BTS Will Release "Behind The Story" Book In July
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K-Pop boyband BTS sent social media int
BTS sent social media into a frenzy after airing their Real Bangtan Dinner 2022 on Tuesday, June 16. During the virtual event, the group announced they would take a temporary hiatus to focus on solo projects. The group's management announced that the group will be on hiatus until each member fulfills their mandatory military duties in South Korea. The group's label BigHit Music, confirmed the news in a statement obtained by CNN.
"Since the creation of BTS over ten years ago, the band has risen to international success, broken records, and catapulted K-Pop into the global stratosphere,” the label began. BigHit claims to have worked diligently to come up with a plan "to respect the needs of the country and for these healthy young men." According to the statement, that time is "now."
South Korean law states that all men must serve a 21-month term in the military by their 28th birthday. The country provided options to accommodate BTS members who have already passed the age requirement. "With the release of their first anthology album earlier this year, it opened the path to allow the members to take some time to explore individual projects,” Big Hit added. “As part of the HYBE family, we support and encourage our artists and are beyond proud that they will each now have time to explore their unique interests and do their duty by being of service to the country they call home.”
BTS hosted a free concert, "BTS 'Yet to Come'" in Busan to support the country's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. According to CNN, BTS member RM told the audience, "If the seven BTS members feel the same way and if you guys have faith in us, we will overcome whatever happens to us in the future, and we will perform with you guys and make music. Please have faith in us," before news of their enlistment was announced.
The statement also confirmed which member will start their service first. "Group member Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government," the label said. "Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans."
While BTS prepares to serve in the military, the group is still focused on pursuing solo musical efforts. Here is everything we know about how BTS plans to spend their time apart.
BTS
Good news, BTS Army. The Bangtan Boys may officially be on hiatus until 2025, but the K-pop idols are gearing up to release their very own book. On June 14, the group's Twitter account announced that the K-pop idols would be releasing Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS on July 9. The book is available for preorder from June 15 until its release date.
On Friday, May 12, the group released the new song, "The Planet," which will appear on the animated film Bastion's soundtrack. The uptempo bop is the first time all of the group's members appeared on a song together since the group announced that they would be focusing on solo projects and military service in October 2022.
SUGA
BTS star SUGA is taking his talents to the NBA. The K-Pop idol revealed that he's taking on a new role as an ambassador for the NBA. "Music and basketball have been shared passions of mine since my youth, and it's a dream to be named an NBA ambassador," SUGA said in a statement. "I'm excited to formalize my relationship with the NBA, and I can’t wait to share some exciting collaborations I have planned with the league over the coming months."
As part of his partnership, SUGA will participate in league initiatives that will be featured on his personal social media channels along with accounts from the NBA. He'll also attend games and events throughout the U.S. and Asia to support the league's promotional activities.
Prior to his new partnership with the NBA, SUGA gave fans a sneak peek into his life with the new Disney+ documentary Road to D-Day, which aired on the streaming service on April 21. The network announced that the doc will follow the singer "as he travels around the world from Seoul to Tokyo, Las Vegas and beyond in search of musical inspiration for his upcoming album D-Day."
Jimin
Congrats are in order for Jimin. The singer is the first of his group members to have one of their solo singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart courtesy of his smash hit "Like Crazy." He is also the first South Korean soloist to claim the No. 1 spot. On April 3, he shared a picture of his new ranking on Instagram and captioned it, "Love u all,, 💜."
In February 2023, the singer appeared on a Weverse live broadcast where he confirmed that his new album FACE album would be released in March. "I think the album I've been working on is going to drop in around March," he said. "I'm currently preparing lots of things that I can do together with you guys around that time." The album came in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart upon its release on March 24.
J-Hope
J-Hope is giving fans a look into the recording process for his Jack In The Box album in Disney+'s new documentary j-hope IN THE BOX. On Friday, January 27, the streamer debuted a teaser trailer, following the BTS star as he revealed behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at everything from his dance rehearsals to his Lollapalooza performance in July 2022. The series will debut on Disney+ on February 17.
J-Hope debuted his solo album, Jack In The Box, on July 15 and released a fiery new music video for his song, "Arson."
"I have been very passionate about my work since I was young, and my passion is hot as fire — so I picked fire for the theme of this song," J-Hope said in a video he posted on Instagram Reels.
RM
RM released his first full-length solo effort Indigo on Friday, December 2. The new album features appearances from Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Tablo from Epik High, Paul Blanco, and Mahalia. According to a press release obtained by Billboard, "Indigo recounts the stories and experiences RM Has gone through, like a diary." In honor of his new album, RM made an appearance on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert on his album release day. NPR shared the good news via Twitter. "RM at the Tiny Desk
Tomorrow. 12/2 7 p.m. KST | 5 a.m. ET."
When BTS’ hiatus was initially announced, RM shared his plans to embark on a personal development journey. “For BTS to last long, I think I have to retain who I am,” he said at the time. “Because I’m not BTS, I’m just a part of BTS.”
Jung Kook
Jung Kook will be gracing the stage at one of soccer's biggest games. The official BTS Twitter account confirmed that Jung Kook would not only perform at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 opening ceremony but he will appear on the FIFA World Cup soundtrack.
He will also be using the hiatus to collaborate with other artists while releasing solo music of his own. The singer is preparing to appear in Charlie Puth's single, "Left, Right." Charlie accidentally confirmed their collab during an interview at the iHeart Radio Wango Tango concert.
Jin
As the oldest member of BTS, Jin will be the first of the K-pop idols to fulfill South Korea's mandatory military enlistment. Before his departure, Jin will be releasing his first official solo single, "The Astronaut." On October 19, BigHit Music announced the song's cover art, a video teaser, and confirmed its release date on Twitter. "'The Astronaut' Poster 2022.10. 28. 1PM (KST) | 12AM (ET) Co-written by Jin x @Coldplay," the record label shared. You can snag physical copies of Jin's The Astronaut CD (which will be available in two versions on Amazon.
V
V is putting so much effort into his new solo album. The singer revealed that he's been having a tough time finalizing the project because he's focused on finding the correct flow. According to V, he listens to the entire album, "all the tracks one after the other," and removes the songs that don't fit the overall vibe.
V has also teamed up with The Marvels' Park Seo-Joon, rapper Peakboy, Parasite's Choi Woo-shi, and Soundtrack #1's Park Hyung-Sik for Disney+'s upcoming series In the Soop: Friendcation. The series will follow the group of famous friends as they relax together during a surprise vacation.
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