BTS

Formed in Seoul in 2010, BTS brings together RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook in a K‑pop project that combines rap, singing and synchronized choreography. Under the Big Hit Entertainment label (now Big Hit Music), BTS officially debuted in 2013 with the single album 2 Cool 4 Skool, then released an early run of records focused on adolescence and school pressure, including Skool Luv Affair (2014) and their first Korean studio album Dark & Wild (2014). The group broadened its scope with The Most Beautiful Moment in Life series (2015) and the album Wings (2016), where the lyrics address identity, the desire for emancipation and vulnerability more directly. From Love Yourself 承 ‘Her’ (2017), Love Yourself 轉 ‘Tear’ (2018) and Love Yourself 結 ‘Answer’ (2018), BTS steered its narrative toward self‑esteem while moving further into pop and electronic sounds. Map of the Soul: Persona (2019), Map of the Soul: 7 (2020) and BE (2020) confirm a collective writing approach alternating intense rap, melodic pop choruses and R&B or EDM productions. Active first across Asian stages and then worldwide, BTS alternated international tours, Japanese projects, collaborations with foreign pop and hip‑hop artists and solo releases by members, before undertaking a partial pause in group activities from 2022 due to mandatory military service in South Korea—without the artistic presence of BTS disappearing from the global K‑pop landscape.