BTS

BTS is a seven-member South Korean pop group: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook.^[1] The group formed in Seoul in 2010 and debuted on 13 June 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment, which renamed itself HYBE in 2021; the group's label today is Big Hit Music.^[1][17] All seven completed South Korea's mandatory military service by June 2025, after which the group announced a full reunion and new music.^[2]

2026 comeback

BTS returned as a complete group on 20 March 2026 with the album 'Arirang' and its lead single, 'Swim'.^[2] 'Swim' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[4] 'Arirang' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and held the position for three consecutive weeks, opening with 641,000 equivalent album units, the biggest first week by units for any group since Billboard began that method of counting in December 2014.^[3][4]

Awards

'Swim' won Song of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards on 27 September 2026.^[5][14] BTS had been nominated in that category once before, with 'Dynamite' in 2021, which lost to Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License'; Rosé and Bruno Mars won it in 2025 with 'APT.'^[8][18] The same night 'Swim' also won Best K-Pop, ahead of entries from Blackpink, Cortis, Katseye, Le Sserafim and Lisa, and BTS won Best Group, taking all three awards it was nominated for; Lisa's 'Dream' won Best Pop.^[6][7][14]

Lawsuit and Grammy dispute

On 8 July 2026, three Los Angeles songwriters filed a US copyright lawsuit against HYBE, HYBE America, HYBE Music Services, Big Hit Music, Artist Publishing Group and seven of the song's credited co-writers, alleging 'Swim' reproduces an unreleased demo of the same name they wrote and recorded in early 2025.^[9] RM and Pdogg, though credited as writers, are not named, and no BTS member is a defendant; HYBE and Big Hit Music have denied the claims.^[9] Separately, on 29 July 2026 BTS ruled out submitting 'Arirang' or its songs for the 2027 Grammy Awards, after the Recording Academy introduced a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, one of five new categories, saying music should not be divided by region or language.^[10][16] On 19 August 2026, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he had spent two weeks in discussions with people in the industry about the category, and on 1 October 2026 he confirmed that the Academy had decided to keep it.^[10][15]

Tour

The Arirang World Tour began on 9 April 2026 in Goyang, South Korea; it was announced with 88 shows in 34 cities across 23 countries.^[12] Two sold-out nights at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in July 2026 drew about 130,000 fans, the highest per-show attendance recorded at the stadium since it opened in 2019.^[11] The tour's North American leg closed on 6 September 2026 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.^[12]

Beyond music

Member RM's exhibition 'RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me' runs at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from 3 October 2026 to 7 February 2027. It is the museum's first exhibition built around his personal art collection, showing nearly 200 works by Korean and international artists from his collection and SFMOMA's own.^[13]