BTS EPISODE: J-Hope — Hope on the Stage: Final

I obviously couldn't be there in person, but I'm so glad I got to watch this on livestream. This will forever mark the day BTS was officially reunited in public after their three-year hiatus — so fitting that it was also on the day of their 12th anniversary. God, I can't wait to see the great things they will do together again.

BANGTAN BOMB: J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)" Challenge Sketch

Okay, I don't know like, half of these 4th gen groups but I love how excited and eager and starstruck they are when working with Hobi. So freaking cute! (Also, ENHYPEN killed this challenge.)

J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl" Music Show Promotions Sketch

You know, the effort behind creating all these sets at Korean music shows never fails to amaze me. I still wonder why these types of music shows do so well in Asia, but there's nothing like this in North America. I guess the closest we have are those talent competition shows like The Voice, but there's nothing for already-established artists to perform live stages every week and have fans vote on which group wins best new release. I wonder if it's because North America is too physically big? I mean, to be fair, you could fit like, 12 Koreas inside Ontario alone, so logistics would be a nightmare…

Anyway, big congrats to J-Hope for all his music show wins. Truly well-deserved!

J-Hope — Live at Lollapalooza Berlin 2025

So glad BigHit got the rights to livestream this because everything about this performance was IN-FUCKING-CREDIBLE. The set list, his (very naked) fit, his live vocals, his dancing, the live band... Pardon the pun, but Hobi KILLED IT. 

BTS EPISODE: J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Asia

The amount of hard work, planning, practice, dedication, endurance, creativity, and stamina — not just from J-Hope, but also the dancers and staff — that went into this tour is just remarkable. I am so glad that I got to witness a part of it in person. 

J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl" Dance Practice Behind

I've been following BTS for nine years and I never take the members' energy, commitment, and consistency for granted. I know practice makes perfect, but the sheer amount of elements involved in being a K-pop idol — live and recorded vocals, live and filmed choreography, singing in tune while dancing, dynamic facial expressions, stage placement and positions, charisma and stage presence, media training, face and body aesthetics — is, frankly, beyond exhausting. I will never not be impressed and in awe of the amount of effort going into these performances, but the outcome is so, so worth it.

J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl" MV & Choreography ver. Shoot Sketch

Okay, I know filming this MV was pretty brutal for them, but there's something about dancing in the rain that makes this choreography even sexier…? 

(Also, I want to point out that it is actually hotter in Toronto than it is in Bangkok today — it is 37℃ and with a humidex of 43℃, with a heat warning across the entire metropolitan area — lest non-Canadians think we all live in snow year round. So I can attest to the brutality of being outside in this kind of stifling humidity. And I'm not even doing physical exercise.)

J-Hope on SBS Inkigayo: "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)"

WHOA THERE, MISSY, THAT IS A LOT OF BARE SKIN TOUCHING. (You know, I can't help but think that if this was any of BTS' maknae line — Jimin, V, and Jungkook — a huge amount of ARMYs would be revolting at this amount of sexy touching by a female, even if it is a part of the choreography. Like, to the point where I'd be worried that the dancer would get serious death threats. An unfortunate double-standard in BTS, but it's true.)

J-Hope at MBC Show! MusicCore: "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)"

I love that J-Hope is still using the original dance crew from the MV for all his Korean music show appearances. I recognize some of the dancers from his tour and the "Mona Lisa" MV, too. Imagine being so integral to these performances that J-Hope won't use any other crew, even if it means paying for them to travel the world with him. Man, they're living the ultimate back-up dancer's dream. 

J-Hope at KBS Music Bank: "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)"

Another amazing live performance, and I'm just gonna go ahead and say it — I think it's significantly better than the recorded version. The live stages have rendered the AutoTune on the recorded version completely unnecessary. I know they added the AutoTune for stylistic reasons, but I just prefer Hobi's real, live vocals so much more.

J-Hope at Mnet M Countdown: "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)"

Okay, first of all, this is, without a doubt, the biggest stage I've ever seen on a Korean music show. I think bigger than anything I've seen even for BTS. Secondly, J-Hope has gotten awfully comfortable with being naked on stage. Thirdly, we are just being VISUALLY ATTACKED left, right, and centre. Yeah, J-Hope, "I'm not sure if I pulled off the bad boy role," MY ASS.

J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)" Official MV (Choreography ver.)

JUNG HOSEOK, THIS IS ILLEGAL. 

BTS CHOREOGRAPHY: J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl (Solo Version)" Dance Practice

It's sassy, sexy, and full of attitude, but it also looks technically complex and suits the song perfectly. This might be my favourite J-Hope solo choreography yet.

J-Hope — "Killin' It Girl" Stage Cam at Hope on the Stage: Final (Day 1)

A better view of the "Killin' It Girl" choreography from Hope on the Stage: Final (which was INSANE, by the way — and I can't believe Jungkook is already performing with full vocals and full choreography literally 3 days after military discharge) and I swear, it gets hotter every time I watch it.

BTS EPISODE: J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in North America

I am so glad to have been able to witness J-Hope perform live in person. My friend Iris and I went to the first show on the tour in Brooklyn, and to have been able to be a part of the audience to see "Mona Lisa" performed for the first time was an absolute honour. J-Hope is a phenomenal performer — his energy, live vocals, charisma, choreography, and stage presence are just incredible. I know how much the BTS members practice for anything that they have to do, especially for live performances, but it really, really pays off.

BTS EPISODE: J-Hope HOPE ON THE STAGE Tour in Seoul

"All the Bangtan parents came yesterday. They were apparently very surprised. I feel so glad that they enjoyed it. From the parents' perspective, every member is their kid. Imagine how proud they must feel knowing how tough this is, more than anyone else. They've watched everything from the sidelines as family. All the parents showed up yesterday, not a single one missing. I felt so grateful."

Hope on the Stage was planned impeccably. The set list, the outfits, the choreography, the live band, the back-up dancers and, most importantly, J-Hope's energy, are all incredible. The show I went to on this tour was so vivid and memorable for me, and I am just so, so glad I was able to get tickets, let alone such amazing seats. (Not to mention that I was lucky enough to attend Day 1 of the Brooklyn shows, where he premiered "MONA LISA" — a genuinely amazing surprise that even Seoul attendees didn't get to see live.) I feel so proud of every single member of BTS, and I'm not even their parent. 

J-Hope — "MONA LISA" MV Shoot Sketch

Okay, but how did I not notice a great giant painting of a toilet paper roll in the background until now?

BTS CHOREOGRAPHY: J-Hope — "MONA LISA" Dance Practice

I LOVE this choreography. It's simple enough that people can follow along if they broke it down (well, not me, but like, more dance-inclined people), but it's hard to make it look as good as these guys — carefree but precise; sexy and full of swagger but also like they're having more fun than anyone. 

J-Hope — "MONA LISA" Official MV

Definitely J-Hope's most superficial song to date, but it's also, like, the classiest, most non-offensive booty call song ever? With hype-as-fuck choreography? 

I like my girls pretty, so fine

One plus the nine

How you get me goin'

Might just blow it

I like my girls pretty in the face

Art piece to frame

Mona, Mona Lisa

Yeah, I need ya 

I like my girls

Lookin' just like a paintin'

Don't need no validation

Pretty, so fine

One plus the nine

How you get me goin'

Might just blow it

I like my girls (uh huh)

I like my girls (I like, I like)

I like my girls

Independent check (check)

Got her own cheque (cheque)

By the way you look

Yeah, you 'bout to cause a wreck

Yeah, she know I'm on the move

I can't stop, I'm up next

But she hold me down

She's so sexy, I'm obsessed, yeah

Toes all in the sand, come and walk with me (walk, walk)

Love the way you take the stress and Louis off me

'Cause she bad and she know it

Yeah, that's all I need

Earring with the diamond match her smile

Yeah, she sparklin'

Yeah, you got me all in

Bad, bad, bad

I know your exes callin'

The way you look, I understand the hype

You know you're just my type

Gotta, gotta, getcha

'Cause you know just what I like

I like my girls pretty, so fine

One plus the nine

How you get me goin'

Might just blow it

I like my girls pretty in the face

Art piece to frame

Mona, Mona Lisa

Yeah, I need ya 

I like my girls

Lookin' just like a paintin'

Don't need no validation

Pretty, so fine

One plus the nine

How you get me goin'

Might just blow it

I like my girls (oh, oh, oh, oh)

I like my girls (oh, oh, oh, oh)

I like my girls (uh huh)

I like my girls (I like, I like)

Damn, just his fit is a fucking flex. As I said, we have officially entered Hobi's sexy era.

BANGTAN BOMB: J-Hope's "Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel)" Challenge Sketch

Aside from this being a really cute and easygoing dance challenge with other K-pop artists, I really love that they're normalizing inter-label collaborations when there was so much rivalry between them previously. I also love that this shows how much other artists genuinely love and respect J-Hope.