BTS is a world-renowned K-pop group, known for their large, dedicated fanbase and intricate performances. And as a ten-year seasoned ARMY pro (the name for dedicated fans), I feel more than qualified sharing their journey as we look forward to the band getting back together after a several years hiatus due to mandatory military service in South Korea. Any time is a good time to become a K-pop fan, so here is what you need to know to join the ARMY!
Background Information
Let’s start at the very beginning; the name BTS originates from the Korean phrase “bangtan sonyeondan” (or 방탄소년단) which translates to “bulletproof boy scouts”. J-Hope, the groups’ main dancer and lead rapper, revealed the name’s meaning in an interview with Affinity Magazine as meaning to “block out [the] stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets, to preserve the values and ideal of today’s adolescents.”
In 2017, the meaning was expanded, turning BTS into an acronym for “behind the scenes”. The agency said this was to symbolize adolescents going “against the grain” while moving forward rather than settling.
For those who don’t know, most K-pop artists (namely BTS), release music in three forms: EP’s, LP’s, and albums. According to LANDR, EP’s are the release of tracks with 3-6 songs and a duration of roughly 20 minutes. LP’s, more commonly known as albums, as the term “album” is a relatively newer term (established around 1948).
The Debut
Now that we’ve wrapped up the background information, let’s get into the band itself.
BTS debuted on June 13, 2013 under HYBE Corporation., previously known as BigHit Entertainment. The members include (in order from oldest to youngest), Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, V, Jimin, and Jungkook. BTS was originally put together by Bang Sihyuk, a producer at JYP Entertainment (one of the Big 4) who left to form BigHit.
They debuted with their first single “2 Kool 4 Skool”, featuring songs like “No More Dream”, “We are Bulletproof Pt. 2”. Later that year, in September, they released their EP “O!RUL8,2?”, which had 10 tracks, including songs like “N.O”, “Coffee”, and “Attack on Bangtan (진격의 방탄)”.
“Pave the Way”
Within their first year, BTS received three rookie of the year awards. They traveled to the United States for the first time in 2014 for the KCON festival in Los Angelos. In September of that year, they released the Japanese version of “No More Dream”, which reached No. 3 on the Oricon singles chart. Though, at this time, they were still considered as being outside of mainstream K-pop.
This, however, did not deter them. They took this time to build close relationships with ARMY through special events and social media. “Muster” and “BTS Festa”, global and annual events in which ARMY meet to celebrate the debut of BTS started here.
In 2015 BTS really took off with their album trilogy “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life”, with “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2” reaching No. 171 on Billboards album chart. In 2016 they released their second LP “Wings”, and it was the first K-pop album to make the UK Official Charts. It was later identified as one of the top 25 K-pop albums in the 2010s
2017 sparked the beginning of BTS’s reputation in America, where they won their first Billboards Music Awards trophy, beating Justin Bieber (a six-time winner). They were the first K-pop group to win. They were also the first K-pop group to perform at the American Music Awards. Their album “Love Yourself: Her” hit No. 7 on the Billboard 200, and their song “DNA” made No. 85 on the Hot 100 singles chart. These accomplishments made them the first K-pop group to enter both charts at once.
In May of 2018, BTS’s third LP, “Love Yourself: Tear” made it to No.1 on the Billboard 200. This was the first Korean album to make the top of an American albums chart, which got them a public commending from the then President, Moon Jae. Later that year, the follow up to “Love Yourself: Answer” also topped the Billboard 200, making them the first K-pop group to win gold from an American academy, and then platinum in 2020. In September of the same year, BTS became the first South Korean group to speak at a UN session, where leader RM represented the group and spoke to youth about embracing diversity and learning to speak up for yourself, and won the AMAs for the first time two months later.
In 2019, BTS became the first Korean group to present an award at the Grammy’s, and the next year attend as performers. In the same year, they released their (then) new series, “Map of the Soul”, beginning with “Map of the Soul: Persona” which topped the UK Official Chart and made them the first group since the Beatles to top the Billboard 200 three times in less than a year.
In May of 2019, BTS launched their Love Yourself tour, titled “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself”, which featured 62 shows in locations such as the United States, France, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong.
In early 2020, BTS continued their series with “Map of the Soul: 7”, their fourth LP. It topped charts almost immediately and was named the top-selling album of 2020, globally. And until April of 2023, it was the most sold album in South Korea. In August, BTS made history by releasing their first song completely in English, which was “Dynamite”. This song made the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first ever K-pop song to top.
In November, they released “BE” which made them the first Korean artists to top both the Billboard’s album and singles charts at the same time. The lead track of the album, “Life Goes On”, was the first non-English song to hit the top of the Hot 100. BTS yet again addressed the UN, although digitally this time.
BTS gained their first Grammy nomination in 2021, making them the first ever K-pop group to do so. They were also named artist of the year at the AMA’s. They were the first Asian group to do this. In May the music video for their song “Butter”, in under an hour, gained 20 million views and made No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their next release, “Permission to Dance” relived “Butter” of its place for a mere week before “Butter” regained its placement at the top of the Hot 100, were it stayed for a record-breaking ten straight weeks.
In September, they made their second appearance at the UN Headquarters as the “Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture”, appointed by then-President Moon Jae. In October, they held their first live performance in two years at the Sofi Stadium in Los Angelos.
In 2022, BTS continued to use their voice to speak out against social issues, which garnered them an invitation to the White House by former president Joe Biden where they gave a speech against hate crimes and racism toward Asians. In May, after the release of their album “Proof”, BTS announced their hiatus.
The Hiatus
In Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military between the ages of 18 and 28. Different amounts of time are served depending on which branches they enlist into. According to Day Korean, the service time is 20 months for the Navy, 21 months for the Air Force and Social Servant Agents, and 18 months for both the Army and the Marine Corps.
The members of BTS went into the military in five waves during their hiatus. Jin, Suga, and J-Hope all went individually; first was Jin, in December of 2022. Next was J-Hope in April of 2023, and then Suga in September of 2023. They were followed by RM and V on the 11th of December in 2023 and Jimin and Jungkook a day later in the same month.
As per the law I mentioned before, Jin born December 4, 1992, should have enlisted in 2020. Instead, he was 30 years old when he joined the Army. This was because of the revised Military service act, which allows “a pop culture artist who was recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to have greatly enhanced the image of Korea both within the nation and throughout the world”, according to BBC. Previously, this extension was only applicable to elite athletes, classical musicians, and individuals enrolled abroad in Ph.D. programs.
Jin was not the only member to utilize this extension; J-Hope and RM both enlisted at 29, and Suga enlisted at 30. J-Hope enlisted in the Army, as did all of the other members, except Suga. Due to a shoulder injury caused by a traffic accident in 2012, Suga served as a Social Service Agent, which is an alternative to active service.
During the members staggered military service, each of the boys pursued solo careers in waiting for the band to get back together, for lack of a better way to put it. J-Hope released his first album “Jack in the Box”, followed by Jin releasing his first solo single, “The Astronaut” and RM’s album “Indigo”.
Jimin’s first solo album “Face” came out in March of 2023, with its lead track “Like Crazy” reaching No.1 on the Billboard singles chart. This was a first time a Korean solo-artist had done so. Suga released his album “D-Day” in April, followed by a tour that started in May. During their hiatus, HYBE released “Take Two”, which was said to be a gift for ARMY to commemorate the band’s 10-year anniversary.
Along with his album, Suga released a documentary on Disney+ called Road to D-Day, which was described as sneak peek into his life, as well as his inspirations for his album. Alongside this, Suga became an ambassador of the NBA, which came as no surprise to me as Suga has expressed many times that music and basketball are two of his greatest passions.
As mentioned before, Jimin made No.1 on the Billboards singles chart. The albums itself, “Face” also came in No.2 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
After J-Hope’s release of “Jack in the Box”, he revealed in an interview that he would be releasing a documentary. This documentary, Hope on the Streets, was an extension of his past street dancing video series of the same name and was released in 2024. Six new songs were released with the documentary, including songs like “i wonder…” and “on the street”.
RM released two full length albums, “Indigo” and “Right Place, Wrong Person”.
Jungkook had a slew of new things going on, including performing at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 opening ceremony and collaborating with tons of artists, including Charlie Puth and Jack Harlow. When his first solo album “Golden” was released, it immediately hit No.2 on the Billboard 200.
Jin was the first to enter the military, but once he returned he released his first official single “Astronaut”, along with others. He also continued to support, and released an extended version of “Super Tuna”.
V released his first solo EP “Lay(o)ver”, including tracks such as “Slow Dancing” and “Rainy Days”. This album, too, made No.2 on the Billboard 200, with its lead track “Slow Dancing” making No.51 on the Hot 100 the day of its debut; his first time on the Billboard 200 and his third time on the Hot 100 as a solo artist.
The Comeback
On January 13 of this year (2026). BTS officially announced their comeback, along with a world tour. Their new album “Arirang” is set to release on March 20th, 2026 and the tour starts in April. Their tour dates and locations include (for 2026):
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April 9 and April 11-12 – Goyang, South Korea
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April 17-18 – Tokyo
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April 25-26 – Tampa, Florida
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May 2-3 – El Paso, Texas
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May 7 and May 9-10 – Mexico City
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May 16-17 – Stanford, California
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May 23-24 and May 27 – Las Vegas
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June 12-13 – Busan, South Korea
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June 26-27 – Madrid
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July 1-2 – Brussels
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July 6-7 – London
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July 11-12 – Munich
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July 17-18 – Paris
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Aug 1-2 – East Rutherford, New Jersey
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Aug 5-6 – Foxborough, Massachusetts
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Aug 10-11 – Baltimore
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Aug 15-16 – Arlington, Texas
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Aug 22-23 – Toronto
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Aug 27-28 – Chicago
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Sept 1-2 and Sept 5-6 – Los Angeles
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Oct 2-3 – Bogotá, Colombia
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Oct 9-10 – Lima, Peru
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Oct 16-17 – Santiago, Chile
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Oct 23-24 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Oct 28 and Oct 30-31 – São Paulo
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Nov 19 and Nov 21-22 – Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Dec 3 and Dec 5-6 – Bangkok
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Dec 12-13 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Dec 17, 19-20 Dec and 22 – Singapore
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Dec 26-27 – Jakarta
And (for 2027):
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Feb 12-13 – Melbourne, Australia
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Feb 20-21 – Sydney
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March 4 and March 6-7 – Hong Kong
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March 13-14 – Manila, Philippines
K-pop tickets are never cheap, and that trend follows with the average price of tickets for this tour being around $1,000. But depending on the location, you can get nose-bleed seats for about half that. And if that’s still too much, don’t fret, because Netflix is showing the comeback live on March 21, 2026 at 7:00 A.M.!
I hope you feel a little more familiar with the band now, and that (maybe) you’re interested enough to take a listen. If that’s the case, here’s a specially curated playlist to ease you in!
