This is my 2026: They're so back!

I think I would be remiss if I don't write about them, or this well-written article by GQ.

https://www.gq.com/.../bts-begins-again-gq-cover-story...

The article started with how they got back after serving the military, and the anticipation and high expectation of their upcoming album, Arirang.

It ended with a more personal note from the writer, saying that he has ARMY in his circle, including his own Mom who got hooked to them during the pandemic while taking of her sick mother.

During that dark time, on nights when she would have to force herself to stay awake while keeping watch on my grandmother, who was breathing through an oxygen concentrator, my mother would watch YouTube videos of the Bangtan Boys on her phone (she knew to only watch on the official BTS channels so the views counted), their playful antics providing levity, their essential goodness allowing for hope. “They kept me company during those late nights,” she tells me now. “There were so many problems, but I would watch their videos and, for a moment, they would make me smile.”

Some of the highlights in this article:

- For those two months in LA, back together in the same house, the boys—now men in their late 20s and early 30s—worked day in and day out, all in an effort to make the best possible album. They worked as if digging for a piece of gold, like they did in the early days. “And I think we kind of found one,” RM says, referring to their fifth studio album and their first in nearly six years, which will of course come with a colossal world tour. It’s the most eagerly anticipated comeback in recent music history, inspiring a kind of feverish excitement reminiscent of when Elvis returned from the Army in 1960.

- “What I feel about the seven BTS guys,” said Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, “is that they have been—it seems, from knowing them a bit—made closer by that very intense process [of becoming stars].” Martin and Coldplay collaborated with BTS on the number one hit “My Universe.” “I was really happy that it seemed like they had each other’s backs. They’re very tight, personally, and they intertwine well. They don’t tread on each other’s toes too much. There’s distinct roles…. The love between them is real. That was the most striking thing—love in a very intense situation.”

- “We all treasure BTS more than we treasure each one of us separately,” says V. “We debuted as a group, so I think that’s the core identity that we have.”

- The annals of pop-music history are bursting with more examples of great bands that met their demise due to intraband dynamics and the temptation of solo careers than ones that went on a break and successfully reunited. The fact that all seven members of BTS have had successful solo efforts that handily showcased their individual identities as artists but are making good on their promise to get back together and continue working as a band, is a triumph in itself. The boys increasingly have individual passions, highly personal artistry, and busy lives of their own.

- “They’re just good people. It’s as simple as that,” Halsey said. “They are respectful of each other and inclusive of everyone’s opinion and ideas. There’s a really clear vision of what BTS is so everyone knows what’s on the agenda, and they’ve hit such a stride in how their individual strengths support that central vision. It’s not a really egocentric environment. There’s no way it could be, considering how focused they are on representing BTS and rewarding the fans.”