BTS' Jin to Join Coldplay in What Could Be Last Gig Before Military Service

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BTS member Jin and Coldplay's Chris Martin appear to have each other on speed dial.

On Thursday, K-pop group BTS's official Twitter account posted text exchanges between the two, revealing that oldest member Jin will be making his way to Argentina to perform with Coldplay at the end of the month.

They exchanged niceties before Martin wrote, "I heard that you announced your single, that's so cool.

"If you can get permission, would you like to come to Argentina next week and sing 'The Astronaut' live with us?"

Earlier on Tuesday, Jin, whose full name is Kim Seok-jin, revealed the details of his new solo single, titled "The Astronaut," which will be released on October 28. According to a press release from Big Hit Music, which manages the band, the song is "meant to be a gift for the fans."

Jin announced the single shortly after the group revealed that its members intended to begin their mandated South Korean military service for at least 18 months.

"Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government. Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans," Big Hit said in a statement on Monday.

The group plans to reconvene as seven members again in 2025.

BTS Jin, Chris Martin of Coldplay
Above left, Jin of BTS attends the 2018 Asia Artist Awards on November 28, 2018 in Incheon, South Korea and, right, Chris Martin of Coldplay performs at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton, on... Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Ian Gavan/Getty Images

In the message from Martin on Twitter, he wrote, "And Thank you for inspiring the song. When we spoke about you having to leave for a while and missing the band and your fans, it was really powerful. I think the song found its way because of that conversation."

Jin admitted in response, "I wasn't feeling well either when I had a show a few days ago," referring to BTS's Busan "Yet to Come" concert last weekend.

"Thank you so much for working so closely on this song with me, and listening to my opinions every step of the way," Jin wrote. "I feel super honored to have worked with you, my superstar, my bro."

"Love you man. See you in Buenos Aires," Martin responded.

Jin's single, "The Astronaut," was also written by Coldplay, marking the second collaboration with the band. BTS joined Coldplay on Track 10 of their 2021 album, Music of the Spheres, in a song called "My Universe" which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year. BTS has also previously covered Coldplay's "Fix You."

Each member of the group, which includes Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, has been working on solo projects since they announced this past June that they were taking a hiatus. So far, Jungkook has put out a single with Charlie Puth, J-Hope released a solo album, and Jungkook, V, Jimin and Jin collaborated on a song with artist Benny Blanco and Snoop Dogg.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for BTS and Chris Martin for comment.

About the writer

Emma Mayer is a Newsweek Culture Writer based in Wyoming. Her focus is reporting on celebrities, books, movies, and music. She covered general news and politics before joining the culture team and loves to cover news about new books, films, Taylor Swift, BTS, and anything else she might be obsessing over at the moment. Emma joined Newsweek as a fellow in 2021 and came on full-time in January 2022 after graduating from Colorado Christian University in December. You can get in touch with Emma by carrier pigeon or by emailing e.mayer@newsweek.com. Languages: English.


Emma Mayer is a Newsweek Culture Writer based in Wyoming. Her focus is reporting on celebrities, books, movies, and music. ... Read more