For Rolling Stone’s eight-part May 2026 cover-story package, the seven members of @BTS met up in Seoul, South Korea in mid-February to talk with senior writer Brian Hiatt, both individually and as a group. In this solo interview, #jhope talks about how his stage name reshaped his identity, writing about romance, escaping expectations, and much more. #bts #btsarmy #jhopebts

J-Hope on finding hope: “Once I got this name, I told myself that I should take responsibility for this name that I’m carrying, and it changed something inside of me. I started searching for hope everywhere.”

J-Hope on writing about romance in his recent solo songs: “I feel like the love and romance you feel in your thirties holds a different weight from the love and romance of your twenties. Even beyond personal experience, I just find myself thinking more deeply about it, and taking on the perspective of a more mature adult.”

J-Hope on being back with BTS: “Now that we’re back together, the other members are filling in any gaps that I feel in my expression, in my performance. In a lot of ways, I realized that this is why there were seven of us.”

J-Hope on BTS’ goals going forward: “Rather than dream too big, I just want to keep having fun making music with the group, and to nurture our loving relationship with each other and our fans for many years to come. That’s my only goal, and my hope.

Read the Rolling Stone interview with J-Hope here: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/j-hope-interview-arirang-solo-bts-1235544844/

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Talent — J-Hope
Interviewer & Senior Writer — Brian Hiatt
Director of Social & Video — Waiss Aramesh
Executive Producer & Shoot Director — Christopher Hwisu Kim
Senior Producer — Viviane Feldman
Producer & Colorist — Mitch Saavedra
Social Video Producer/Editor — Sim Tumay

Moktan Productions
Video Director of Photography — Mike Beech
Gaffer and Camera Operator — Wonman Kim
Camera Operators — Byeong Hwi Min, Churl Gwon, Hyunsuh Paik
DIT — Jiwoon Lee
Sound Operator — Min Jae Lee
Production Assistant — Seohyun Yoon

Nuhana
Executive Producer — Sooh Hwang
Producer — Sebin Park
Line Producer — Cherry Lee
Translators Alex M. Lee, Sungbin Moon

Creative Director — Joe Hutchinson
Executive Music Editor — Christian Hoard
Editors in Chief — Sean Woods & Shirley Halperin
CEO — Julian Holguin

https://www.youtube.com/user/rollingstone

41 comments

  4. I wanna say that while I am so happy Bts are back together, I wanna make clear that I would like them to have the option to fully stop whenever they wanted. It must be so suffocating the feeling that you cant stop if you want to cause you will hurt so many people. Like being in a trap. and our love for them shouldnt feel like trap 🙁

  5. Wow what an amazing interview. Hobi is such an intelligent, considerate and thoughtful person that he by himself stand out in the group. Hobi represents so much for the whole group, like he is the backbone of BTS. For sure he will be even a bigger artist by himself but he choose the group and I admire him for that. Actually I think the new album "Arirang" has a lot of Hobi's solo blueprint, more than any other one of them…. My respect. Love you Jung Hoseok 💜

  8. Hobi’s growth in BTS and as an individual has been insane to witness. So proud of how far he’s come and how much they love each other as a group.

  15. J Hope is the most underrated member of BTS. Without him, the group would have disbanded long ago. Besides that, he's obviously a great dancer, singer, and rapper. And on Arirang, he's amazing.

  19. I firmly believe J-Hope is one of the most elegant, well spoken, and talented artists of our lifetime. There is no one like him—and that’s an amazing thing!

  20. Thoughtful, mature and dedicated young man. Not sure we deserve him but I am forever glad he shares himself with us via his dance n music. Admire him so very much.

  21. I keep rewatching this interview, it's not often that we get access to Hoseok's candid thoughts and the questions were thankfully really meaningful and well-prepared. Hoseok is such an intentional and serious artist, I hope he remains passionate about being an artist for the rest of his life.

  23. Your artistry and talent has no limits. I deeply admire you, your courage always take any challenge, always move forward. Your music inspires and motivates me. I will listen to you talking about creating music all day! Love you, Hobi!!

  31. I loved this one so much. It made me think about a lot of things and as i was writing down some things i realized i always refer to him as J-hope or Hobi but i never call him Hoseok just as I call the others by their real name. I never truly realized this but it makes sm sense now. He truly has this whole aura of determination and he just embodies so much the concept of hope that it is just natural for me.
    I loved Jack in the box and the whole story about Pandora's box so much and I can't wait to watch his artistery grow!
    Tuly an exceptional artist. (02-05-2026)

  33. Thank you J-hope for sharing your new insights of yourself and your wish for the group. Stay happy and healthy. Truly you are everybody's hope and sunshine!

  35. I love how positive Hobi is. I mean his answer to the leadership question was good, saying he does it for members and its not like a burden or a role. Hobi the man you are!!!! I feel so good how all members are aligned on this thought (which we as Armies obviously always knew) that they wanna continue this as long as they can. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

  36. Bad news for haters 😂! BTS members still love each other, making music and fans and fans still love and support BTS . 💜
    J Hope is so intelligent and well spoken a real delight to listen what he has to say.

  39. J-Hope is like the combination of a force of nature and a self hard constructed talent. He is joyful, hopeful and gentle but also strong, disciplined, focused, intelligent and mindful man and artist. Really, the Sun is a great and fateful metaphorical representation of him. Our Sunshine ☀️ ❣️

  41. 올 라운드플레이어 제이홉이 찐 실력자죠.
    정국이로 입덕했지만 내 최애 호비!
    너의 인성과 실력을 자랑하고 싶고 사랑해!

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