K-Pop's BTS Is Officially Back —New Music, World Tour Coming Soon

Topline

K-pop phenomenon BTS has confirmed its reunion, promised to release two new albums and said it will embark on a world tour three years after the band announced a hiatus to allow members to pursue solo work and to complete their mandatory South Korean military service requirements.

Key Facts

All seven members of BTS reunited for the first time since completing their military service requirements in a Weverse livestream Tuesday and announced they will release a new album in the spring of 2026 that will "reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas."

The group also said it is planning a “massive” world tour for 2026 to accompany the new album, but didn’t announce exactly where the tour would go or how many stops it will make.

BTS is also preparing to release its first live album, Variety reported Monday, a 22-song collection titled “Permission to Dance on Stage – Live.”

The live album will come with a 14-minute video called “BTS Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul"—featuring a compilation of clips from the final performance of the band’s last tour— and a 92-page digital book with behind-the-scenes content.

Big Number

7.3 million. That's how many people watched Tuesday's Weverse stream, the first time all seven members broadcast together since September of 2022, in real time.

What We Don’t Know

When exactly the tour will start or the new album will be released. The Korea Herald reported the comeback was set for March 2026, but the band did not confirm a timeframe in Tuesday's livestream.

Crucial Quote

"We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started," BTS said in a statement.

Key Background

Musicians Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook formed BTS in 2010 and the band debuted in 2013 under label Big Hit Entertainment. BTS was the first South Korean band to make it to the top of the Billboard 200 with the 2018 album "Love Yourself: Tear" and the group has shattered records since. BTS is the best-selling musical act in South Korean history with more than 40 million records sold. The group holds Guinness World Records for being the most streamed group on Spotify and most followed music group on Instagram, and has broken several social media records, including most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours by a K-pop group and fastest time to reach one million followers on TikTok. In total, BTS has six No. 1 Billboard hits and 10 top 10 hits.

Forbes Valuation

BTS was ranked at No. 47 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2020, and was estimated to have made $50 million that year. The band debuted on the Celebrity 100 list at No. 43 in 2019 with $57 million in pretax income that year. The band is estimated to have crossed 93.6 billion won ($77.2 million) in ticket sales for the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself world tour in May and June 2019 and the live-stream of its Wembley concert that year.

Further Reading