Lea Salonga has defended her decision to unfollow BTS members RM and J-Hope following their attendance at a Chris Brown concert, saying the move was made for her own well-being and not as a punishment against the K-pop stars.
Salonga, who has been long vocal about her admiration for BTS, addressed the issue during her “Ask Miss Lea” session on Threads on Tuesday, Aug 25, after a netizen asked whether her views had changed about RM and J-Hope’s appearance at Brown’s concert.
“First off, my being a fan can be equated to a single grain of sand on a massive beach,” Salonga said. “Whatever my actions are won’t affect anyone, except maybe cause consternation in the minds of other fans, which I do expect and accept responsibility for.”
“Yes I did unfollow, but I did it for my own sake,” she added. “It’s not meant to be punitive to either of them, at all.”
Salonga explained that she decided to distance herself from the BTS members after realizing that the controversy was affecting her emotionally.
“But I recognised that I was waking up sad and/or upset, or find myself way too affected. This was unhealthy so I took a step back, for me,” she expressed.
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The Broadway star also acknowledged that RM and J-Hope are autonomous individuals who can make their own decisions, just as she has the right to make her own.
“As many fans have rightly pointed out, we are owed nothing really. They are autonomous human beings, but so am I, and whatever decisions I make are mine alone,” Salonga explained.
“If I hurt anyone in the aftermath, that isn’t my intention but I’m sorry if I hurt you nonetheless,” she continued.
Despite unfollowing the two BTS members, Salonga made it clear that her affection for the group and the role their music played in her life remain.
“I am still so grateful for the typhoon they created in my life when they arrived in 2020. I was navigating my marriage ending, raising a teenager, and a global pandemic (not to mention the occasional death threat due to politics). They saved my sanity when I needed saving. I’ll never forget that,” she said.
Salonga was also asked how difficult it was for her to “give Joon and Hobi grace,” referring to RM’s real name, Kim Nam-joon, and J-Hope’s real name, Jung Ho-seok.
“Right now, it’s not about giving them grace or not, but rather giving myself the space to stop being upset,” she replied.
“I’m giving them as much grace as I can. As I’ve said, this isn’t punitive, I’m not doing this to punish them. This is a step to take in order for me to be able to enjoy the music again, and I will get there eventually. I hope you understand,” concluded the Filipina actress-singer.
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RM and J-Hope have faced criticism from some fans since attending Brown’s co-headlining concert with Usher at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on Aug 12.
J-Hope later shared photos and videos from the concert on social media, while Brown posted a backstage photo of himself with RM and J-Hope.
The images prompted backlash from fans who questioned the BTS members’ decision to publicly associate with Brown, whose career has been marred by legal controversies and allegations involving violence.
Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna, and has faced other allegations and legal cases involving violence.
The controversy also prompted The Pixel Project, a nonprofit organisation focused on ending violence against women, to indefinitely suspend RM from its list of “16 Male Role Models Helping to Stop Violence Against Women.”
The organisation said it had waited for RM to publicly address the controversy before taking action, while noting that being a role model does not require perfection.
“We have never expected any male role model (including RM) to be perfect. Everyone is human after all,” The Pixel Project said in a public statement.
“But being a decent human being also means being accountable when your choices hurt other people,” it added.
The organisation said RM and J-Hope’s decision to pose with Brown was “at best, careless about the wider damaging impact” of publicly associating with him.
Some fans have defended the BTS members, arguing that attending a concert or taking a photograph with another artist does not necessarily mean endorsing that person’s past behavior. Others suggested that RM and J-Hope may have attended as fellow musicians. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
