It was Canada Day yesterday and I know this news wasn’t just for BTS’s Canadian Army but I took it personal, like it was a gift just for me. The gift of their togetherness… for the first time in FOREVER. And not just a photo but a whole livestream with all seven members, just like old times. My heart!

 

We have of course seen RM, Suga, Jimin, V, and Jungkook since they were released from the military. They’ve shown up at j-hope and Jin’s concerts, they’ve posted videos and photos in some combination on social media. But there had yet to be a photo of all of them intentionally showing us their seven faces without masks on, facing the camera, posing – it was the money shot we’ve been waiting for. 

Instead of a photo, though, BTS came through with a previously unannounced livestream on Weverse yesterday watched by 7.3 million fans. Imagine just turning on the camera, without any heads up, and all those millions of people dropping whatever they were doing. That was me, by the way, while playing golf and trying not to scream through someone’s backswing. 

 

But the second I heard their familiar greeting – “One…two… three… Hello! We are BTS!” – it was instant tears. 

 

First, the business. During the livestream, the band confirmed that they are heading into the studio this month to work on the new album. 

"We'll be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year. Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music. Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member's thoughts and ideas. We're approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started."

 

Spring of 2026 isn’t specific but it kind of is specific because the BTS song that probably means the most to its entire fandom, especially now after their hiatus, is “Spring Day”, already one of their most popular tracks. “Spring Day” is about love and longing, about missing those who are dear to you, your friends and family, and also… fans. 

“Past the edge of this winter's cold
Until the spring day comes again
Until the flowers bloom again
Please stay there a little longer, stay there”

A spring day is also the spring equinox. And the spring equinox in 2026 is March 20, FRIDAY MARCH 20. As in NEW MUSIC FRIDAY. So the spring equinox next year, aka the spring day of 2026, happens to be on a Friday. And “Spring Day” is basically BTS’s anthem, and Fridays are when new music drops… 

Coincidence or conspiracy?! 

 

How could it NOT be March 20, 2026?!

Beyond the business, though, there’s also the friendship. The friendship is the key to BTS’s success. Of course, of course, their music is great, we love the music, but we love the people even more. We love their love for each other. The reason they can move in sync the way they do, harmonise the way they do, perform the way they do as a unit is because they genuinely care about each other, they genuinely want to be around each other. And when they are together, it’s magic – and organic. 

This is why the livestream yesterday hit so hard: it’s how we met BTS all those years ago – unscripted and unproduced. It’s basically just the seven of them shooting the sh-t in front of a camera without choreography, at times perhaps even forgetting that there’s an audience of millions just watching them banter, joke around with each other, tease each other. They’re talking about their comeback and about what they want to do with their hair with the same energy. 

 

And above all else, they look THRILLED to be in each other’s company. The smiles on their faces, the joy in their expressions, perhaps even a little surprise thrown in too – because how could they not have worried that nearly three years later it wouldn’t be the same, and how could they truly count on the public still caring as passionately as they did before? So there had to be some relief too, not just because the fans are back but because they are back with each other and the foundation that they’d all spent over a decade building and nurturing is clearly still intact, perhaps stronger than ever. 

So it’ll be really, really interesting to see how much bigger BTS will become in 2026. In addition to the album they’ve confirmed they will tour. The demand for tickets for this tour is going to be terrifying. I personally have never seen all seven BTS members on stage at the same time so in my case, I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get to a show wherever in the world it might be. And I know I’m not the only one. Millions of people are going to be throwing everything they have into that lottery for tickets. Which means BTS has not peaked. We’re about to see huge numbers, the kind of numbers that power a local economy. Here’s just one sign of that: 

The last time they toured the world, the last time they released a full album, western media outlets were not jumping up immediately to cover their news. Yesterday, though, shortly after the livestream, BTS’s comeback made headlines everywhere. I was actually surprised to see it at PEOPLE.com, having been conditioned to western media outlets ignoring their updates. But the news was everywhere.

This Korean boy band actually paused for three years, while all of them fulfilled their military duty, and are not just coming back to the same level of popularity but are about to ascend to yet another summit? It would be an extraordinary achievement for a western band without the military obligation, but for a group whose catalogue is largely not in English to keep growing and growing with no limits? Phenomenon seems too small a word for it.