BTS to take 'extended period of rest and relaxation'

Tyler Aquilina

BTS are putting their global takeover on pause for now.

The Korean boy band’s management company, Big Hit Entertainment, announced on Twitter that the group would be taking “an official and extended period of rest and relaxation” following their performance at South Korea’s Lotte Duty Free Family Concert on Sunday. This break, the first such hiatus since the group’s 2013 debut, will allow the members to go on vacation and “recharge.”

“This period of rest will be an opportunity for the members of BTS, who have relentlessly driven themselves towards their goal since their debut, to recharge and prepare to present themselves anew as musicians and creators,” Big Hit’s statement reads. “This will also provide them with a chance to enjoy the ordinary lives of young people in their 20s, albeit briefly.”

The statement also requests of fans, “Should you have a chance encounter with a member of BTS while they are on vacation, we ask that you show consideration for their need to rest and enjoy their time off.”

BTS have been having a head-spinningly successful year. Their latest album, Map of the Soul: Persona, topped the Billboard 200 upon its March release (making BTS the first group since the Beatles to have three number-one albums in less than a year’s time), and their single “Boy With Luv” became the band’s highest-charting song. They also performed on SNL, launched the massive Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour, and were named among Time‘s 100 Most Influential People. We feel comfortable saying they’ve earned some time off.

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