Over the years we’ve come to see that the ‘Ice Prince’ is actually a jovial, warm-hearted person with a deep perspective on life. Jin’s music has always topped the charts because it just hits us where we are in life but also adds that little more so that we can see ourselves better. We take a look at his music and his mindset that contributes to his resilience and why we love him so much.
Self-acceptance
Although a mega star, Jin went through the struggles of insecurities and uncertainties just like any of us. Back in 2016, one of his very first solo compositions titled ‘Awake’ he questioned about his future and sang ‘maybe I can never fly’.
Fast forward to 2018, we see a different Jin through the song Epiphany, having come to realize that he is the one that he should love in this world. His acceptance of self, as ‘not so perfect but so beautify’ displays a certain level-headedness about his self-worth.
Positivity and Humour
While Jin is famously known as ‘world-wide handsome’, that tongue-in-check self-declaration actually shows that humorous side of him. While he does not deny that he is good looking, he also recognises that:
“Plenty of people are more handsome than me. ‘Worldwide Handsome’ is a joke I like to make for laughs. And there are many people who can sing and dance better than me. I just try hard to achieve a better version of myself, which other people seem to see in me.”
Jin’s humor and positivity is not a put-on for a stage personality. He admits that:
“Except when I’m on stage, 80 to 90 percent of my time is spent joking around.”
This humour and positivity has become his best defence against burnout.
“I think having fun is one of the things that makes it possible for me to work without burning out…Everyone is born with a certain talent, right? I think mine is the ability to quickly forget negative things that have happened and recover from mental fatigue.”
Uncompromised Rest
In 2020, in the midst of the Covid lock down, Jin wrote the song Abyss. In the song, Jin talked about loneliness and longing to be with the people that he loved. Jin also shared that at that time, he was experiencing burnout after BTS reached number one spot on Billboard Hot 100.
Jin has since had a different perspective about being alone and is unapologetic about having his me-time. He says:
“A lot of people try to do something useful in their free time, like something that will help them pad out their résumé. But I believe that uselessness is useful!”
Alluding to the popular believe that we have to stoop to conquer, Jin says:
“I bend my knees only to jump higher… I believe that uselessness is useful! I believe that you need to have days that other people consider wasteful, to be able to focus more on useful things later.”
Flexibility and Adaptability
One of the most telling clues about Jin’s mindset comes from the storyline of ‘Astronaut’ his latest single. Marooned on planet earth, Jin the Astronaut finds friendship in a little girl and a family to live with. However, when it’s time to leave in his spacecraft, the Astronaut decides to remain on planet earth because his heart has found a home here.
“‘I tend to be spontaneous, whether going on a trip or whatever. You need to have a framework in your life, but I try to avoid making detailed plans.”
Jin’s ability to be flexible and adaptable is a character strength that we believe will take him through whatever upheaval he may face in the military and in life.
Realism and authenticity
In the brutal Kpop world, it’s hard to stay at the top, with countless younger talented new groups entering the scene in droves. While BTS seem to effortlessly defend their top position time and again, they have a healthy dose of realism when it comes to stardom. Jin captures this mindset with much humility. He says:
“it’s OK to lose…there will always be some people who love you and some who don’t”
“I used to separate Jin, the BTS member, from the human being Seokjin Kim, to some extent. But now I don’t. How I come across on TV is how I live my life.”
The Jin that we love on stage is also the Kim Seok-Jin that we love in person. With this authenticity, Jin will be loved wherever he goes.
Here’s how to have that Jin mindset
Adopt humour as a coping strategy
Loving yourself to stay authentic
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Quotes: Interview by Vogue Singapore
