Status Updates From BTS: K-Pop's Biggest Headli...

A 2020 amendment to the law allowed BTS to postpone enlisting until the age of 30. But an exception would not be made for them to skip completing their service.

In mid-June 2022, BTS announced that their work as a group will be put on hold until around 2025. The break would allow the members to complete their mandatory military service and prioritize their solo careers. South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 25 must serve 18-21 months in the military, according to the country's constitution.

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"Butter' was released in May 2021 with collaboration between 7 songwriters within and outside the band. In July 2021, "Permission to Dance" was also released thanks to the help of British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and others. In the fall of 2021, BTS was back to performing live.

The MV was also successful, receiving more than 100 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours.

The song "Dynamite" released in 2020 was entirely written in English by British songwriters David Stewart and Jessica Agombar, an upbeat track influenced by disco. The song became the top-selling digital song of 2020 in the US and also topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. BTS became the first South Korean group in history to top that chart.

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The arrival of the COVID-10 pandemic in 2020 brought an abrupt shift in BTS' plans for the remainder of the year. Because BTS couldn't perform live, they felt cut off from ARMY. However, they continued to communicate and connect with fans through YouTube live streams and other social media platforms.

true calling of music.

On September 2018 in NY, BTS spoke to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as part of the launch for Generation Unlimited, a UNICEF youth education and empowerment program. RM addressed leaders from around the world and talked about how at an early age, he began to lose sight of his own dreams. The expectations of others had taken their place and that it took a long time to hear his inner voice and recover his...

"Fake Love" MV received 100 million views in 8 days. Even South Korea's then president Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory message via social media. It had been 12 years since any non-English speaking group had claimed the #1 spot on Billboard's album chart.

BTS' 2018 got off to a very rough start as the group faces exhaustion from the demanding cycle of producing an album and then touring. The cycle had consumed them the last few years. On the Wings tour, they gave 40 concerts in 10 different countries over 10 months. The group considered quitting, but none of them could bring themselves to do it.

V's expression "I purple you" was inspired by the purple lighting used at the end of a 2016 fan club event. V said to the crowd "Purple is the last color of the rainbow. Purple means I will trust and love you for a long time." From then on, purple became ARMY's chosen color.

As a result, Big Hit issued a public statement that they and BTS were very sorry for the offense. With a promise to be more sensitive in the future, the company now requires gender sensitivity training for all its artists before they can debut.

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Big Hit addressed an issue that had come up from BTS' earlier Dark & Wild album. Some people found the lyrics to "War of Hormone" and other songs misogynistic, or prejudiced against women, and called for an apology.

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Jungkook's track "Begin" focused on how he grew into adulthood as a member of the group and the influence of the older members on him. He was only 15 when BTS debuted.
J-Hope's "MAMA" was of him singing about his mother and the important role she played in his career as a performing artist.

In 2016, BTS worked on another album "Wings" that featured BYS' coming-of-age stories where each member was given a track. It was the first time that each member had a solo on an album.

The album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2" ranked #171 on the Billboard 200. This was the first time a K-pop group that wasn't from SM or YG Entertainment had made it onto the Billboard album chart. It was a historic moment that clearly revealed they also had fans in the US, even if it was difficult to know how many.

About a year and a half had passed since their debut and BTS still didn't have a #1 song on a weekly music TV program, even though "Boy in Luv" came very close.
The song "I Need U" became their #1 song on 5/5/2015!

Album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1", the songwriting was extremely personal. SUGA used basketball as a metaphor for the album's "Intro" track. When the group worked on the song "Moving on", they drew on their actual experience of moving from the single dorm room they shared into a more spacious place.

As the group became more popular, Big Hit entertainment revealed a new brand identity for BTS in 2017, making the acronym stand for "Beyond the Scene." BTS' mission "to always aim for the horizon, reaching for their dreams without resigning themselves to reality" remained the same.

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BTS - acronym for the Korean words Bangtan Sonyeondan, translates to "Bulletproof Boy Scouts". The members meant for it to convey their resistance to societal expectations, such as doing well in school, that can rain down on teens and young adults like bullets.

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The members spoke authentically to the camera about themselves, which went against the K-pop norm of the time to present perfectly polished artists.
At Mnet's M Countdown, BTS debuted on 6/13/2013 and performed "No More Dream" and "We are Bulletproof Pt.2". About a dozen fans were in the studio audience.

Fans would expect to see razor-sharp group dancing called kalgunmu in Korea from an idol group. According to Jin, they rehearsed for 2 months until everyone was in perfect sync. He noted, "On days when we had a lot of rehearsals, we'd be working 14 hours out of 24 hour day."

Because of limited budget, promotion was made through a Youtube channel called BANGTANTV for video uploads (video logs or vlogs).

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RM was tasked with deciding the direction of BTS' first album. Bang (CEO) wanted BTS' music to focus on modern teenage realities. RM wrote 29 different versions of BTS' debut song "No more Dream" before Bang chose the final one; the song criticizes South Korea's high-pressure education system. From the group's start, BTS was advocating for youth through their music.

5. V - high schooler with a baritone voice
6. Jimin - dance student at Busan's High School of the Arts
7. Jin - acting student as a college freshman; oldest member

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Recruit order:
1. RM - active as an underground battle rapper, learned English through sitcom Friends that his mom had bought for him.
2. SUGA - had dreams of being a professional musician; is from Daegu.
3. J-Hope - started as a dancer with a group called Neuron in Gwangju.

RM, SUGA, and J-Hope became the group's rappers.

4. Jung Kook - youngest and talented middle schooler

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