I used to be embarrassed by my teenage fandom of the Korean boyband. Now I look back at that version of myself with so much softness
When I heard the surprise news that BTS are releasing a comeback album, it pulled me back into a past version of myself, one that was all-consuming in its obsession, but equally marked by shame.
At the ripe old age of 14, I had mastered the art of lowering my screen brightness and switching tabs to hide my shameful secret from any passerby or seat-sharer.
Aastha Agrawal is a writer, illustrator and multidisciplinary creative based in Naarm. Find more of her work at Continue reading…
South Korea’s most lucrative musical act has been on a break since 2022 as its members undertook the mandatory service required of all South Korean men under 30 due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North.
With five members discharged from military service in June, many in the industry have been anticipating their comeback.
“Starting in July … we’re planning to make something massive, so from then (this month), we’ll probably gather together and stay focused on making music,” band leader RM said on their superfan platform Weverse.
“Starting next spring, we’ll of course be going on tour, so please look forward to seeing us all around the globe,” he added.
The band also revealed their plans to head this month to the US, where all seven members will gradually regroup to begin music production and prepare for upcoming performances.
If released in the spring of 2026, their comeback album would be their first in four years since Proof, which was the best-selling album of 2022 in South Korea, with nearly 3.5m copies sold.
Before their mandatory military service, the boy band generated more than 5.5tn won ($4bn) in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.
BTS holds the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify, and became the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts in the US.
Source: theguardian.com