For members of the BTS Army, June 2025—when all seven members of the acclaimed Korean boy band will finally reunite after serving in the military—can’t come quickly enough. Yet with “I’ll Be There,” a new single from Jin (who completed his service over the summer), the fandom has something else to celebrate.
Like former boy-bander Harry Styles before him, Jin appears to be shifting from pop into the world of rock. As a ’90s baby, it’s no surprise that he has a soft spot for the genre: a playlist of his favorite songs on Spotify includes “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls (as well as selections from The Fray and Styles himself); and prior to enlisting in 2022, the singer released his debut single, “The Astronaut,” co-written with one of his music mentors, Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Two years later, Jin’s latest single—released ahead of his debut solo album, Happy, out on November 15—continues that trajectory. If with “The Astronaut,” he penned a love letter to his fans (whom he described as his “universe”), in “I’ll Be There,” Jin doubles down on his devotion.
As the singer exclusively tells Vogue, “I’m excited to be back and I hope my fans love this song as much as I do.” We’re sure they will: While the track’s lyrics are mostly sung in Korean, Jin’s emotions sit right at the surface, especially when he urges, in one catchy chorus: “I swear I will always sing for you, sing for you, I’ll always be there for you.” The song’s closing message is just as heartfelt, with the singer pleading in Korean that should his fans ever feel sad or alone and need to lean on someone, he will “always be there.” The outro, meanwhile, recalls the catchy rhythmic clapping in Anna Kendrick’s hit 2013 song “Cups” from Pitch Perfect.
The accompanying music video shows Jin busking with his band in a parking lot, imagining the BTS star as a humble, up-and-coming talent. In reality, of course, he has already entered the stratosphere.