BTS is back – but K-pop has changed

“I missed them a lot,” says Stephanie Prado, a die-hard BTS fan who has been desperately ready for the group to reunite after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus.

Her love for the boy band impressed her to maneuver from Brazil to South Korea – so it was no shock that she turned up final Friday for “BTS Festa”, an enormous get together held yearly close to Seoul on the group’s anniversary.

The time she has spent ready has moved “each slowly and actually rapidly”, Stephanie says, waving an ARMY bomb, the official lightstick utilized by BTS followers, who name themselves the ARMY.

Behind her is a big sculpture of the lightstick, a must have within the Ok-pop world.

This 12 months’s occasion is particular as a result of a reunion is lastly across the nook. The countdown peaked final week, when 4 of the seven members, RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook, accomplished their army service. And the wait ends on Saturday when the final of them, Suga, is discharged.

“I hope they relaxation now,” Stephanie says, earlier than including, “however after all I additionally need albums, live shows, every thing”.

The 18 months within the army which can be necessary for all South Korean males pressured the world’s most profitable boy band lately to hit pause in 2022. Now they’re returning, some say, to a Ok-pop trade that’s fairly completely different to the one they knew: confronted with stalled album gross sales, shaken by scandals and more and more scrutinised over the extreme strain it places on stars.

The absence of a number one band, trade watchers say, was deeply felt.

“With out BTS, a core pillar was lacking,” says Kim Younger-dae, music critic and creator of BTS: The Overview.

“There have been issues lately that Ok-pop is shedding momentum. True or not, BTS might change that notion.”

There are not any plans but for all seven members to seem collectively, however that did not cease the ARMY from gathering early on a moist morning in Goyang.

The lengthy, stressed queue stretched to the subway station an hour earlier than the gates for the BTS Festa opened. The snippets of English, Chinese language, Japanese and Spanish alongside Korean threw off an area strolling previous who requested, “Why are there so many foreigners right here?”

Inside had been extra queues – some individuals had been hopping with pleasure and others had been sobbing after getting into the “voice zone”, a cellphone sales space the place you possibly can hearken to BTS members’ messages. About half of the followers the BBC spoke to teared up speaking about how a lot they missed BTS.

“It felt just like the 18 months lasted endlessly,” stated Vuyo Matiwane, a South African who had been visiting BTS-themed venues in Seoul, like their favorite restaurant. “I used to be crying at each location – it was so emotional.”

After which she watched the livestream of them being discharged, which was “overwhelming”.

Being surrounded by all issues BTS made a visit midway internationally price it, says Fara Ala, who travelled from the Netherlands: “Respiratory the identical air, consuming the identical water, consuming the identical meals as BTS – that is sufficient for ARMY. Should you ask different ARMY, they’d say the identical.”

South Korean army service is a serious check for male celebrities, lots of whom need to enlist on the peak of their success. Prior to now, it has proved deadly for some careers.

BTS is believed to have staggered it so that each one seven members had been lacking from motion for not more than six months. J-Hope, who was discharged final October, has since wrapped up a solo world tour. However the so-called curse could be laborious to interrupt.

For one, the loyalty of followers might wane as new teams debut virtually each week, competing for his or her consideration. Returning idols additionally face a tricky transition as a result of a army stint and a contact of maturity might dampen the essence of Ok-pop attraction: youthful power.

But when anybody can break the curse, it is BTS, Mr Kim says.

Every of them introduced solo tasks previously two and half years, he explains, with out hurting their reputation as a bunch: “It looks like their army hiatus handed by naturally. Their return feels easy.”

Nonetheless, the trade past the ARMY can pose a problem.

Whereas BTS was on a break, the opposite Ok-pop sensation, Blackpink, has not dropped an album since September 2022, opting as a substitute for solo releases. These had been the leaders of Ok-pop’s third era.

However they’ve been succeeded by fourth and fifth generations which have introduced recent model to the style. The newer acts – which debuted after 2018 – lack a standout title like BTS as a result of Ok-pop has develop into extra various than ever. The result’s a spread of highly regarded and experimental teams.

“Most individuals my age like fourth era idols as of late,” says a 13-year-old fan of lady group IVE.

“Some nonetheless like third era teams, however for teenagers, BTS sort of looks like they belong to an older era. Quite a lot of new idols debuted whereas BTS was away, they usually have develop into fashionable.”

However the largest problem to BTS’ famous person standing is what some see as a slowdown in Ok-pop.

Income from live shows stays robust, however album gross sales – a key market metric – have been declining since a peak in 2023. The droop coincides with when BTS and Blackpink weren’t releasing albums.

South Korean popular culture critic Park Hee Ah agrees that Ok-pop went via “some troublesome occasions” whereas BTS was away.

There have additionally been a number of controversies, such because the headline-making dispute between hit lady group NewJeans and their company, allegations of mistreatment by omnipotent businesses and harassment of stars by followers and trolls.

“Album gross sales began to drop, and a few issues – like questions on firms doing the appropriate factor – got here up,” Ms Park stated. Due to all of this, she provides, we did see extra “deeper issues within the Ok-pop trade”.

That is additionally why so many are trying ahead to BTS’ return, hoping it’s going to carry renewed power – and possibly even a path ahead for the trade.

“Their return will assist individuals give attention to Korea’s music scene once more,” Ms Park says, including {that a} BTS reunion is nice not only for their followers but in addition for Korean delicate energy.

All eyes are actually on the band’s subsequent track.

“I’ll rapidly make an album and return to the stage,” RM, the group’s chief, stated on the day he was discharged.

However a brand new group album could not come till early subsequent 12 months as a result of J-Hope nonetheless has home live shows scheduled, and Jin is about to carry live shows for followers internationally over the subsequent few months. It is also potential Suga, who landed in controversy after he was caught drunk-driving a scooter final 12 months, could need to lie low for a short time.

For thousands and thousands of followers like Stephanie although, merely figuring out BTS is again collectively is sufficient – for now.

“It will really feel like nothing ever modified. The kings are again.”