BTS Returns as a Full Group After 6 Years and 1 Month, Announcing Fifth Studio Album on March 20

BTS is returning as a full group for the first time in 6 years and 1 month. The group officially confirmed that it will release its fifth studio album at 1 p.m. KST on March 20. This marks the first studio album released by the members after completing their military service, approximately 6 years and 1 month after the release of “Map of the Soul: 7” in February 2020. The announcement was made at midnight through the fan community platform Weverse.

The new album will consist of 14 tracks. Their agency, Big Hit Music, stated, “Great effort was put into the album to capture the current BTS,” adding that “each track deeply reflects the emotions and reflections the members have accumulated throughout their journey.” BTS also launched the official website 2026bts.com, with additional information about the album and world tour set to be released gradually starting from January 14.

As anticipation among fans grows ahead of their return, streaming numbers for their past songs have surged. The 2022 release “Run BTS” reached number one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. This song had already topped the iTunes Top Songs chart in 61 countries, including Brazil and Finland. The 2018 track “Answer” also recently reached number one on the same chart, while RM’s second solo album track “Nutts” re-entered the chart at number two following the artist’s live broadcast.

BTS’s individual solo songs have also shown significant upward trends on the Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs chart. Jimin’s “Who” rose to 32nd place, Jin’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” climbed to 38th, Jung Kook’s “Seven” reached 62nd, and the duet track “Winter Ahead” by V and Park Hyo-shin moved up to 102nd—representing increases of 48, 36, 54, and 80 places respectively. These figures indicate heightened interest from global fans in preparation for their return.

BTS is also planning a world tour for the first time in about 4 years. Their last tour was “Permission to Dance on Stage” held in Las Vegas in April 2022. Details about the tour will be unveiled on January 14.

Industry experts predict that BTS’s return will significantly reshape the landscape of the K-pop industry. Grace Cao, a sociology professor at Yale University, said, “BTS remains the most recognized name in K-pop,” adding that “if an average American were to name just one K-pop group, it would still be BTS.” She further noted, “Although K-pop has shown strong presence on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this year, BTS has the potential to dominate it.”