Hiatus Means Nothing... BTS Prove Their 'World-Class' Status

 


The hiatus means nothing for BTS.

BTS will release their fifth full-length album, "ARIRANG," on March 20. This marks their first full-group comeback in approximately three years and nine months, following the completion of their military service. There had been concerns that the K-pop scene, and more teams began making their mark on the global stage. Many artists found success on the path BTS had paved, but none ultimately emerged as a true replacement. Instead, the so-called "military hiatus" became a moment that reaffirmed just how unparalleled BTS's standards truly are.

The records and influence they build never faded, even during the break. BTS's music continued to maintain a strong presence on global charts. "Spring Day," the title track from the repackaged second full album "You Never Walk Alone," ranked No. 77 on MelOn's 2025 year-end chart. Since its release in 2017, it has appeared on the chart for nine consecutive years, setting the longest-charting record in the platform's history. Last September, the music for their digital single "Dynamite" surpassed 2 billion views on YouTube. After exceeding 1.9 billion views in December 2024, it gained an additional 100 million views in just about nine months. The song also ranked No. 34 on Apple Music's list of the "Most streamed songs worldwide over the past 10 years." 

While group activities were paused, the members expanded their reach through individual endeavours. In 2025, Jin and J-Hope actively pursued solo projects, reaching new career highs. Even members without official promotions continued to achieve long-term success on global charts, demonstrating their individual influence. 

Global attention toward BTS ahead of their full-group comeback is already evident in the numbers. BigHit Music reported that, based on data from a global accommodation platform, searches overseas travel to Seoul increased by 155% compared to the previous week during the 48 hours following the announcement of BTS's tour plans. In Brazil, statistics showed that searches for bus tickets to São Paulo surged more than 600-fold compared to the previous period.

After the album release and world tour announcements were posted on the original super fandom platform Weverse, membership sign-ups increased by approximately threefold. On he global audio and music streaming platform Spotify, the new album surpassed 1 million pre-saves within two days of launch and exceeded 2 million by the fourth day. Currently, the album holding the highest pre-save record in Spotify is Taylor Swift's second full-length album, "The Life of Showgirl." With about two months remaining until BTS's release, attention is focused on whether they will surpass Taylor Swift's record.

Starting in April, BTS will embark on the largest world tour in K-pop history in terms of the number of shows. Beginning with performances on April 9 and April 11-12 at Goyang Sports Complex Main Stadium, they will hold 82 concerts across 34 cities. Additional dates in Japan and the Middle East are expected, further expanding the tour's scale.

For BTS, even the hiatus was meaningful. It was a period that proved why they are truly "world-class." That is why anticipation is even higher for the next chapter of BTS as they return as a complete group.


Original article: Naver




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