BTS returns – but k -pop has changed

“I missed them so much,” says Stephanie Prado, a hard BTS fan, who is desperately waiting for the band to reunite after Hiatus for two and a half years.

Her love for the boy group inspired her to move from Brazil to South Korea – so it was no surprise that she appeared last Friday for BTS Festa, a large party held every year near Seoul at the group’s anniversary.

The time she spent in anticipation moved “both slow and really fast,” says Stephanie, waving an army bomb, the official light used by BTS fans who call themselves the army.

Behind it is a huge Lightstick sculpture, mandatory in the world of K-POP.

This year the event is special because the collection is finally around the corner. The countdown reached peak last week when four of the seven members, RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook, completed their military service. And the wait ends on Saturday when the last one, Suga, is discarded.

“I hope they rest now,” Stephanie says, before adding, “but of course, I also want albums, concerts, everything.”

The 18 months in the military, who are obligatory for all men in South Korea, have forced the most successful boy group in the world in recent years to pause in 2022. Now they are returning, some say in the K-POP industry, which is completely different from the one they knew.

The absence of a leading group, the observers of the industry say, felt deep.

“Without BTS, there was no main pillar,” says Kim Young-Dae, a music critic and author of BTS: The Review.

“Recently, there are fears that K-POP is losing momentum. True or not, BTS may change this perception.”

There are no plans yet for all seven members to appear together, but that did not prevent the army from gathering early in the morning in Goyang.

The long, restless tail extended to the metro station before the BTS Festa gates opened. The exactions in English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish, along with Korea, threw a local past, which asked, “Why are there so many foreigners here?”

There were more queues inside – some people were jumping with excitement and others sobbing after entering the Voice Zone, a telephone cabin where you can listen to the messages of BTS members. About half of the BBC fans spoke to talk about how much BTS missed.

“I felt that the 18 months continued forever,” says Vuio Mathiene, a South African, who visited the BTS-themed seats in Seoul as his favorite restaurant. “I cried in every place – it was so emotional.”

And then she watched her live, which was “predominant”.

Surrounded by all the things that BTS made in the middle of the world was worth it, says Farah alla, who was traveling from the Netherlands: “Breating the same air, drinking the same water, eating the same food as BTS – that’s enough for the army. If you ask another army, they would say the same.”

South Korean military service is a major test for male celebrities, many of whom should be included in the peak of their success. In the past, it was fatal for some careers.

It is believed that BTS has set it, so all seven members have disappeared from action for no more than six months. J-Hope, which was written last October, has since ended the world tour. But the so -called curse can be difficult to break.

On the one hand, the loyalty of fans could reduce, as the new groups debut almost every week, competing for their attention. Returning idols are also facing a difficult transition, as a military stay and a touch of maturity can moisturize the essence of K-POP Appeal: Youth Energy.

But if anyone can break the curse, it is BTS, says G -n Kim.

Each of them has announced independent projects in the last two and a half years, he explains, without hurting their popularity as a group: “It is felt that their military hiatus has passed naturally.

However, the industry beyond the army can be a challenge.

While BTS was on vacation, the other K-POP sensation, Blackpink, did not release an album from September 2022, and instead chose solo editions. These were the leaders of the third generation of K-POP.

But they are inherited from fourth and fifth generations, who brought a fresh style to the genre. The more acts -which debuted after 2018 -have no excellent name like BTS because K -pop became more diverse than ever. The result is a number of very popular and experimental groups.

“Most people my age as fourth-generation idols these days,” says a 13-year-old Girl Group Ive fan.

“Some still as third -generation groups, but for teenagers, BTS feel they belong to an older generation. Many new idols have made their debut while BTS was far away and they became popular.”

But the biggest challenge for the BTS superstar’s condition is what some see as a delay in K-POP.

Revenue from concerts remain strong, but album sales – a key market indicator – decrease from their peak in 2023. The decline coincides when BTS and Blackpink do not release albums.

South Korean pop cultural critic Park He Ah agrees that K-POP went through “some difficult times” while BTS was far away.

There are also several contradictions, such as a title dispute between the hit band Girl Group Newjeans and their agency, allegations of abuse by almighty agencies, and harassment of fans and troll stars.

“Album sales have started to decrease and some problems have emerged -such as questions about companies they are doing right,” said G -Jza Park. Because of this, she adds, we saw more “deeper problems in the K-POP industry.”

That is why they enjoy the return of BTS so much, hoping that it will bring updated energy – and maybe even a way forward for the industry.

“Returning them will help people focus again on the music scene in Korea,” says G -Ja Park, adding that gathering BTS is great not only for their fans but also for Korean soft power.

All eyes are already in the band’s next song.

“I will quickly make an album and return to the stage,” said RM, the leader of the band, said the day he was released.

But a new group album may not only come early next year, as J-Hope still has scheduled concerts and Jin will hold fans around the world over the next few months. Suga, who landed in a dispute, is also possible after being caught drunk last year to drive a scooter, may want to lie low for a little while.

For millions of fans like Stephanie, however, just knowing that BTS is enough together is enough – for now.

“It will feel like nothing that has never changed. The kings are back.”