BTS Officially Announces Release Date of First Album in Almost 4 Years After Completing Mandatory Military Service
- - BTS Officially Announces Release Date of First Album in Almost 4 Years After Completing Mandatory Military Service
Toria SheffieldJanuary 1, 2026 at 10:38 PM
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Frazer Harrison/Getty
BTS has announced the official release date for their new album
The band initially announced that new music was forthcoming in July 2025, though they did not provide a specific drop date at the time
The K-pop stars took an extended hiatus beginning in 2022 in order to fulfill South Korea's mandatory military service
BTS fans rejoice! The band has officially confirmed a release date for their first album in almost four years.
The superstar K-pop group's seven members — RM, 31, Jin, 33, Suga, 32, J-Hope, 31, Jimin, 30, V, 30 and Jung Kook, 28 — recently sent handwritten notes to select members of their official fan club, BTS ARMY. The membership card confirmed that a new album will drop on March 20.
Gold membership armys recieved handwritten letters from bts with a date on it?!? bts said the announcement better go to armys first like through mail with handwritten letters, THIS IS LOVE 😭 pic.twitter.com/eS7hpyH8U5
— ⁷ bts year ²⁰²⁶ (@Inmagicshop___) December 31, 2025
The news was also independently confirmed by media outlets in South Korea, per Variety.
Their album, Proof, was released in June 2022, shortly before the bandmates took an extended hiatus to fulfill their military service in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, a requirement of all men in the country.
BTS previously announced that new music was forthcoming in July 2025 during a group livestream — their first in nearly three years. While they revealed that they would begin recording soon they did not provide an exact release date at the time.
BTS/X
“Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas. We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started,” they said during the livestream.
They also confirmed that they would be going on tour after the new music was released
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BTS was formed in 2013 and steadily gained a following within the K-pop scene. The band exploded into mainstream pop stardom in 2017 with hits like "MIC DROP" and "DNA."
They had six songs top the Billboard Hot 100 in the ensuing years, fully cementing themselves as one of the most successful K-pop acts of all time.
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Since the band's hiatus, each member has continued their solo endeavors, with all bandmates releasing at least one solo album between 2022 and 2025.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
