EXCLUSIVE: As BTS prepare to bring their Arirang World Tour to London, we explore the band's incredible comeback and speak to insiders about what the BTS future holds18:00, 02 Jul 2026Updated 18:08, 02 Jul 2026After promising to unleash the “comeback of the century,” millions of BTS fans were thrilled when the K-pop supergroup launched new album Arirang and announced an epic 85-date global tour earlier this year. After an absence of almost four years, the long-awaited return of the world ’s biggest boyband – comprising RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jungkook, Jimin and V – sparked an international frenzy. With Arirang debuting at No1 on the UK album chart, its lead single Swim also peaked at No2 – their best-performing song in Britain to date.‌In this special collector's edition of OK!, we explore the group's remarkable journey back to global megastardom ahead of their Arirang World Tour, which arrives in London on Monday 6 July. We cover their meteoric rise to fame, extensive tour history and signature style secrets - as well as exclusive interviews with BTS songwriters and details on what the members are really like behind closed doors.‌“It’s clear that BTS’s success is no longer just fan-powered, it’s mainstream,” Carl Smith, Editor of Official Charts tells OK!. “With years of pent-up demand and reunion speculation, BTS’s return has been a real comeback for the ages.”‌The band first revealed they were reuniting last summer, and details of their 10th studio recording finally dropped in January when their label Big Hit Music issued a statement saying, “The new album holds special significance as it marks the first album released by the group in three years and nine months.”The message to BTS fans – known collectively as the Army – also told how each of the seven members were “deeply involved” in the creation of the 14 new songs, which set out to express “the emotions and struggles they have experienced along their journey.” As the news sank in, the band sent handwritten letters to the elated Army, describing 2026 as “the year we finally meet again.”‌Also known as the Bangtan Boys, BTS made their debut in 2013 and by 2017 they had begun transcending Asian music markets to impact the charts all over the world. In 2020, they became the fastest group since the Beatles to have four US No1 albums in less than two years. And as leaders of the so-called “Korean wave”, they helped trigger a global cultural surge, with the release of TV series and films such as Squid Game and KPop Demon Hunters, which became the most-watched film ever on Netflix.But at the height of their fame, they announced a break in June 2022 to fulfil mandatory South Korean military service and embark on solo projects. Frontman RM also told fans they wanted “time to think about what kind of group we want to be.” When Suga became the final member of the band to complete his service last June, fans grew increasingly hopeful that they would reform.‌Those dreams came true just days later when they confirmed in a livestream, “Hey guys, we are back.” As anticipation built during the recording process in LA and Seoul, RM posted on X in November, “The music is really coming out great. Everyone is working hard.” He also said in December, “I want to come back so badly I feel like I’m going crazy.”Released in March and their first album since the pandemic-era Be in 2020 and 2022’s anthology offering Proof, Arirang blends Korean folk with the band’s thumping experimental sounds. Receiving rave reviews and seen as a reflection of a newfound maturity, the album became their fastest-selling to date, shifting almost four million copies in 24 hours – the highest ever first-day sales for any K-pop act. It also became the most-streamed K-pop album on Spotify and landed the group a seventh US No1.‌Meanwhile, Swim, which is about navigating life’s choppy waters, shattered streaming records and brought their seventh No1 single Stateside. “The way Swim broke records was honestly surprising,” says Euny Hong, author of The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture.“The only way I can explain it is that between 2022 and 2026, the Army fanbase seemed to become even more prevalent, despite the band being on hiatus. When that happens, you get more radio play, and that’s really important. That attention seems to have been brewing under the surface, though nobody could have known it would happen until the new music came out.”Hot on the heels of Arirang, BTS delivered their first full-group live performance in nearly four years in Seoul, with over 100,000 fans flocking to Gwanghwamun Square. The concert was streamed live on Netflix in 190 countries in BTS The Comeback Live, with the hour-long special on 21 March drawing 18.4 million viewers worldwide.‌Two weeks later, the World Tour Arirang kicked off, their first since 2022’s Permission to Dance on Stage. But despite a night of torrential downpours at South Korea’s Goyang Stadium, the crowd’s mood was far from dampened. “It’s raining like crazy,” V said during the 23-song extravaganza, pretending to do the breast-stroke as puddles formed on stage. Suga also likened the stadium to “a water park,” while Jimin joked, “I’m soaked down to my underwear.”‌British fans will be hoping for kinder weather when the tour, set to gross $1bn, rolls into London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in early July. With today’s live set-up incorporating bolder production values including ambitious pyrotechnics and thousands of LED lights, Euny believes fans can expect a thrilling spectacle. “The staging in the comeback shows so far with all the confetti and fireworks has been like a heroes’ welcome or a military parade, almost as if they were coming back from war,” she says. “With BTS, it’s no longer just a simple concert. It’s a celebration of survival – both literally and as a band.”In a veritable feast for the Army, the BTS reformation also brought the March release of Netflix documentary BTS: The Return, lifting the lid on the making of Arirang, while also exploring their personal feelings about their regrouping. As they worked together in LA, the band expressed some of their greatest concerns, with J-Hope describing their studio sessions as being “like a factory” and Jimin fearing they were “rushing” after such a lengthy absence.‌They discussed the difficulties of using English language in their music too, while the documentary also provided a glimpse of their military experiences, showing them heading to their army bases and being discharged.“The Netflix doc just further proves their mission to be unapologetically authentic,” says songwriter and producer Marcus McCoan, who has worked with the group on songs including Jamais Vu and Mikrokosmos. “Anyone who’s willing to do a documentary with that level of exposure is not just in it for the music, it’s way more than that. They obviously have important messages they want to push.”With 2026 already mapped out to be a boom year, there seems to be no stopping the BTS juggernaut. “They were already the kings of K-pop, but while they’ve been away the industry has grown and they’ve come back to take over again,” adds Marcus. “It’s amazing, because they’ve just got that power and everything they do turns to gold.”Article continues belowFrom military service to resurgent megastardom, this special edition of OK! takes a closer look inside BTS’s highly-anticipated return – including their early rise to fame and world domination, every tour to date, their style secrets and big-name collaborations, plus what the seven-piece are really like behind closed doors. Enjoy!