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Who Is BTS? A Guide to Their 2026 Comeback

By the summer of 2025, all seven members of BTS had finished South Korea's mandatory military service — the last item on a list that had kept the group apart, one enlistment at a time, for years. In March 2026 they came back together for ARIRANG, their first full studio album since Map of the Soul: 7, and by April they were on stage again for their first world tour since 2022. Here is what changed while they were gone, what the comeback actually sounds like, and where to go next if you already know one or two of the seven members.

Why 2026 feels like a different kind of comeback

BTS releases have been called comebacks before, but this one carries more weight than a new single or a mini album usually does. Between 2022 and 2025, each of the seven members carried out South Korea's mandatory military service on a staggered schedule rather than all at once, so for years "BTS" mostly meant seven separate schedules instead of one group calendar.

Jin finished his service first, in June 2024, and J-Hope followed that October. RM and V were discharged on the same day, June 10, 2025, then Jimin and Jung Kook the day after, June 11. Suga was the last to return, on June 21, 2025 — the point at which all seven members were finally free to work as a group again.

That gap is why ARIRANG matters beyond being a new release. It is the first studio album the full group has recorded together since Map of the Soul: 7in February 2020, and the tour that followed is BTS's first as a complete group since 2022.

ARIRANGand "SWIM"

BTS released ARIRANGon March 20, 2026 — the group's fifth Korean-language studio album and tenth full-length release overall. The title track, "SWIM," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and by early April, thirteen of the album's fourteen tracks had charted on the same list, missing only the short interlude "No. 29."

"SWIM" leans into a steady, propulsive sound, and the title itself points at staying in motion rather than standing still — a fitting idea for a comeback that arrives after nearly three years of separate schedules.

The world tour that followed began on April 9, 2026, as the group's 82nd overall concert run, and is scheduled to continue through March 2027.

Watch "NORMAL"

BTS (방탄소년단) "NORMAL" Official MV

"SWIM" was the song built for charts and comeback stages, but a different track ended up defining how BTS chose to close out this stretch of promotion. "NORMAL," a B-side from ARIRANG, got a music video of its own months after the album's release, and Big Hit Music chose to premiere it on Spotify first, on July 17, 2026, before it reached other platforms.

Directed by Tanu Muino, the video follows the seven members through the quiet hours after a night out rather than through a stage performance, trading the polish of a title-track release for something closer to seven people at ease with each other. It went on to become the most-streamed K-pop music video in a single day on Spotify — a notable result for a song that was never pushed as the album's lead single.

Official music video uploaded by HYBE LABELS.

Meet the seven members

BTS is RM (leader and main rapper), Jin (vocalist), Suga (rapper and producer, also known for solo work as Agust D), J-Hope (rapper and the group's dance leader), Jimin (vocalist and dancer), V (vocalist), and Jung Kook (vocalist and the group's youngest member).

HAEMIL already has full guides for three of them. Jung Kook's guide looks at why ARMY watched him grow from the group's golden maknae into a performer who can carry a stage on his own. Jimin's guide focuses on how his movement carries as much feeling as his voice. V's guide covers the deeper, more textured tone that gives BTS one of its most recognizable moods.

RM, Jin, Suga, and J-Hope do not have dedicated HAEMIL guides yet. Their group page is the place to find more about all seven members as HAEMIL adds to this coverage.

Why BTS is worth watching again in 2026

BTS spent years being talked about in the past tense by casual observers — a huge group that was technically on hiatus while its members completed military service. ARIRANGand the tour that followed close that chapter, but they do not simply pick up where 2020 left off. "SWIM" and "NORMAL" show two very different sides of the same comeback: one built for a comeback stage, the other filmed like nobody was watching.

If you are discovering BTS through this comeback, "SWIM" is the most direct way in, since it is the song built to represent the album. From there, the seven members and years of material are easier to explore one guide at a time.

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