[Article trans] "Seven superstars," BTS, still the same as ever... Let's continue together through today and tomorrow

RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook to be discharged this month... Suga also complete his service.

Reuniting like the Avengers... Their activities will be more mature than before.

Full group activities expected to officially resume around the end of this year.

"Likely to reignite interest in K-pop... A 'trickle-down' is expected.

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"Fortunately, our bond / Still hasn't changed a bit / Starting and ending as always with the word 'hello' / Let's continue together through today and tomorrow"

— BTS, "Life Goes On"

The global supergroup BTS is preparing to step into their "tomorrow" once again, as all the membees will complete their military service this month.

According to the music industry on June 1st, RM (Kim Namjoon) and V (Kim Taehyung) will be discharged on June 10, followed by Jimin and Jungkook on June 11. Suga (Min Yoongi), who has been serving as as a social service agent, will be fully discharged on June 21.

Jin (Kim Seokjin), the eldest, and J-Hope already completed their service last year, and have been active with solo projects.

HYBE CEO Park Jiwon stated during company's 20th annual shareholders' meeting in March that while preparations for BTS' return are onrgoing, including collaboration with top-tier producers, "the artists themselves need time to reflect and prepare."

For instance, Jin is holding his first solo fan concert tour "RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR," starting June 28-29 at Goyang Sports Complex. Other members are also expected to have individual schedules after their discharge. Most in the industry predict full-group promotions will properly resume in the second half of 2025.

That said, fans might get a surprise sooner, J-Hope's final concert for his "HOPE ON THE STAGE" tour will be held on June 13-14 in Goyang, and the 12th anniversary BTS FESTA—planned nearby—may include unexpected appearances from the members.

BTS entered a group hiatus after releasing their anthology album "Proof" in June 2022. Their last group concert was " Yet To Come in Busan" in October 2022, held in support of Busan's World Expo bid.

BTS and their agency BigHit Music smartly used the hiatus for sequential solo activities, maintaining a psychological closeness with fans. 

Dr. Lim Heeyeon, a Korean Music Awards judge, noted that BTS continued releasing solo albums and content during the hiatus, meaning their absence felt less significant. This allowed fans to continue engaging with BTS as a brand.

In particular, each member of BTS has established their presence as solo artists through special productions tailored to them. What was once a team of superstars has now become the Avengers,  consisting of seven superstars.

Just looking at the chart results, you can see that BTS members have entered Billboard's main single chart, Hot 100, the center of the world's pop charts, as solo artists.

BTS became the first Korean artist to top the Hot 100 with their first English song, "Dynamite" in 2020. "Life Goes On" later became the first Korean-language song to hit No. 1. They've since the Hot 100 with six more songs: "Butter," "Permission to Dance," "Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat) featuring Jason Derulo," and "My Universe (with Coldplay)."

Jimin and Jungkook each topped the chart as solo artists with "Like Crazy" and "Seven (feat. Latto)."

For more details:

◇ Jungkook had seven songs on the Hot 100 including " Seven,"

◇ J-Hope had seven songs on the Hot 100 including "Mona Lisa,"

◇ Jimin had six songs on the Hot 100 including "Like Crazy,"

◇ V had six songs on the Hot 100 including "Love Me Again,"

◇ Suga who went the solo stage name Agust D, had four songs on the Hot 100, including "Daechwita,"

◇ Jin and RM had three songs each on the Hot 100, including "Wild Flower" and "The Astronaut"

But more important than chart numbers is how the members solidified their identities as solo musicians:

♡ RM collaborated with indie musicians, pioneering rare alternative styles in K-Pop 

♡ Jungkook focused on performance and selected high-quality songs to enhance global appeal

♡ Jimin broke records with "Like Crazy" and balanced critical and popular acclaim

♡ Suga showed storytelling strength through his Agust D trilogy

♡ J-Hope stayed true to his street dancer roots, emphasizing synergy between music and performance

♡ V incorporated jazz and R&B, staying committed to his personal musical tastes

♡ Jin explored various rock genres with genuine position

Dr. Lee Jiyoung, a researcher professor at the Semiosis Research Center at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and author of "BTS Art Revolution: BTS Meets Deleuze," said of the members' solo activities, "Their solo activities were faithful to their individual musical desires that they were unable to fully express through group activities."

In the process, she predicted that "there would have been deeper musical growth, and also the ability to better distinguish between the activities that can be accomplished together through group activities." She also predicted that "the group activities that will be carried out based on this growth will be mature than before, both musically and in terms or messages."

Content planner Cho Hyerim (selection committee member for Han Dae-eum) also pointed out. "BTS has expanded its musical spectrum through each member's solo activities, and is now ready to return as a complete group. Their comeback, where their 'individual activities' have come together, will be a decisive moment to confirm the evolution of BTS brand. The fandom's expectations go beyond a simple return, but rather the beginning of new narrative."

The synergy that the members who started a new narrative will create when they come together for the team is expected to be so powerful that it is difficult to easily estimate.

The members unchanging love for the team and ARMY also adds great weight for its power. Jimin recently wrote on the global fan community, Weavers, "What kind of album will start our story with in the future? What kind of journey will my 30s be? I want to be on stage for a long time without getting sick."

Professor Lee Jiyoung predicted, "Due to short lifespan of K-Pop idol groups, idol group activities are often used as preliminary step for solo activities or other entertainment activities. In contrasts, BTS will become a new K-Pop idol model in that they will continue to live and work as musicians."

BTS' comeback is also expected to be a godsend for the K-Pop industry, which is making breakthroughs through overseas tour despite the crisis of declining album sales. This is because their album releases and tours alone can create direct and indirect economic ripple effects of one BTS concert would be around 1 trillion won. With interest in K-pop being revived, a trickle-down effects is also expected.

Planner Cho Hyerim pointed out, "BTS' return is not just the comeback of a simple artist, but also a reset of the entire K-pop industry. It is an event that will reignite the narrative of K-pop that has stagnated in the global market, and the economic ripple effects on albums, tours, and content as a whole are expected to be significant. BTS is still the strongest evidence for K-pop to prove itself."

Critic Lim Heeyeon predicted, "With the return of landmark artists who have recorded the highest sales in K-pop,  it seems certain that they will have a numerical and practical plus on the overall annual sales pie of K-pop." She added, "In addition, for a qualitative perspective, it is expective that rekindling interest in the entire K-pop genre worldwide, there will be a 'trickle-down effect' on other K-pop artists."

Original article: Daum