News Analysis India

Tag: J Hope

  • BTS star J-Hope to debut documentary ‘J-Hope In the Box’ on Disney+Hotstar

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Fans of the South Korean band BTS have a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look as its member J-Hope works on his first solo album.

    Disney+Hotstar will stream the documentary “J-Hope In the Box” on February 17.

    The documentary follows the international music sensation every step of the way as he works to release his first-ever solo album – ‘Jack In The Box’.

    Over the course of the documentary, viewers will be given a never-before-seen look at the creative challenges faced during the album’s preparation process, as well as front row seats to J-Hope’s 2022 Lollapalooza performance and the album’s listening party.

    K-drama and K-music fans can already watch ‘BTS: Permission to Dance On Stage – LA”, an exclusive cinematic 4K concert film featuring BTS’ live performance at Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021; and “In The Soop: Friendcation”, an original travel reality show with a star-studded cast including V of BTS, Park Seojun (“Itaewon Class”), Choi Wooshik (“Parasite”), Park Hyungsik (“Soundtrack #1”), and Peakboy as the five friends venture off on a surprise trip.

    MUMBAI: Fans of the South Korean band BTS have a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look as its member J-Hope works on his first solo album.

    Disney+Hotstar will stream the documentary “J-Hope In the Box” on February 17.

    The documentary follows the international music sensation every step of the way as he works to release his first-ever solo album – ‘Jack In The Box’.

    Over the course of the documentary, viewers will be given a never-before-seen look at the creative challenges faced during the album’s preparation process, as well as front row seats to J-Hope’s 2022 Lollapalooza performance and the album’s listening party.

    K-drama and K-music fans can already watch ‘BTS: Permission to Dance On Stage – LA”, an exclusive cinematic 4K concert film featuring BTS’ live performance at Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021; and “In The Soop: Friendcation”, an original travel reality show with a star-studded cast including V of BTS, Park Seojun (“Itaewon Class”), Choi Wooshik (“Parasite”), Park Hyungsik (“Soundtrack #1”), and Peakboy as the five friends venture off on a surprise trip.

  • BTS’ J-Hope becomes first Korean artist to headline Lollapalooza music festival 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: BTS member J-Hope has been announced as one of the headlining artists at the upcoming Lollapalooza, making the rapper “the first South Korean” musician to lead the music festival.

    According to the music extravaganza’s official Twitter page, J-Hope will perform on the closing day of Lollapalooza on July 31.

    “We’re thrilled to announce #jhope of @bts_bighit will headline #Lolla 2022 on Sun, July 31st! His performance will make history, cementing him as the first South Korean artist to headline the main stage at a major US music festival,” the organisers said in a tweet shared on Tuesday night.

    Lollapalooza is an annual four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago, US.

    J-Hope also shared the announcement on his Instagram page and promised a “great show” to the audience.

    “This is going to be my first performance at @lollapalooza. It’s a thrilling new challenge that I think will become a really memorable chapter in my musical history! I’m gonna give you guys a great show. Get ready to get crazyyyyy! (sic),” he wrote.

    Having released his first solo mixtape ‘Hope World’ in 2018 and collaborating with American singer Becky G on his 2019 hit single “Chicken Noodle Soup”, the rapper also has an active career as a solo artist.

    Other headlining artists for this year’s Lollapalooza include Metallica, Dua Lipa, J Cole, Green Day, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Baby, and Kygo.

    BTS’ Big Hit Music label fellow TOMORROW x TOGETHER (TXT) is also part of the fest line-up and the group will perform on July 30. Lollapalooza opens on July 28.

  • BTS visits White House to discuss combating hate crime surge

    By Associated Press

    WASHINGTON: K-Pop sensation BTS visited the White House on Tuesday to talk with President Joe Biden about combating the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans — bringing superstar sizzle to an otherwise sad and scary topic.

    Band members J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jungkook, V, Jin and Jimin joined White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at her briefing with reporters on the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Jimin said the band had been “devastated by the recent surge” of crime and intolerance against Asian Americans that has persisted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

    “It’s not wrong to be different,” Suga said through an interpreter. “Equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.” V said that “everyone has their own history.”

    “We hope today is one step forward to understanding and respecting each and everyone as a valuable person,” V added.

    The band members wore black suits and ties and took turns briefly stepping to the podium. They got a tour of the White House before the briefing and held a closed-door meeting with the president in the Oval Office afterwards. Biden administration officials have spent recent weeks holding roundtable discussions and other meetings with Asian American leaders to discuss the violence.

    Since its debut in 2013, BTS has garnered global recognition for the members’ self-produced music and activism, including an appearance at the United Nations. The band topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart three times in 2020, and was nominated for prominent music awards like the Grammys, Billboard Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.

    The normally cramped White House briefing room was even more jammed than usual, as journalists on-hand to cover BTS packed the aisles alongside the rows of seats assigned to outlets who regularly attend. The White House livestream — not known for large, middle-of-the-afternoon audiences — attracted more than 230,000 viewers before the event even began.

    After the band members spoke and had their comments translated, reporters began to ask them questions, but Jean-Pierre — who had said previously that members wouldn’t take questions — intervened, saying, “We’re gonna go.” That prompted BTS members to offer, “We’re sorry” as they filed away from the podium.

    Following the band was Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, who was there to address reporters after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s meeting with Biden earlier in the day.

    “I get to go home and tell my kids that BTS opened for me,” Deese joked, adding that he was sure the room was “as excited” to talk about inflation’s impact on the U.S. economy as they’d been for the band.

    The scene was fun but the issue that brought the group to the White House was not. The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination since 2020 has included the March 2021 killing of eight people at Atlanta-area massage businesses, including six women of Asian descent.

    Following those shootings, Asian American organizations across the U.S. staged unity events and took to social media to call for an end to racist attacks. Within days, BTS tweeted, “We stand against racial discrimination” and included the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate.

    “We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected,” BTS wrote then. “We will stand together.”

    On Tuesday, the band thanked its fans, with Jungkook saying, “We still feel surprised that music created by South Korean artists reaches so many people around the world, transcending language and cultural barriers.”

    “We believe music is always an amazing and wonderful unifier of all things,” he added.

    Jean-Pierre said BTS is hoping “to combat racism, xenophobia, intolerance” that Asian communities have faced. She noted that Biden signed legislation combating COVID-19 hate crimes and issued an executive order reestablishing the White House initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific islanders, while helping to promote research to prevent racism against such communities.