BTS: Why the megastar boy band never really went away

After almost four years, the world’s biggest boy band are gearing up for a huge world tour and a new album.

K-pop megastars BTS went on hiatus in 2022 so all seven members could complete mandatory military service in their home country.

After reforming last summer, they’ve a new album on the way and are about to announce a massive world tour.

It’s a moment die-hard fans – known collectively as Army – have been waiting for since it was teased months ago.

Ahead of the big announcement, BBC Newsbeat’s been speaking to BTS superfans about why they think the band is so special, and to an expert who’s told us how their return has been calculated for maximum hype and impact.

BTS’s previous tour, Permission to Dance on Stage, ran for 12 dates between 2021 and 2022.

When they reveal details of their upcoming tour, it’s expected to be considerably larger.

UK-based fan Ashia will be one of the people trying to get tickets.

She tells BBC Newsbeat she “fell in love” with BTS in 2017, and has been a superfan ever since.

“I can’t let BTS be in the UK and not be at the concert,” she says.

Ashia last saw the boys in London in 2018 – a year before they made history by becoming the first K-pop band to headline back-to-back shows at Wembley Stadium.

Those gigs were the last time fans got a chance to see BTS live in the UK, as multiple dates on their follow-up tour were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With extreme demand expected, Ashia says she’s “prepared to go to multiple countries if need be”, if she doesn’t secure tickets for a show in Britain.

Despite not having a chance to see their idols live for some time, BTS fans have had plenty to keep them going in the meantime.

On first glance, it could look as if BTS’s hiatus has diminished interest in the group.

According to stats shared by Spotify, global streams of their music dropped by 24% in 2023, and 30% in 2024.

They remained steady in 2025, and the streaming platform says it expects numbers to explode in 2026.

But what the numbers don’t show is the way BTS’s absence due to military service was carefully managed.

Rather than a drought, says Dr Felicity Davies, it meant there was a drip-feed of material during the band’s hiatus, from solo projects and tours, to live streams from individual members.

Dr Felicity, who did her PhD on South Korean culture, tells Newsbeat the requirement for military service is “well-established”.

“Fans know of it very well. They’re preparing for it,” she says.

Although all South Korean men must do military service between the ages of 18 and 28, the government actually changed the law to allow K-pop stars to delay theirs until age 30.

With BTS, each member staggered their about 20-month stints to minimise the periods when all seven members were missing from action.

And even though streams for the full band declined, some of their solo projects were hugely successful.

Singer Jung Kook’s debut single Seven broke a streaming record, surpassing 2.5bn streams, with his total solo output hitting more than 9bn.

BTS’s comeback is a big deal for fans, but also a huge moment for South Korea.

The band was a key part of a phenomenon known as Hallyu, which describes South Korean pop culture crossing over to the west.

It’s included skincare products, dramas such as Squid Game and other K-pop bands dominating our feeds and For You pages.

Felicity says there have been fears for a while now that the “bubble would burst” and K-pop’s global influence would start to decline.

She says the band’s 2019 Wembley performance was “the moment – now we’re going to see the downfall of Hallyu”.

But Korean culture keeps proving her wrong.

Just when she thinks things have reached a peak, Felicity says “something will come along” to give K-pop “this whole new lens and lease of life”.

K-Pop Demon Hunters, which won a Golden Globe this week, was 2025’s success story, and it’s likely BTS will rule 2026.

But do fans think they’ve still got what it takes?

Lauryn Adene, 22, from Buckingham, has been a fan since 2021 and feels there’s just something about BTS.

“They have a special bond between themselves and between their fans as well,” she says.

“I’m really inspired by how hard-working they are.”

And while the band’s solo projects have kept fans going, she says there’s no substitute for the full package.

“It’s like a puzzle where all the pieces are just fitting together really nicely,” she says.

“So whatever they come out with, I can just trust that it’s going to be good.”

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