Why BTS Chooses to Not 'Blow Our Own Horn': We 'Constantly Think About Karma,' Says RM

Rachel DeSantis
·2 min read
BTS
BTS

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty BTS

The seven members of BTS have five chart-topping albums, millions of adoring fans and this year's longest-reigning No. 1 song, but there's one thing they value even more: humility.

The K-pop superstars opened up to Billboard in a new cover story about their whirlwind success, and explained that in all they do, a sense of karma stays at the forefront.

"We've been avoiding blowing our own horn since 2017 because we're afraid of payback someday," RM, 26, told the outlet. "We constantly think about karma."

Suga, 28, added that since they debuted through "such a small company," it's been "tough from day one" as the band has exploded into an international phenomenon.

RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jungkook, V and Jimin of BTS
RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jungkook, V and Jimin of BTS

Photographed by Sunhye Shin for Billboard

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"We are not exceptional people — our plate is small. We're these rice-bowl-size guys getting so much poured into. It's overflowing," he said, adding, "My dream was never huge."

Big dreams or not, Suga and his bandmates —RM, Jin, 28, J-Hope, 27, V, 25, Jimin, 25, and Jungkook, 23 — have taken the world by storm, with Jin revealing that at one point, BTS was scheduled to work 28.5 days out of the month.

"The road up to here has been arduous," Jungkook told Billboard. "It's taken a toll on my health, and I think we've put in every bit of our youth and more."

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Though the coronavirus pandemic brought their grueling schedules to a screeching halt, the musicians said that they struggled with the slower pace, and missed being able to perform in front of a live audience.

"It sapped our energy and killed our morale," RM said.

BTS recently announced the cancellation of its long-awaited Map of the Soul world tour in light of the coronavirus pandemic, something V said has been an emotional roller coaster.

"Letting these emotions hurt me, torment me and scream inside me was upsetting," he told Billboard.

Next up for the band is the MTV Video Music Awards, where they're nominated for song of the year, best pop video, best K-pop video, best choreography and best editing.