BTS Is Already a Global Sensation. Here's Why 2026 Will Be Their Biggest Year Yet
Key Takeaways:
Since forming in 2010, BTS has become a global sensation and the most popular K-pop act of all time.
The group took an indefinite hiatus in June 2022 to pursue solo careers and complete required military service.
Now, BTS is reuniting once more and planning to release a new album and launch a world tour in 2026.
BTS is back, and 2026 is shaping up to be, well, dynamite.
The South Korean boy band, which has been on hiatus since 2022 as its members pursued solo projects and completed mandatory military service, are ramping up to release a new album and embark on a world tour next year. 'We'll be visiting fans all around the world, so we hope you're as excited as we are,' the group said.
Since their debut in 2013, BTS—a shorthand for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates to 'Bulletproof Boy Scouts' and also stands for 'Beyond the Scene'—has achieved worldwide stardom. The group is the most popular K-pop act of all time with more than 65 billion streams on Spotify and, in 2018, became the first such band to reach No. 1 on the U.S. mainstream albums chart with Love Yourself: Tear.
But in case you're new to the BTS phenomenon or need a refresher, here's everything you need to know about the band ahead of their long-awaited return.
BTS has multiple No. 1 albums and songs
BTS formed in Seoul, South Korea, in 2010 and debuted three years later under the Big Hit Entertainment label. The group consists of seven members:
Jin (real name Kim Seok-jin), 32
Suga (Min Yoon-gi), 32
j-hope (Jung Ho-seok), 31
RM (Kim Nam-joon), 30
Jimin (Park Ji-min), 29
V (Kim Tae-hyung), 29
Jung Kook (Jeon Jung-kook), 27
Already a smash in their home country, BTS surged in popularity in the United States following the 2017 release of their EP Love Yourself: Her. The group performed live at the American Music Awards and began a full-scale press tour, appearing in major magazines and on TV programs including The Ellen Degeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! More and more listeners began flocking to the group's devoted fan club, the BTS ARMY.
Over the next four years, the group placed six albums atop the Billboard 200 chart and produced six No. 1 singles, including the viral hits 'Dynamite' (2020) and 'Butter' (2021). The only thing that could slow them down proved to be themselves.
Listen to BTS on Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify
BTS members launched successful solo projects
In June 2022, BTS announced it was going on indefinite hiatus. The septet has remained active with a variety of solo music projects amid the group's extended separation.
J-hope was the first member to release an album after the split; Jack in the Box arrived in July 2022. He also became the first South Korean artist to headline the annual Lollapalooza festival in Chicago that same year.
Arguably, no member has had a more successful solo foray than Jimin. In March 2023, he released his debut EP, Face, and became the first group member—and first South Korean artist period—to record a solo No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Like Crazy.' Jimin's second solo album, 2024's MUSE, featured collaborations with Jon Bellion, OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder, and Sofia Carson.
Other big-name artists have lined up to work with BTS and its members. Coldplay teamed with the entire group for 2021's 'My Universe' and co-wrote Jin's 2022 single 'The Astronaut.' Meanwhile, Jung Kook has collaborated with stars including Charlie Puth, Latto, Usher, and Justin Timberlake.
They completed their military service in June 2025
The group's hiatus also allowed all seven members to complete their mandatory military service. Under South Korean law, able-bodied men ages 18 to 28 are required to perform 18 to 21 months of service under a conscription system.
Although exemptions can be given to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers who have enhanced the country's prestige, K-pop performers are not eligible. But due in large part to BTS' popularity, legislation passed in 2020 that allows major pop artists to defer service to age 30.
Six BTS members joined the army, while Suga served as a social service agent—an alternative role offered to individuals with physical or mental health issues—after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2020. RM, V, Jung Kook, Jimin, and Suga were the final group members to complete their service. Their discharges in June opened the door for the group's comeback.
'Before I joined the military service, I had never been away from my fans for a year and a half,' Jin told iHeartRadio. 'And because of my experience in the military and being away from the fans, I had developed this longing for my fans. That led me to write the song 'I Will Come to You.''
BTS is already working on their next album
In June, all seven BTS members reunited onstage for the first time since 2022 at j-hope's solo farewell concert. And this past month, the boy band began working on their next album. 'Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member's thoughts and ideas,' the group said in a statement. The project has a tentative release date of spring 2026.
There are no dates yet for BTS' upcoming 2026 tour, but it should be a massive draw. The group's last concert series, titled Permission to Dance on Stage, started amid COVID-19 restrictions in 2021 but still managed to draw more than 4 million fans between in-person and virtual attendance.
In the meantime, BTS is hoping their renewed collaboration will lead to an even more memorable experience for fans who have waited patiently for their return. 'While on my solo tour, of course, I couldn't help but think about the tours we went on as a group,' j-hope told People. '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.'
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