K-pop band BTS member J-Hope has faced social media backlash after a clip from an old interview resurfaced, showing him saying he is “pretending” to enjoy his work and music, with some fans even urging him to retire early.
During the interview centred on his solo album Hope On The Street Vol. 1, the rapper-singer spoke about his music and the motivation that keeps him going. However, he also admitted that he doesn’t enjoy everything he does and sometimes has to pretend to like it.
He said, “There are not many things that I actually enjoy. I think I pretend to like them. When I talk about it, I say I love my work and I like listening to music because I do, and that it’s my life and I enjoy it, but I’m not sure if I really do.”
To this, many fans expressed their frustration and criticised the artiste, calling him ‘fake’ and ‘pretentious’, asking him to retire if he has lost interest in his profession.
“Whole group became a joke, always complaining, blaming cult fd, members dragging each other, openly saying they lost interest in music like bro who tf is forcing y'all, just retire if you don't want it,stop throwing tantrum,” an X user wrote on Instagram.
Another post reads, “The difference of easy and fake achievements with hard work achievements are like this. While the ungrateful keeps talking like they pretend to enjoy things, others always love and treasure every single bit of things they do for music.”
“The fact that they now do it fraudulently & show no respect for music at all by faking their streams, letting their company pay & bribe everything, and being completely inorganic says a lot. They do it for money, greed & fake popularity, not because their hearts are truly in it.”
However, several Armys (BTS fans) came to J-Hope’s rescue, criticising the hate comments stemming from jealousy and unnecessary hatred.
“The obsession is real if you're watching his old content just to find something to complain about. And when he retires, we aren't suddenly switching over to your faves. Stay in your lane,” a fan wrote.
“So you guys have never experienced the effect of being burned out? It’s very common in adults and employed people. You guys might not know it since you aren’t employed. At least they try to give their best. Not like your faves who stop performing just because he doesn’t feel like it,” reads another post.
On the work front, BTS recently wrapped up their Tokyo segment of Arirang World Tour on April 18 and is now gearing up for their shows in North America, with stops in cities including Tampa, El Paso, Stanford and Las Vegas through late May.
The tour is expected to move to Mexico City in early May, followed by a European leg spanning Madrid, Brussels, London, Munich and Paris from late June to mid-July.
