‘The Astronaut’ Review: A Love Letter and (Temporary) Farewell from Jin of BTS to ARMY Around the World

With the release of his new single, “The Astronaut,” Jin becomes the second member of the K-pop super group BTS to officially promote as a solo artist. The track was co-written with Coldplay following their single “My Universe,” which brought the bands together for the first time last year. On “The Astronaut,” Jin borrows Coldplay’s idyllic and bittersweet signature soundscape to deliver a heartwarming love letter and temporary farewell to his fans around the world.

The release comes less than two weeks after the announcement that Jin, followed by the other members of BTS, will enlist in the South Korean Military to fulfill a mandatory service obligation. BTS had previously announced plans to enter “Chapter 2” of the band’s career, which will center solo promotions alongside continued group releases. “The Astronaut” continues this new era after J-Hope became the first member to promote solo with his July album “Jack in the Box.”

“The Astronaut” is, at its core, a message of love to Jin's fans. It is tinged with just enough nostalgia and melancholy to make it feel like a preliminary farewell ahead of the idol's upcoming enlistment. The song is forged out of Coldplay’s sound and in some ways feels like a Coldplay song in which Jin is stepping in as the band’s frontman. Luckily, Jin’s distinct vocals complement the band's sound well. The song slowly builds to a rousing final chorus as the singer belts, “When I'm with you/ There is no one else/ I get heaven to myself.” While not technically credited as a collaboration or feature, careful listeners will hear that Chris Martin provides backing vocals sprinkled throughout.

The song was first teased during BTS’s “Yet to Come in Busan” concert and was later revealed to have been written by Coldplay along with a special announcement that Jin would appear to perform the song live during Coldplay’s live streamed concert in Buenos Aires on Oct. 29.

If the true friendship formed between Coldplay and the members of BTS wasn’t already clear, Martin’s heartwarming introduction of Jin before the performance showed the mutual love and respect between the bands.

“Two years ago, someone suggested to us that we should work with a Korean boy band. At first, I was full of judgment,” Martin said while introducing Jin. “It’s turned out to be one of the most fulfilling relationships that we have as a band and it’s taught us so much.”

Martin went on to reveal that it was Jin who had initially reached out asking for his help creating a song to say goodbye to his fans before enlisting. Martin responded with a version of “The Astronaut” which he “gifted” to the singer. The initial version was entirely in English, with Jin initially rewriting only the first verse in Korean. While talking with fans during a livestream, Jin later revealed that he had rewritten the second verse in Korean with Martin's encouragement the night before recording the track.

As the final instrumental fades out at the song's end, one can’t help but feel a lack of musical resolution. It’s as if Jin has purposely left listeners waiting for more — perhaps, as an unspoken promise to return with new music and performances for ARMYs in the future.

—Staff writer Jen A. Hughes can be reached at jen.hughes@thecrimson.com. You can find her on twitter @JenHughes_.