Co-written with Coldplay, BTS’ Jin released an out-of-this-world solo single entitled “The Astronaut” along with an accompanying music video on Oct 28. The release rocked the charts and the hearts of his fans. It debuted at number one on the Global Youtube Song and Music Video Chart, and garnered roughly 24 million streams on Spotify a week after its release, becoming one of the fastest Korean soloist songs to do so.
The track was released just shortly after BTS’ music label — Bighit Music — confirmed that the members would enlist in the mandatory two-year military service in South Korea. The statement revealed that Jin will enlist after his solo release in October, and the rest of the members will follow according to their own plans. The announcement arrived just two days after BTS’ live performance at Busan’s World Expo 2030 — their last scheduled full-group activity until 2025. Before this — during their FESTA dinner to celebrate their ninth anniversary — BTS announced that they would be focusing on solo activities, so many fans — also known as ARMYs — surmised that this was the group’s way of hinting at their enlistment.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin explained that Jin called them six months prior to inform them that he was enlisting soon, but that he wanted to leave behind a heartfelt song for ARMY to hold onto until his return. BTS have a pre-existing relationship with the popular British rock band, as they collaborated on another space-related track titled “My Universe” released last year.
In the music video for “The Astronaut,” Jin is an alien who accidentally crash-lands on Earth and takes residence with a young girl and her family. A mysterious light beam beckons Jin to presumably return to his planet of origin. As he makes his way towards the light, he reminisces on the memories he made during his stay on Earth — recalling the memories he shared with the little girl like teaching her how to ride a bike. As he looks at his spaceship, now fixed and ready to take off, Jin decides to stay, knowing that he has found a sense of belonging right where he is. The music video ends with Jin smiling in his room when he hears a bike’s bell chime — alerting him that the little girl, too, found her way back home.
ARMY took to Twitter to decipher the video’s true intentions, ultimately concluding that the events in the video are meant to symbolically represent Jin’s relationship with ARMY. Prior to his debut in BTS, Jin aimlessly wandered — lost in space — until he was able to form an unbreakable bond with the people who gave his life purpose.
“The Astronaut” is not Jin’s first solo project. His previous project “Super Tuna” is light-hearted and catchy, while “The Astronaut” is more tender and melancholic. Jin’s melodic voice accompanied by the song’s soft instrumentals envelops the listener in a blanket of comfort. The lyrics are sincere and express the singer’s unwavering affection for his fans. “When I’m with you / There is no one else / I get heaven to myself” is his way of expressing that no matter the time or distance, his appreciation and devotion to his ARMY will stay entrenched deep in his heart.
In an interview with MTV, Jin explained that writing lyrics is not an easy task for him to do, but he had a very specific story he wanted to convey in the song.
“I always have so much to say to our fans,” Jin explained. “Though I try to convey how much I love them and care about them in the lyrics, it’s always never enough. ARMY makes me a better person and my life happier. Love you, always.”
Jin joined Coldplay on stage at the latter’s Music Of The Spheres Tour in Buenos Aires to perform “The Astronaut.” Behind a backdrop of twinkling purple lights and a multi-colored moon, the singer poured his heart out to the audience with his iconic pink microphone in hand. Despite Martin only providing background vocals in the original song, the pair shared a heartfelt moment when they sang the last part together. Jin belted the last lyric, “And I love you,” with a passion that could only be found in the deepest parts of his soul.
“The Astronaut” is a gift, being a beautiful articulation of words and melodies to convey Jin’s sentiment to his fans, but it will certainly not be the last one. The single serves more as a promise than a goodbye. It is a promise to inevitably return because Jin knows where his true home is: with ARMY.
Kamilla Jafarova is an Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at kjafarov@uci.edu.
