BTS will be renewing their contracts under Big Hit Music, the seven-member South Korean boyband’s longtime label announced on Wednesday.
With some of its members having enlisted in government-mandated military service, the label ensured fans that the band will continue to work with the Big Hit “on their future releases from 2025 onwards,” according to a statement shared by Big Hit’s parent company HYBE.
“BigHit Music will take into consideration the military service status of some of the members and plans to sign with each BTS member sequentially,” their notice continued. “The members who are currently serving in the military will have completed their military duty by the start of the renewed exclusive contract period in 2025.”
Last summer, BTS announced they were going on (somewhat of) a hiatus as some members complete their service and others pursue their solo careers. All seven members of the globe-trotting band have entered the Billboard charts on their own, the latest being V, whose solo six-track album “Layover” scored at No. 2 debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart behind Olivia Rodrigo.
Suga, who had his first solo music tour earlier this year, became the third member of BTS to begin his compulsory military service. He follows Jin who signed up in December and J-Hope, who enlisted in April. All able-bodied men in Korea are required to perform 18-21 months of military service.
Big Hit also announced a donation — “a gesture of gratitude to BTS and their fans, ARMY” — of 1 billion South Korean won (an estimated $700,000 U.S. dollars) to the Korean Committee for UNICEF as part of the Love Myself campaign, which launched in November 2017 in collaboration with BTS.