Introduction

BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan or Bulletproof Boy Scouts), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment in 2013. BTS’ musical style has evolved to include a wide range of genres. Their lyrics touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and individualism.

BTS debuted on June 13, 2013, with the song “No More Dream” from their first album “2 COOL 4 SKOOL”. “Wings” became BTS’ first album to sell one million copies in South Korea. By 2017, BTS crossed into the international music market, leading the Korean Wave into the United States and breaking numerous sales records, becoming the first Korean group to receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their single “MIC Drop”.

BTS is the first Korean act to top the Billboard 200 with their studio album “Love Yourself: Tear” and have since hit the top of the U.S. charts with their albums “Love Yourself: Answer” and “MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA”, making BTS the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year. “Love Yourself: Answer” also broke South Korea’s Gaon Album Chart’s all-time monthly record previously set by Love Yourself: Tear and became the first Korean album certified Gold in the United States.

As of 2019, BTS are worth more than $4.65 billion to South Korea’s economy each year, or 0.3 percent of the country’s GDP. BTS attracts one in every 13 foreign tourists that visit South Korea and was cited as one of the key acts boosting global music sales to $19 billion in 2018.

On October 17, 2022, BigHit Music officially announced that BTS would be enlisting in the South Korean military, fulfilling their mandatory service requirements. This news had been highly anticipated, as military service is compulsory for all able-bodied South Korean men by the age of 28, though BTS had received a deferral until 30 due to their cultural impact.

The BTS Festa 2022 announcement was an emotional and highly anticipated event for ARMY. Held annually in June to celebrate BTS’s debut anniversary, the 2022 Festa was extra special as it marked their 9th anniversary. However, the biggest moment came on June 14, 2022, when BTS announced that they would be taking a temporary hiatus to focus on individual projects and upcoming military requirements of the members. Following the completion of their mandatory military service, BTS came back as a group on July 1st in a weverse livestream. They will make their offical comeback on March 2026.