BTS has such humble beginnings while coming from a relatively unknown music label to becoming one of the most respected artists in the World. As one of the members enlisted in the Korean military in 2022, and others said to enlist this year in 2023, what new things will the Korean pop group have in store for us before the start of their military service?
A brief history of the band
Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed in 2013 under the BigHit Entertainment music label. The members include RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. They debuted with a single album, 2 cool 4 schools, released on June 12th, 2013. Their fandom is named ARMY.
In 2014, BTS released their first Korean album Dark and Wild along with their first Japanese language album Wake up. Their second studio album Wings, released in 2016, was the first to sell a million copies in Korea. They broke into the international music scene in 2017 with their single hit “Mic Drop.” The single was their first collab with Steve Aoki. It received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). They are credited with bringing the Korean wave to the United States of America.
Their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) became the first Korean album to top the Billboard 200. In the year 2021, they released their first English single “Dynamite“. This single topped Billboard 100 and Billboard 200, resulting in BTS receiving their first Grammy nomination at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
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BTS in 2022
BTS released its most recent album, Proof, on June 10th, 2022. Three days later, on their ninth-anniversary celebrations, BTS announced that all group activities would be halted. Meanwhile, the members will also focus on their solos, and afterward, they will also focus on compulsory enlistment in the Korean military. This caused the parent company’s stocks to decline rapidly. In October 2022, BigHit announced that the oldest member, Jin, would be enlisting in the military after withdrawing his enlistment deferral request. Jin enlisted in the army on December 13th, 2022, as an active duty soldier.
What next for BTS?
The other members are focusing on their solo endeavors, during which Jhope released his Studio album Jack in the box on July 15th, 2022—followed by RM, who released his studio album Indigo on December 2nd, 2022. Member Suga announced his new talk show on youtube called Suchwita. The show’s first episode aired on December 5th, 2022, with fellow member RM as the first guest. The second episode was aired on January 5th, 2023, with Shin Dong Yeob as the guest.
On January 4th, 2023, BTS’s official Twitter account announced that BTS Jimin will be collaborating with Big Bang Taeyang for a new song, “Vibe.” The song will be released on Jan 13th, 2023. The BTS fanbase ARMY looks forward to the Band’s return as a group in 2025.
