On April 2nd, 2017, BTS finished up the final leg of their U.S. Wings Tour in Anaheim, California. The seven members left the stage to endless cheering, with many finger-hearts, words of thanks, and promises of return.
Aside from having successfully performed at three different stops during their time in the U.S., the group has also participated in many interviews, including this one with Robert Herrera of Front Row Live Entertainment, where they discussed their writing process, choreography, and the American concert experience. When talking about leader Rap Monster‘s recent collaboration with American rapper Wale, members were asked what other artists they were interested in collaborating with. Big names such as Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber were mentioned, but there was bright laughter all around when member J-Hope got the mic. “Tinashe,” he said, smiling into the camera, and even Herrera expressed loud excitement at this revelation.
A.R.M.Y.s are already aware of BTS’s affinity for the up-and-coming American hip-hop artist. In 2015, Rap Monster recommended Tinashe’s collaboration with Usher in his well-known #RMusic series on their official twitter:
요즘 이 랫챗에 빠져있다.. 티나쉬 너무 좋아.. 파트 더 주세요 pic.twitter.com/8RH9P01eiE
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) April 2, 2015
More recently, in late summer of 2016, a fan noted that J-Hope was using a computer with Tinashe set as the background:
HOSEOK KNOWS WHAT’S GOOD !! pic.twitter.com/8jjvMVrLKE
— *bts supremacist* (@Iuvkoo) August 17, 2016
Knowing this, it wasn’t surprising to hear J-Hope list Tinashe as his top choice for a collaboration. What did surprise us, however, was when Tinashe responded to this wish. On April 4th, Herrera brought up BTS while interviewing the artist at Zedd’s Welcome Concert benefiting ACLU in LA. Tinashe mentioned that she had already watched the interview, also stating that fans had tweeted to her about J-Hope before, requesting that they collaborate.
Dear @Tinashe. Hoseok from @BTS_twt birthday is soon. he truly ADORES you and your dancing talent. This is him dancing.I feel you’d be proud pic.twitter.com/vuaGQJpo3P
— // Venny // (@DarthVenn) February 12, 2017
“They’re desperate to collaborate with you,” Herrera told Tinashe.
Without missing a beat Tinashe answered: “Hey, I’m down. Send me a track.” She tilted her head as if beckoning for BTS to join her. “C’mon, c’mon, holla!”
The artist’s public approval of this possibility might mean that fans can anticipate an actual collaboration track in the upcoming months. Who knows, perhaps Tinashe will be a featured artist in the mixtape J-Hope keeps teasing us about!
What do you think of J-Hope collaborating with Tinashe? Watch the interview snippet below, and let us know what you think!
Saleha (StarlightSora) is a WTK writer who hails from Northern Virgina. She’s an avid fan of VIXX, EXO, BTS, SEVENTEEN, B.A.P (and counting). An otaku and a gamer, when she’s not writing fanfiction for one fandom or another, she can be found binge-watching anime or playing through The Last of Us for the twentieth time. She hopes to be a published writer one day—after seeing all her faves live, of course.
Media: BigHit Entertainment, Front Row Live Entertainment, Tinashe Official