This year, j-hope has released three singles as part of his solo career. He kicked things off with the love song “Sweet Dreams” (feat. Miguel), showed off a new vibe both chill and sensual on “MONA LISA,” and brought down the curtain with more stylistic exploration through “Killin’ It Girl” (feat. GloRilla). Jumping between genres like pop, R&B, hip hop, and funk, these three singles marked a fresh new start full of possibilities for j-hope following his return from the military. We spoke with Minseong Kim, head of BIGHIT MUSIC’s Performance Directing Team and collaborator on everything from BTS releases to j-hope’s solo career, to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the dance moves and live performances for these songs came together, plus some insight on who j-hope is as a performer.

The moves for “Sweet Dreams” (feat. Miguel) are easy-to follow hand and foot movements, like in a dance challenge. What were the most important factors you considered while coming up with the choreography?
Minseong Kim: The choreography got its start from j-hope’s ideas, and we focused on creating moves that would be easy to follow along with. We aimed for just the right difficulty level, where it’s simple but not forgettable, and not too challenging but still fun to memorize. The highlight is definitely the opening footwork, which became the signature move. I remember j-hope exchanging ideas with the Performance Directing Team to find what foot-based movements would work best.

The approach for “Sweet Dreams” changes with each performance. For example, on the popular NBC talk show “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” j-hope performed the song without any choreography, while in concert, there’s backup dancers starting from when the chorus kicks in later in the song. Why was the dancing not only kept to a minimum but changed up for each performance?
Minseong Kim: It was the result of discussions between j-hope, the Performance Directing Team, and other people at the label. Since “Sweet Dreams” wasn’t promoted extensively, on TV or otherwise, everyone agreed that each performance should have something uniquely special to it. And I’m sure you can hear how amazing the song is all by itself, so had we made choreography for the whole thing, it would’ve made it difficult to focus in on the music properly. That’s why j-hope and the Performance Directing Team decided to limit the choreography to the chorus toward the end.

The choreography for “MONA LISA” includes moves that mime looking at a painting, taking a photo, and holding up a pencil to check the perspective before sketching. Were these intended to highlight the symbolism behind the title “MONA LISA”?
Minseong Kim: You correctly answered your own question. Since it’s just j-hope and a small group of dancers, we focused on conveying energy through the overall structure and flow while making sure it looked visually stunning from every angle. The team went to Paris when j-hope went to do Le Gala, and we went to see famous works at the Louvre. We heard how people tend only to focus on the iconic pieces and forget about all the other art. We were also really struck by how people turned their backs on all that art and took pictures of all the people looking at the “Mona Lisa” instead. We had lots of discussions about how we could incorporate these observations into the choreography. Ultimately, how you view a piece of art changes your feeling and interpretation.

In a behind-the-scenes look at j-hope practicing the dance for “MONA LISA,” he talks about how “it’s very simple, but getting the right vibe is the tricky part,” especially when “it comes to details.” What did it take to bring out what makes the song sensual but still playful?
Minseong Kim: We paid extra special attention to that since we saw it as a new chapter opening up for j-hope. Since it was his first major project after getting out of the army, we focused more on figuring out how to have him give off a mature, chill, and subtly sexy vibe rather than emphasizing his playful side. It really felt new since it was a style he hasn’t worked much with before. We also watched closely when he was working with the backup dancers to check that they were all in sync. We spent a lot of time going over details that only dancers might appreciate, like explaining the meaning or the story behind certain moves, or where it would be better to ease up a bit.

What direction and other new ideas did you explore with the performance for the last of j-hope’s solo singles, “Killin’ It Girl” (feat. GloRilla)?
Minseong Kim: “Killin’ It Girl” is like the grand finale that builds on everything from “Sweet Dreams” and “MONA LISA.” It’s got the scale, the dynamics, the sexiness, and even things we’d never done before. It was about showing off all of that and tying it together seamlessly under j-hope’s name. Naturally, a lot of his ideas are reflected in the moves. Since he knows better than anyone what moves would work best with his songs, he showed a special interest in trying moves he doesn’t normally do and exploring unique movements. He particularly liked the move at the beginning of the chorus where he stretches his hand out in a finger gun and thrusts his hips, followed by spinning the finger gun in his other palm.

I heard that j-hope personally selected all 14 dancers for “Killin’ It Girl.” What criteria did he use to assemble the crew?
Minseong Kim: We compiled a list of a diverse group of dancers ranging from senior to junior levels who would fit with the style of j-hope’s new songs and their dances, and he talked it over with us to make the final selections. I went to LA to teach and direct the choreography for “Killin’ It Girl.” Every dancer there absolutely loved their craft and were full of pure energy driving them to put on a good show. We talked a lot about how special and fun this project would be for everyone involved. I remember everyone there practicing with everything they’ve got all while looking forward to shooting the music video and performing in Korea.

What were you most focused on when working on the part of “Killin’ It Girl” where j-hope dances with one of the female backup dancers?
Minseong Kim: That song was his first time doing a dance duet with a woman. It was new territory for all of us. (laughs) I think the vibe from the part in the bridge where they stare at each other is the cherry on top for the story and performance overall. We actually thought we should make the whole tone heavier overall at first, but j-hope wanted to keep it more natural and not overly dramatic, so we struck a balance to arrive at what you see today.

How would you describe j-hope’s evolution and direction as an artist as seen in these three singles?
Minseong Kim: j-hope always has a clear narrative and story of his own to tell, and I think he has an extremely clear vision of what he wants to do at this moment. I think he’s grown and expanded even more as an artist through these three singles and the tour. It feels like he’s learned a lot, and so have we. The j-hope I know is someone who never stops. As long as he’s performing onstage, I think he’ll keep finding new and fresh things to show ARMY by thinking about what works in today’s environment and putting himself up to the challenge.