Rating: 3/5
Fans of superstar K-pop group BTS were devastated when record label Big Hit Music announced in October that the members would take a break to complete 18 months of required military service in South Korea and reconvene in 2025.
As a goodbye-for-now to fans, Jin, who Big Hit said would be the first BTS member to enlist, released a solo single on Oct. 28 called “The Astronaut,” co-written with Coldplay. The song is a beautiful gesture of Jin’s love for BTS’ devoted fandom, also known as ARMY, but falls short musically.
At a Coldplay concert in October in Argentina, lead vocalist Chris Martin explained that Jin had called him in April to ask for a favor. “I have to leave the band in December for two years,” Martin said, summarizing Jin’s words. “I have to join the army in Korea because that’s the rule. I need a song that says goodbye to everybody for a little while.”
This powerful idea inspired “The Astronaut.” In a blend of Korean and English, Jin sings about how ARMY gives him purpose and builds to the chorus: “When I’m with you/ There’s no one else/ I get heaven to myself.” He ends with an “I love you.”
The theme of love for his fans makes the song original and different from romance songs with similar lyrics. However, for a song that is supposed to mark a pivotal moment in BTS’ history, it does not meet expectations with its cliché and repetitive lyrics. Also, collaboration with Coldplay would have been fine in any other situation, but for an emotional goodbye song to capture the bittersweet and intimate parting between Jin and ARMY, he should have written this song on his own or with the other BTS members. Jin has already proven his songwriting prowess in songs like “Moon,” one of my personal favorite BTS songs, so his version of “The Astronaut” without Coldplay would have undoubtedly been successful.
As a positive, the uplifting background music paired with Jin’s beautiful vocals and high notes and Coldplay’s harmonization is stunning. Unfortunately, everything about the song’s style, from its slow melody to its characteristic drum beat, screams “Coldplay.” Besides the vocals and a few lyrics, the song contains nothing unique to Jin.
On the other hand, the music video for “The Astronaut” has a lot of beautiful, hidden symbols to unpack. In the video, Jin is an alien that crash-lands on Earth, forms a special connection with a young girl, and ultimately decides to remain on the planet. One touching interpretation is that the girl Jin befriends represents ARMY, and when he teaches her how to ride a bike without his help, Jin is saying that the fandom is strong enough to persevere past the members’ upcoming absences. When Jin chooses to stay with the girl, he reassures ARMY that he and BTS will reunite with them in the future.
In this way, the song was empowering and a much-needed parting gift. Fans reacted with tear-filled support at the Coldplay concert, where Jin debuted his live performance of “The Astronaut.” He was met with a stadium of fans wearing purple, BTS’ signature color, and waving supportive signs like “ARMY will wait for you.”
Ultimately, the most compelling part of “The Astronaut” is not the song itself, but the artist and intent behind it.