BTS confirm album release date
BTS have confirmed the release date for their new album, which will be supported by a world tour.
BTS will drop their long-awaited new album on 20 March.
The K-pop superstars - comprising Suga, Jimin, J-Hope, RM, V, Jin, and Jungkook - have reunited following their mandatory military service and have now confirmed their first LP since 2022's Proof is on the way, as well as a world tour in support of the currently-untitled 14-track record.
Details for the tour - BTS' first in around four years - including dates and venues will be announced at midnight KST on 14 January.
Selected members of the official BTS ARMY fan club received handwritten notes which confirmed the date of the record's release.
Among the messages shared online, Jin wrote: “I greeted you all as a soloist in 2023 and 2024, but I can finally greet you as part of a team again.”
J-Hope declared it is "the year that we will all be together with you", while RM admitted he had been “waiting for this moment more desperately than anyone.”
Jungkook added: “Please take good care of us this year as well.”
Ahead of the new phase of their careers, BTS have reset their official Instagram account and launched a new official website, 2026BTS.com.
In November, RM teased the group's new music is "really coming out great".
He posted on X: “Above all, the music is really coming out great!! Everyone is working hard. Look forward to it. 2026 Bulletproof Army Fighting”
In October, RM, V and J-hope headed to W Korea‘s Love Your W breast cancer charity event in Seoul, South Korea, and were quizzed on when fans can expect their long-awaited comeback.
As quoted by NME, RM said: “We have to keep preparing for the album — we’ll shoot the album photos and film the music video. Please look forward to late March.”
J-hope quipped: “It’s been a while — should we start dance practice again?”
To which, RM playfully replied: “Let’s start tomorrow."
RM also said BTS had been working "diligently" on their next full-length release.
In a message to fans on the platform Weverse, he said: "It's already been a little over two months since I was discharged from the military.
"I'm from faraway Los Angeles. I live, work, and play with the members. It's a really strange experience. It feels 'Bon Voyage Pyeongchang.' It's weird already, right... Anyway, I feel like I'm working diligently somewhere.
"Making something 'together' with these friends, I'm going to commit myself to this moment. I'm going to thank you. It's our next album.
"I'm looking for what I'll become. Something I've forgotten for too long, the moments that are far away together. I hope that it will be a kind of beauty."
