickly as possible and decided to release it early, something we‘ve never done before, but we just couldn’t wait.

Q. Why did you decide to record the song in English, and were there any challenges in doing so?

V: Considering the track’s melody and vibe, because it was so fun and cheerful, we thought it would be very fitting.

J-Hope: I absolutely, absolutely loved the track’s melody and vibe, and we wanted to share that with many people. We tried our best to deliver the good vibe that we got when first hearing the song, so we did our best to deliver that feeling.

Q. We can’t not talk about the choreography. What do you have for us at “Dynamite”?

Jungkook: The choreography of “Dynamite” is sophisticated as our dances before, and cheerful to match the song with a refreshing melody. It’s quite easy this time, easier than before, so I believe a lot of our fans can dance to it in their rooms. Each member also has an opportunity to give individual performances and reveal their unique style and charm.

Q. What are your upcoming plans for the track’s promotion?

RM: The first performance would be on VMA, awards show we didn’t attend yet. We were nominated before, but it is our first debut. Since “Dynamite” is a new challenge for us, we decided to take new challenges of performing it too.

Q. Since “Dynamite” was released unexpectedly, would there be any changes in the album’s release date which was scheduled for later this year?

Jimin: The release of “Dynamite” won‘t change our plans for releasing our album. Our members are pouring their best efforts into it, and I as well, so small changes in the schedule may be made but we will still put it out later this year.

Q. Would we be able to see some personal touches on this album?

Jimin: Of course, even more than before. I took upon the PM role while V was in charge of visual directing. I don’t know if I did a good job, maybe I didn’t, but I tried my best.

V: You did a good job.

Jimin: Thank you. You did too. He worked really hard on this album, putting together schedules and everything.

Q. BTS had broken records after records, topped music charts all around the world. What is your goal for “Dynamite”?

Suga: We have a new goal for “Dynamite” that’s not about numbers or rankings, and it’s that we hope a lot of people find comfort and strength while listening to it. I hope it gives strength to us and the fans.

Q. Could you share with us some behind-the-scenes stories or moments of “Dynamite”?

J-Hope: The vocal range of this song was very wide for me, so I had some trouble singing it at times. While recording the MV, we had a lot of flexibility and were able to make up dance moves on the spot so it carries a lot of vitality and is special for us.

Q. You have recently appeared in idol audition show “I-Land.” Are there any words of advice you’d like to give to trainees?

J-Hope: A lot of the trainees are probably doing their best but are still not sure if they’re doing well or going in the right direction. Watching the show, I also thought about what I had felt at the start of my career and reminded myself of those times, not to forget what I had felt and had been through.

Jungkook: I hope everyone cultivates more love for themselves. There will be many times when trainees will feel tired and exhausted but that will eventually contribute to their bigger growth.

Q. This pandemic era has brought us a lot of obstacles, but during it all, music has united us together. Have your thoughts about music changed at all through this difficult time?

V: Everyone, not just us, is having a hard time. The reason we are releasing a song that wasn‘t a part of our plan was because of this crisis. Many things we planned didn’t happen either. Through this period, we again have reaffirmed our love for music. But most importantly, we realized the importance of people who listen to our music. We need them to do music. We sincerely hope “Dynamite” will deliver them the strength needed. 

Jin: That is why we wanted to release “Dynamite” because through this song, we wanted to say, this time is difficult but let’s overcome this together. And we wanted to deliver that through singing and dancing, which is what we do best. We also wanted to show a new side of us, and hope everyone around the world gets a lot of strength from it.

RM: The pandemic was unexpected and we keep saying this but we felt angry and didn’t know what to do. Once some time has passed, however, we began to realize while the virus may have put a temporary stop in our activity, it gave us time and opportunity to think about our music and attempt something new and different. 



By Kwon Yae-rim (kyr@heraldcorp.com)