As if 2019 wasn’t already a huge milestone for this group, 2020 only looks more promising for BTS. With a few Billboard Award wins under their belt, in addition to a performance on Saturday Night Live and a collaboration with Halsey, this K-pop group is ready to dominate in the new year. Here’s why 2020 is such an important year for this boy band.
Is BTS releasing new music in 2020?
Thanks to Namjoon, fans learned that new BTS music is officially on the way. It’s been a few months since the group released their last album, Map of the Soul: Persona, and now, some fans speculate that another era could branch off of Map of the Soul, entitled Shadow.
“On the blackboard, walls, and floor [of their comeback trailer], it consistently says ‘PERSONA SHADOW EGO‘ in that order so I’m thinking this will be a series of three albums in that order,” a Reddit user explained of the group’s upcoming music. However, there is no official date for their next album. Presumably, it will premiere sometime during 2020.
BTS resumes their tour schedule during April 2020
Hot off the heels of their showstopping MMA performance, BTS’ management company shared a cryptic message with the army. Big Hit Entertainment posted a picture to Twitter of the seven boys’ shadows in some kind of lake. The photo has “tour” written in white letters and the caption read, “April 2020. Stay tuned.”
Of course, some fans of BTS started speculating about dates, venues, and prices. However, nothing has been confirmed by Big Hit Entertainment or this award-winning boy band.
Jin will most likely enlist in the military within the next year
2020 might be the last year, for a long time, anyway, that BTS will remain a seven-member group. Recently, Lee Nam-woo, an official with the South Korean ministry of defense, stated that K-pop superstars, despite their impact on the country’s economy and tourism, will not be exempt from military service.
“Exempting pop culture artists from military service even though they have made a contribution to the country’s reputation is not in line with the government’s stance to uphold justice and fairness,” the ministry said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
As able-bodied males, one of the next steps for the members of BTS is to enlist in the military. The oldest of the group, Jin, will most likely have to enlist within the next few months, as his 27th birthday (international age) is Dec. 4, 2020. It’s unclear if the members will all enlist at the same time, as each BTS member is in their 20s.
“As a Korean, it’s natural,” Jin, whose birth name is Kim Seok-jin, said in a CBS News interview in April. “And someday, when duty calls, we’ll be ready to respond and do our best.”
Music by BTS, including their most recently-released album, Map of the Soul: Persona, is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and most major streaming platforms.