BTS Returns as a Full Group on March 20 After 4 Years; “Run BTS” at No. 1 on Billboard Fuels Expectations

BTS will return as a full group after four years on March 20 with their fifth studio album. Their agency, HYBE, announced that this album marks their first release as a complete group, featuring 14 tracks that will fully capture their current perspectives following individual activities and military service.

Immediately following the album’s release, the group is set to embark on a world tour. HYBE explained that the decision to return with a full-length album was made “to completely capture and convey what BTS is thinking at this moment.”

During the four-year hiatus, K-pop maintained its global visibility but lost some of the driving force that once placed it at the center of international music discourse. While major artists such as Stray Kids, BLACKPINK, TWICE, and SEVENTEEN filled the commercial gap, no group emerged with the symbolic power to define the genre on a global scale. Grace Cao, a sociology professor at Yale University, stated, “BTS remains the most well-known name in K-pop. Although K-pop has shown strong presence on the Billboard Hot 100 over the past year, BTS has the potential to dominate it. They can certainly sell more records than any other K-pop group.”

Industry insiders analyze that the decision to return with a full-length album is driven by a clearer long-term goal: positioning BTS to win the Grammy Award, their greatest unfulfilled honor. To date, BTS has been nominated four times for Grammys (three times for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance from 2021 to 2023 and once for Music Video in 2023) but has not won one. Since BTS is not nominated for the 68th Grammy Awards held in February, the 2027 edition is seen as the most realistic opportunity for them to break through.

“The Run BTS” song, released in 2022, reached No. 1 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, reflecting fans’ high expectations for their return. The track already topped iTunes Top Songs charts in 61 countries, including Brazil and Finland. “Run BTS” is a B-side track from the anthology album “Proof,” released in June 2022. Recent chart success has been driven by growing excitement among fans worldwide. HYBE explained, “These results were driven by ARMY’s voluntary streaming, as fans are revisiting older songs to express their anticipation for upcoming releases.”

This momentum is extending beyond individual songs. The 2018 track “Antifan” also recently reached No. 1 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, while “Nuts,” a track from Leader RM’s second solo album, re-entered the same chart at No. 2 following a recent live broadcast. Since the announcement of their return, BTS-related songs have seen significant rises on the Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs chart as well. Jimin’s “Who” reached No. 32, Jin’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” reached No. 38, Jung Kook’s “Seven” reached No. 62, and the duet song “Winter Ahead” by V and Park Hyo-shin reached No. 102, with each seeing weekly rises of 48 to 80 spots.