BTS’ Jin Opens Up His World With Debut Single ‘The Astronaut,’ A Thank You To ARMY

At THP HQ, it’s not news that BTS’ eldest member Jin is one of our fave vocalists in the industry. He always shines in Bangtan’s ballads, plus SoundCloud and solo tracks like ‘Abyss’ and ‘Tonight’ have consistently blown ARMY’s minds. Now, Jin is taking it to the next level and following on from j-hope’s Jack In The Box earlier this year by releasing his official debut single, ‘The Astronaut!’

‘The Astronaut’

‘The Astronaut’ is indeed the song of our dreams. In fact, we’d go as far as to say it’s every dream we “found in the darkness.” Jin’s vocals are incredibly versatile, but he never sounds better than when he is on rock or ballad-influenced tracks, and that is exactly what ‘The Astronaut’ is! He croons sweetly to ARMY throughout the galactic track, which he also dedicates to us.

Talking about the song, Jin explains that it’s about his journey “wandering place to place and you [ARMY] supporting me in discovering my dreams.” OK, cue our tears.

Jin co-wrote the track with Coldplay, marking their second collab following last year’s iconic ‘My Universe.’ ‘The Astronaut’ was also co-produced by Kygo and features Chris Martin (and his son Moses) on backing vocals! With a line-up this elite, how could the song be anything but perfect?

The guitar and synth-filled instrumental do have the clear influence of Coldplay, but the song is so Jin it practically hurts. Reminding us of his MOTS:7 solo ‘Moon,’ Jin makes the vastest and most intimidating emotions feel like you could grasp them in your hand. He describes ‘The Astronaut’ as the perfect song for “a breezy autumn day,” and we couldn’t agree more.

The Music Video

Ok, so, Seokjin really got us with this one. The music video is completely perfect for the song’s energy and meaning, and we barely have words for how much we adore it. It’s full of the nuances and easter eggs that ARMY are pros at hunting out!

The story shows Jin as ‘The Astronaut’ who has crashed and fallen to Earth. He befriends a little girl (representing ARMY), and they become each other’s found family. When the time comes for Jin to leave Earth, he tries but simply can’t do it, returning to the little girl who has been sitting on her bicycle waiting for him.

He’s a misfit on this planet, ignored by people in the street. He’s only seen twice in the MV, once by the little girl and once by the pick-up truck that takes him back to her. Of course, it’s a general consensus that the little girl represents ARMY, but what if we take it one step further? Some particularly investigative ARMY think the pick-up truck represents BTS. It could be a nod to their ‘Run’ music video, which shows Bangtan riding around in a pick-up, and we know that BTS love to throw in easter eggs like this. It would make sense – ARMY gave Jin the courage to follow his dreams, and Bangtan helped him achieve them.

“For ARMY”

If the pain wasn’t hitting hard enough already, thanks to the storyline, Jin put plenty more little clues in the music video that just make us love him and the song even more. Chris Martin’s cameo as the newsreader on Jin’s TV had us cracking up, but the rest were tear-inducing. Jin’s character has a marking on his neck that, when translated through braille, spells ‘ARMY.’ Following on from that, he’s also seen filling in a crossword with words like ‘FAMILY.’ But when you translate the black squares, what does it say? Of course, it’s ‘FOR ARMY.’

The Next Chapter

‘The Astronaut’ came at a very important time in Jin’s life and career. After their huge World Expo concert in Busan last week, BTS announced they will now be undertaking their mandatory enlistment to the South Korean military. The seven members will all enlist fairly shortly, staggering it around their solo endeavors, with the whole team reuniting around 2025. The music video storyline hits even harder when you consider the parallels, right?

As the eldest member, Jin will enter the military first, almost immediately following the release of ‘The Astronaut.’ We’re so happy that Jin had the opportunity to share this track with us before he left, and the decision to release a song with this meaning says a lot about Jin’s character as well as BTS’ collective attitude to this new chapter and their relationship with ARMY.

Don’t worry, though. He’s not enlisted yet, and we still have another treat yet to come… (get it?)

Coldtan Volume Two

From ‘My Universe’ at Permission To Dance On Stage: LA to ‘The Astronaut’ in Buenos Aires! On Friday, October 28th, Jin will join Coldplay on stage for the first-ever performance of ‘The Astronaut’ as they continue their Music of the Spheres World Tour in Argentina. If you can’t make it to Buenos Aires, don’t worry! The entire show, including their performance with Jin, will be broadcasted in cinemas across the world on Saturday, October 29th! From Hobipalooza to Ar-JIN-tina, the Bangtan Boys don’t mess around with their solo debuts, huh?

We couldn’t think of a song or concept better suited for Jin’s debut single! We’re so happy it’s out in the world! Or maybe we should say it’s out of this world…

What did you think of Jin’s ‘The Astronaut?’ Are you headed to the cinema this weekend to watch Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres? Let us know in the comments or over on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can also find us on Facebook or Instagram!

Want more BTS in your life? (who doesn’t?) Here you go, bestie!

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