Jungkook says the BTS members are his colleagues and rivals at the same time

Q. You released your new album "Wings: A Supplementary Story." Tell me about the album.
Rap Monster: The album contains a total of 18 tracks, while it includes 4 new songs. The other 14 songs are from our previous album "Wings." The album is titled "You never walk alone," and as you can guess, we wanted to talk about hope and consolation. We wanted to talk about how young people overcome their despair.

Q. Is there any reason why you wanted to talk about hope and consolation?
Rap Monster: Because youths need hope and consolation. They have to make steps forward by themselves, but they can be consoled when they're with their friends. The title track "Spring Day" is a song for my friends.

Q. Your album was released on February 13, and it is gaining a huge popularity. How do you feel?
Jimin: Just before releasing the album, we had a talk with our fans and it's true we felt pressured to get a good result because "Wings" was loved by so many people. I was very moved when our new song was ranked no.1 on online music charts.
Jin: We had 500,000 copies of our album pre-ordered when we released "Wings," and the album sold over 770,000 copies till last month. By the way, we were very surprised when we heard that we have 700,000 copies of our album pre-ordered this time. We know album sales have decreased significantly with the rising number of free music download sites, and we thank our fans for their love. We will try harder to make better music.

Q. Tell me about the title track "Spring Day."
Suga: You may think the song is very different from our previous songs because it is not as powerful song as "Fire" and "Blood Sweat & Tears." However, it is also BTS' music and I think people will empathize with the lyrics of the song. The lyrics are based on my personal experience.
J-Hope: The choreography of the song is energetic but delicate. It is like a modern dance performance, and we wanted to express the song lyrically.


Q. Some people say the music video of "Spring Day" reminds them of the tragic sinking of ferry Sewol in 2014.
Rap Monster: Well, it isn't easy to say something about the tragedy. We feel responsible as we are loved by so many people, and that's why we donated to the families of the victims. But, about the song and music video, we just want to leave much room for interpretation.

Q. So, you are going to kick off your world tour by holding your exclusive concert at the Gocheok Sky Dome, the biggest indoor performance venue in Korea. Tell me about your concert.
Suga: We'll visit 11 cities of 9 different countries, and we prepared so much for the concert. It's got a gripping story, superb sets, and stunning effects. Please look forward to it.
J-Hope: You’ll just have to watch it yourself.

Q. What's your goal?
Jimin: I hope we will win the grand prize at the end-of-year music awards again.
Rap Monster: I know it's not an easy thing, but I'm dreaming of having our stadium tour all around the world.

Q. What do you think is the reason for your great popularity?
Jin: First, it's because of our continuous development. All the members have been continuously developing since our debut. You know, some of them have become handsome indeed. I was very handsome even when I was a rookie, by the way, haha. I think they're taking after me. And second, it's because of the great chemistry among the members.

Q. Who do you think is your rival?
Jungkook: I think the members are my biggest rivals. They're my colleagues and rivals at the same time. I can not help but learn and develop because they practice hard and always do their best.

Q. It seems like not a few young boy groups these days think of you as their role model. What do you think of it?
Suga: Well, it is surprising because I was a rookie just a few years ago. When I was a rookie, I was seized with anxiety and unable to sleep. I want to tell them that their day will come in the near future.
Jin: I think the important thing is to maintain a good teamwork. We sometimes argue with each other, but we get rid of possible misunderstandings through dialogues.