BTS star Jin celebrates solo album release with fan showcase in Seoul

Jin, a member of global K-pop sensation BTS, marked the release of his first solo album, "Happy", with a two-day fan showcase in Seoul. The Korea Herald Photo

SEOUL — The 33-year-old artist, who completed his mandatory military service earlier this year, expressed his excitement about reconnecting with BTS fans, known as ARMY.

"Since returning to civilian life, I've been looking forward to meeting ARMY in person. Thank you for filling the seats and joining online as well. I feel excited and nervous," Jin said as he opened the last-day event on Sunday at Jangchung Arena.

The showcase, attended by 3,800 fans chosen from a draw over two days, featured the vocalist's live performances from Happy, including the lead track Running Wild.

The British rock-inspired pop-rock song about the warmth, brightness and passion inspired by love debuted at No. 8 on Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart with over 493,000 streams on its release day.

Opening the show with a live band and a dramatic appearance through red curtains, Jin performed Running Wild, energizing the packed venue. Fans waved BTS' signature purple light sticks and sang along to the track that came out just two days ago.

Jin shared personal anecdotes while introducing songs from the album, including the fan-dedicated song, I Will Come to You, which he co-wrote based on feelings he experienced during his military service.

"It's been five to six months since I was discharged," he said. "This song captures the emotions I felt while thinking of ARMY during that time. I noted down words that came to mind while serving and later turned them into lyrics."

When asked by a fan about his inspiration for the song, Jin revealed, "As soon as I entered the military, I desperately wanted to perform. I missed ARMY and didn't know how to handle those emotions, so I decided to write them down."

In addition to performing live all the tracks from Happy, to a live band sound, Jin delighted fans with a unique interactive event aimed to explore Jin's personal understanding of happiness and gauging fans' preferences for Jin's fashion choices.

Red Velvet's Wendy joined him for a duet on Heart on the Window, a song she featured in, while Jin also performed his viral hit Super Tuna, BTS' Moon and his first solo single, The Astronaut. Each song featured elaborate stage sets tailored to their themes.

Jin expressed his desire to continue to "be happy together" with fans just like now, encouraging them to live "fulfilling lives" while apart and to reunite to share happiness when "we can."

"I believe greater happiness comes from being happy together. I'll keep running to achieve this goal," he added.

The showcase event was also livestreamed globally on Hybe's K-pop fan community platform, Weverse, with translations available in seven foreign languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish.

Jin, the first BTS member to complete military service, has been active in various roles since his discharge in June, including participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics torch relay and appearing on South Korean variety shows. — The Korea Herald/ANN