J-Hope was also close to leaving and moving to another agency
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| Jimin, V, and Jungkook in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star (doc. Disney+ Hotstar/BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star) |
BTS’ latest documentary, BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star, was officially released on Wednesday (20/12/2023) at 15:00 WIB. The series, which airs on Disney+ Hotstar, runs for 8 episodes until January 10, 2024.
Although only two episodes in, BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star has revealed some surprising facts, especially about BTS’ 10-year career in the entertainment industry. One of the interesting facts revealed was about the selection of BTS’ debut lineup.
Apparently, before officially debuting on June 13, 2013, trainees at BigHit Entertainment came and went. Until finally, seven members were selected as BTS’ debut lineup. What are the facts behind the scenes of BTS’ debut lineup selection? Check out the following!
1. RM was the first member to catch Bang Si Hyuk’s attention
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| RM at BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star (doc. Disney+ Hotstar/BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star) |
In the documentary, not only were BTS interviewed, but so was their agency CEO, Bang Si Hyuk. He played a big role in the formation of BTS’ debut lineup in 2013.
Bang Si Hyuk said that RM or Kim Namjoon was the trainee who first caught his attention. At that time, he listened to a demo song made by RM and was immediately attracted to his talent.
“I strongly believe that someone like him should debut no matter what,” Bang Si Hyuk said in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star.
Even at the beginning of the debut lineup selection, BigHit Entertainment actually intended to debut a hiphop group with RM as the center. This was due to RM’s background in rap and hiphop. However, the agency crew eventually changed their minds after trainees came and went.
2. J-Hope had thought of switching agencies
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| J-Hope in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star (doc. Disney+ Hotstar/BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star) |
Unlike RM, J-Hope was recruited for his dance talent. J-Hope’s arrival finally solidified the turnaround of this BigHit Entertainment trainee group. All trainees involved were eventually required to practice dancing every day as they prepared to debut as a KPop group.
However, a surprising fact was revealed in the BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star documentary. Apparently, after undergoing training for 2 years, J-Hope had considered leaving and moving to another agency, as their trainee life was filled with uncertainty.
“I was worried in that situation. I had to think about my career path. ‘Should I find another company and debut? Or should I go back to my old company and debut with my friends?'” revealed J-Hope.
Based on BTS members’ stories in other content, at that moment, the members begged J-Hope to stay at their agency. Especially Jungkook who cried because his brother wanted to leave.
J-Hope continued, “The answer is in front of me. I trusted the members and chose them. I didn’t even think about the agency at all, I just thought about the members and stayed, because there were six of them.”
3. SUGA is considered to have an interesting sarcastic side
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| SUGA in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star (doc. Disney+ Hotstar/BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star) |
On the other hand, Bang Si Hyuk also spoke about SUGA’s selection as a BTS member. He said that the member whose real name is Min Yoongi has a unique sarcastic charm that will add to the appeal of the group.
“I still like this charisma that he has. I believe that someone like him is needed in the team, especially since he is not someone who will show his nature negatively,” Bang Si Hyuk said.
However, SUGA originally wanted to start a career as a music producer. At that time, he was just a kid who had a great love for music and wanted to create. He has even started tinkering with songs since he was in his teens. No wonder he’s one of the BTS members with the most song credits in the Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA).
3. Jin was named as the member who would develop the fandom
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| Jin in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star (doc. Disney+ Hotstar/BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star) |
Jin was actually a trainee with an acting background. However, he was eventually chosen to be the main BTS debut lineup, due to his attractive visuals. On top of that, he also had the smooth vocals to keep up with the group. He was also among the last few members to join.
“For Jin, he himself calls himself Worldwide Handsome. I used to be shocked because how can there be someone as handsome as him. I believe that in a KPop group, he can bring development in the fandom,” Bang Si Hyuk said.
4. The maknae of BTS’ line have different stories of making it to the debut team
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| Jimin, V, and Jungkook in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star (doc. Disney+ Hotstar/BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star) |
As for the maknae line, there are some interesting stories revealed through the BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star documentary. First, for Jungkook, he entered through auditions and actually many other agencies wanted to sign him. However, he chose BigHit Entertainment, as he was interested in RM’s rap skills.
Furthermore, Jungkook used to be very shy and inferior. Therefore, he was unable to express his abilities. Bang Si Hyuk realized that, but he saw that the maknae had great potential to grow.
“For Jungkook, he wasn’t a confident person back then so he hasn’t been able to show all his abilities, but I have a strong instinct that he has huge potential. He just couldn’t show it at the time,” he said.
Meanwhile, V at the beginning of his debut became BTS’ “hidden weapon”. As it turned out, he made it into the lineup because the agency felt that he had outstanding visuals and amazing talent. Bang Si Hyuk believed that he also had great potential.
For Jimin, it was revealed that he actually almost didn’t debut with the other BTS members. Bang Si Hyuk as producer and CEO felt he was not ready. But he finally heard the words of the agency crew and BTS members to include Jimin.
“Jimin is a special case. He’s a charismatic person with a lot of talent, but I used to be skeptical because he looked like he wasn’t ready. But my team strongly emphasized that someone like Jimin was needed in the team. Looking back, we almost let him go,” Bang Si Hyuk revealed.
Besides the story of BTS’ debut lineup selection, there are so many other facts revealed through BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star. The documentary presents BTS’ 10-year career journey in depth. What’s more, there are many moments and interviews that have never been shown before.
If you’re curious about the rest of BTS’ story, you can watch BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star on Disney+ Hotstar. The documentary series airs every Wednesday at 3pm. Don’t miss it!