J-hope Shares the 'One Small Belief' That Still Guides Him and How It Feels to Finally Be Back as BTS (Exclusive) (2025)

J-hope has been on a musical odyssey over the last 12 years. On his latest release, dropping amid BTS's long-awaited reunion, he finds himself right at home.

As a member of the superstar K-pop group and, more recently, a solo artist, j-hope, 31, has genre-hopped with ease from the energetic pop of "Trivia: Just Dance" and "Outro: Ego" to the gritty rap-rock on 2022's unexpectedly edgy Jack in the Box, to the trio of swaggy, all-English hip-hop tracks on his upcoming project, Charm of HOPE, out July 11.

That artistic plasticity is thanks in part to a simple guiding principle that speaks to the rapper, singer, dancer and producer's decade-plus in the industry — and a new sense of maturity he's unlocked only recently.

"If there’s one small belief I still hold on to, it’s that if I genuinely like what I make, listeners and fans will feel that, too," j-hope tells PEOPLE exclusively. "That’s why I always try to be honest in the stories I tell. And when it comes to making music, I think that’s when I’m at my most sincere."

On Charm of HOPE, which includes the singles "Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel)," "MONA LISA" and "Killin’ It Girl (feat. GloRilla)," that sincerity involves showing a decidedly more grown-up side of himself.

"After completing my military service, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to express as a solo artist— a deeper sense of maturity and growth," he shares.

All three songs carry themes of fresh romance, something else new in j-hope's repertoire. His latest, "Killin' It Girl," is "about an emotional rush and magnetic pull toward someone," he explains. "So I'd love for it to feel bold, sensual, and have that kind of energy that makes you want to play the track on repeat."

The GloRilla feature, he says, was a natural extension of that. "Lately, I’ve been especially drawn to artists whose powerful presence truly stands out," he says. "I was confident that GloRilla’s presence on the track would bring exceptional synergy."

J-hope performed "Killin' It Girl" live for the first time during the sold-out finale of his Hope on the Stage Tour in Seoul on June 13 (a.k.a. BTS's 12th anniversary) with the six other members — RM, 30, Jin, 32, Suga, 32, Jimin, 29, V, 29, and Jung Kook, 27 — present and hyping him up in the stands. But since June 2022, when the group first announced a hiatus to work on solo projects and complete their military service, j-hope (born Jeong Hoseok) has been finding his footing as a solo act.

"I’ve always been the type of person to face things head-on and learn through experience," he says. "There’s this saying in Korean which basically translates into ‘you won't know until you try it.' That really reflects how I live. I’ve learned so much by living that way, and it continues to motivate me as I move through life."

Before his first-ever solo headlining gig at Lollapalooza in Chicago in July 2022, he was overwhelmed with anxiety about how his performance would be received, the star shared in a documentary at the time. By February 2025, when he hit the road on his 33-date solo world tour, fans witnessed a j-hope that completely owned the stage in an electrifying performance from start to finish.

Now, as all the BTS members finish their time in the military (Suga will be the final member discharged on June 21), j-hope says, "I’m genuinely excited about what lies ahead."

And the recent challenges he faced alone have only inspired him to push harder. "I still want to keep taking risks, embrace pain, and grow from it all," he says. "I'm not done growing yet. There's still so much to learn, and I’ll keep sharing it along the way."

As for the group's future activities, speculation is already swirling.

"While on my solo tour, of course, I couldn’t help but think about the tours we went on as a group," says j-hope. "I was handling things on my own that we used to always do together, so I feel like doing them together again as a team will bring a whole new kind of emotion in a good way. I’m looking forward to it."

"Killin' It Girl (feat. GloRilla)" is now streaming. Charm of HOPE, out July 11, is available for pre-order.