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BTS member Jin celebrated his 28th birthday two hours after the release of his new single Abyss. Photo: Big Hit Entertainment

BTS member Jin releases ‘sad song’ Abyss ahead of 28th birthday, thanks RM for helping write lyrics

  • The song grew out Jin’s questioning whether he was worthy of congratulations after BTS hit No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with Dynamite over the summer
  • Producer Bumzu’s positive energy helped Jin work through his feelings and complete the song after the star wasn’t sure it would work out
Tamar Hermanin United States

Ahead of his 28th birthday on Friday, BTS member Jin shared a surprise with the world on Thursday night when he released the song Abyss, a meaningful tune about his relationship with his art.

Jin wrote Abyss alongside Bumzu – a producer who frequently works with boy band Seventeen – as well as with fellow BTS member RM and long-time collaborator Pdogg.

When he shared the song on the BTS’ Twitter page, he linked to both SoundCloud and a blog post in which he shares his thoughts on the sweet, reflective ballad.

In a letter to BTS’ fandom, known as Army, Jin recalled how he recently told a press conference that he felt he could share his feelings of sadness with fans through music, and how this song grew out of him questioning whether he was worthy of congratulations after BTS hit No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with Dynamite over the summer.

“To be honest, I recently felt really burnt out. I think it was because I had a lot of thoughts about myself,” he wrote, according to a translation by South Korean portal Soompi. “I was congratulated by many people after reaching No 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, but I wondered if it’s really OK for me to receive something like that.

“There are honestly a lot of people who love music more than me and are better at music than me, so is it OK for me to be feeling this happiness and being congratulated like this? That’s what I thought about, and going further into that made me feel troubled, so I wanted to lay everything down.”

In the letter, Jin wrote that he received counselling and spoke with BTS producer Bang Si-hyuk, who advised him to try to put his feelings into a song. Jin added that he was not sure the song would work, as he was already doubting himself, but Bang suggested he work with Bumzu, whose positive energy helped Jin work through his feelings and complete Abyss.

“It’s a bit of a sad song that’s not the right fit for a birthday, but it seems it would be a little off to release it when it’s not my birthday,” he wrote. “Army, please listen to it well, even if it’s lacking.”

He also thanked RM for helping write the lyrics of the chorus.

Two hours after the release of Abyss, Jin celebrated his 28th birthday, and both BTS’ members and Army alike sent him well wishes across social media to celebrate the occasion as well as the release of the song.

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