“BTS has basically been pretty inactive since [2022] And they haven’t released a full album in [three] years. So, people are obviously really excited to see them back together as a seven-member group,” said USF alum Karin Woodbury.
Photo courtesy of Big Hit Music
By Secilia Ruiz
K-pop fans around the world shrieked in their bedrooms when the popular K-pop boy band BTS announced on Jan. 4 that they would not only be releasing their fifth studio album, “ARIRANG,” but that they would also be going on a world tour for the first time since their three-year hiatus.
“I saw a notification from “Weverse,” which is the app that BTS’s company made to connect with fans…I checked and it said that they were going on tour – and that they were coming to Tampa – and I lost it. I completely lost it,” said junior environmental science major Adriana Santos.
BTS, which is an acronym for the Korean phrase “Bangtan Sonyeondan” (Bulletproof Boy Scouts), is a beloved K-pop band that has been in the international limelight for many people’s entire childhood.
Sophomore studio arts major Chaziah Parker has been a part of the BTS fandom, or “Army,” since sixth grade.
“[BTS] was different than what I was raised on…the aesthetic, the music videos. At the time of where I was, it was different and it was new and it was happy and bright,” she said.
USF alum Karin Woodbury agreed, highlighting a unique aspect of BTS’s music videos.
“They were one of the first artists that I found [where] their music videos were actually creating an overarching story. It wasn’t just random vignettes with the members in it. I liked the kind of story or lore aspect,” Woodbury said.
Santos pointed out how the band’s discography includes a multitude of different genres.
“I just really like how diverse their music is,” they said. “The fact that they have everything from R&B to like electro-pop… it’s beautiful to me.”
At the height of their popularity, BTS went on a three-year hiatus during which the members embarked on solo careers while each completed the mandatory military service that is custom in South Korea.
Parker hopes this time apart will influence BTS’s new releases as a group.
“I’m excited to see what kind of music they make again – if it’s altered because everyone’s touched into their own things, if they’re going to bring that together now,” she said.
Woodbury echoed a similar sentiment.
“…For the last few years as they’ve been in and out of the military, it’s mostly just been solo acts, but I think it’ll be good to see them trying to work together as a group again, because we haven’t really seen that in a while,” Woodbury said.
Santos argued that the blossoming of the members’ solo careers means that BTS as a group may become a thing of the past.
“[The members are] becoming different people, and I really don’t know how long they’re gonna still be making music together,” Santos said. “They’ll always be friends, but I think they’re enjoying the solo music more.”
With a combination of uncertainty and excitement present in the BTS “Army,” students were excited when a tour date was announced in Tampa.
“I felt the most able to participate just because it’s so close. I’m like an adult now, so I could go,” Parker said.
Luckily, Santos was able to get tickets.
“As much as I didn’t want to give the company money, I caved because I just wanted to see them. I’ve been a fan of them for so long that I can’t not [see them] … I think it would have broke me,” Santos told The Crow’s Nest.
Reflecting on the impact of BTS across their career, Woodbury brought up the significance of an international group gaining such popularity in the United States.
“I think they’ve done a big part in legitimizing international artists…They were kind of another stepping stone in that when other international groups or artists have been trying to break into the Western market for a long time, and they were the most successful with it, I think,” Woodbury said.
Santos added that the group has brought her a lot of friendships.
“It’s kind of hard to find places where you can connect with your peers…So having that similar interest and having places to go to like [places] hosting birthday cup sleeve events and card swaps…It just provided a community for me and that was really monumental to me when I was 13-14 and even now it still is,” Santos said.
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Written by: Secilia Ruiz on March 23, 2026.
Last revised by: Julia Ferrara