What Every Member of BTS Has Done Since Their 2022 Hiatus

It may feel like a lifetime ago that BTS announced their temporary disbandment, but the wait for their return is finally over. Post-military service, each member of BTS is back in the saddle and ready to pick up where they left off. Coming up for the K-pop legends this Friday is ARIRANG, their first full-length studio album since 2020’s Be, as well as a massive 2026-2027 world tour (get tickets here).f

But RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook didn’t spend the entirety of their time away completing their mandatory military service, nor did they retreat from the spotlight entirely. Every member of BTS launched fully-fledged solo eras, complete with new albums, singles, tours, guest appearances, and more.

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Each member used the hiatus to explore a different corner of his artistic identity, from Suga’s rock-infused Agust D shows to V’s jazz-tinted solo debut. Jin and j-hope set the tone as early trailblazers into service, launching the group’s so-called “Chapter Two” with heartfelt singles before quietly enlisting. Now, with all seven finally on the other side of that chapter, fans have a rare chance to look back at everything they accomplished on their own before they step onto a stage together again.

Read on for what each member of BTS has done since their hiatus began in 2022.

Jin

Jin was the first member of BTS to enroll in the military, beginning his service on December 13th, 2022. Fittingly, he was also the first member to go solo — on October 28th, 2022, he revealed his debut solo track, “The Astronaut,” co-written with “My Universe” collaborators Coldplay and produced by Norwegian tropical house guru Kygo. “The Astronaut” earned Jin his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 51 and was described as a “gift for fans” ahead of his enlistment.

Jin then served approximately 18 months of military service for South Korea and was discharged on June 12th, instantly becoming a symbol of the group edging closer to a full reunion. In the months that followed, Jin eased back into public life, launched the web series Run Jin, and became an ambassador for brands like Jin Ramen, Gucci, and others.

He also quickly returned to the studio, releasing the new song “I’ll Be There” four months after completing his military service. It served as the lead single to Happy, Jin’s debut EP. He kept the momentum going into 2025 with his next EP, Echo, released on May 16th and featuring lead single “Don’t Say You Love Me.” Jin capped off his inaugural solo era with the “#RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR,” a major 2025 outing that featured his first-ever solo shows in the US and beyond.

j-hope

j-hope was the second member of BTS to enter the military, beginning his service in April 2023 after setting the tone for the group’s “Chapter Two” with one of the most fully realized solo eras.

In July 2022, he dropped his debut solo album, Jack in the Box, a raw, concept-driven project that leaned into darker, more experimental hip-hop than fans were used to from BTS’s resident mood-maker. He brought that vision to the stage with a massive headlining set at Lollapalooza in Chicago, effectively launching his solo career in front of a global festival audience. The set, as well as the making of his debut album, was chronicled in the Disney+ documentary J-Hope in the Box. Just before enlistment, j-hope released the single “on the street” with J. Cole, a reflective track that nodded to his roots as a street dancer and served as a love letter to the fans he was about to leave temporarily behind. The track preceded Hope on the Street, a docuseries centered on street dancing that arrived with a special EP, Hope on the Street Vol. 1.

j-hope officially completed his mandatory military service on October 17th, 2024, stepping out as the second BTS member to finish enlistment after Jin. In the weeks that followed, he slipped back into the spotlight with a mix of fashion and fan-facing work, resuming duties as a Louis Vuitton ambassador and popping up at events like the 2024 KBO Korean Series, where he threw a ceremonial first pitch. He carried that energy into 2025 with the digital single “Sweet Dreams,” followed by “Mona Lisa” and the GloRilla collab “Killin’ It Girl.” Finally, j-hope embarked on a massive 2025 solo tour, including arena and stadium shows in the US and a headlining set at Lollapalooza Berlin.

SUGA

While Jin and j-hope were blazing the first solo trails, SUGA was quietly building out his Agust D trilogy, culminating in his official debut solo album, D-DAY, released in April 2023. The project pulled together the raw intensity of his earlier Agust D and D-2 mixtapes with a more expansive, rock-tinged sound, and arrived alongside a Disney+ documentary, SUGA: Road to D-DAY, which tracked his creative process and travels. ​He then took Agust D on the road with the “SUGA | Agust D TOUR,” his first-ever solo world tour, which kicked off in New York in April 2023. It wrapped that August with a three-night run at Seoul’s KSPO Dome, making him the first BTS member to complete a full solo arena tour.

SUGA began his mandatory service on September 22nd, 2023, fulfilling an alternative form of duty due to a prior shoulder injury, and officially completed his service June 21st, 2025, an event that also marked the moment all seven BTS members had finished enlistment. Even while enlisted, he maintained a presence through soundtrack work, production credits, and his long-running talk show Suchwita, which had become a go-to space for candid conversations with fellow artists before pausing for his service.

RM

As BTS’s leader, RM used the hiatus to take a breath and turn inward. It resulted in his first official solo album, Indigo, released on December 2nd, 2022; framed as a “diary” of his late ’20s, the record stitched together alternative, folk, R&B, and hip-hop textures and a stacked guest list (Erykah Badu, Anderson. Paak, Epik High’s Tablo) into something intimate and carefully curated.

Unlike some of his BTS peers, RM didn’t mount a formal tour in support of Indigo. Instead, he made a point of appearing in smaller venues — including a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR — and conversation-driven content rather than blockbuster stages, leaning into museum visits, art collaborations, and long-form interviews that highlighted his love of contemporary art and design.

In 2023, seeking new inspiration for his next solo album, RM travelled to Spain and began work on a follow up to Indigo; his second album, Right Place, Wrong Person, arrived on May 24th, 2024 during RM’s enlistment. It marked a further expansion into more stylized sonics, with guest appearances from experimental artists Moses Sumney, Domi and JD Beck, and Little Simz. Later that year, RM also appeared on Megan Thee Stallion’s track “Neva Play,” and released the documentary RM: Right People, Wrong Place chronicling the making of his sophomore album.

RM enlisted for his mandatory military service on December 11th, 2023. After completing service in mid-2025, he slipped back into view with thoughtful messages to fans and quiet studio updates before formally re-emerging in the art world: in late 2025, he was announced as a guest curator for “RM x SFMOMA,” a major exhibition of works from his personal collection and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s holdings, set for 2026–2027.

V

If SUGA’s solo work leaned into catharsis and RM’s into introspection, V’s corner of BTS’ hiatus was all about mood. He formally stepped into his own spotlight with his debut solo album, Layover. Released on September 8th, 2023, the six-track project was steeped in vintage soul, jazz, and soft pop that highlighted his smoky baritone and old-Hollywood sensibility. It may have been a more sparse offering than his BTS peers’ solo efforts, but it remains a daring stylistic switch-up.

V kept busy in the months leading up to enlistment with promotional performances, appearances, and brand work, including high-profile campaigns for Celine and Cartier. He also appeared as a guest vocalist on R&B singer UMI’s late 2023 track “wherever u r,” and while completing his service, offered a special duet version of “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby around the holidays in 2024.

V officially began his mandatory service on December 11th, 2023, and was formally discharged on June 10th, 2025. Since being discharged, V has been relatively quiet about any future solo activities — but if Layover and 2024 follow-up single “FRI(END)S” are any indication, V has already carved out a distinct, jazz-tinged lane he can keep returning to as his solo story unfolds.

Jimin

Like several of his BTS bandmates, Jimin launched his solo era in 2023 with his debut album FACE, which arrived on March 24th, 2023. Featuring slick, futuristic production and lyrics that provided a new window into Jimin’s thoughts, hopes, and insecurities, the album was a hit with BTS fans and pop lovers alike; “Like Crazy,” the album’s second single, debuted at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making Jimin the first South Korean solo artist in history to achieve a number one debut. He also contributed vocals to “Angel Pt. 1,” a collaborative 2023 track that appeared on the soundtrack for Fast X. 

Though Jimin enlisted for military service on December 12th, 2023, he wasn’t exactly off the map entirely. In late 2023, he shared the fan-dedicated single “Closer Than This.” He also released his second solo album, MUSE, while completing his military service on July 19th, 2024; the album was crafted in tandem with Face in 2022 and was led by the singles “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” and “Who.” The latter single was a particularly massive moment for Jimin: “Who” broke the record for the fastest solo song by a male artist to sail past the billion-stream mark on Spotify, was the most-streamed song by a Korean act in 2024, and was the longest-charting Billboard Hot 100 solo song by a K-pop soloist this decade.

Finally, he starred in the travel reality series Are You Sure?! alongside bandmate Jung Kook for Disney+ in 2024, which had been filmed throughout Jimin’s busy 2023.

Since being discharged on June 11th, 2025, Jimin has eased back into the spotlight with select fashion appearances — including a Dior runway show in Paris that fall — while quietly returning to the studio and regrouping with BTS to prepare for their 2026 comeback.

Jung Kook

Following the band’s break in 2022, Jung Kook wasted no time launching his new era. His first solo single post-hiatus was 2022’s “Dreamers,” a song included on the 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack; he performed the anthemic track at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Qatar on November 20th.

He kept the momentum going in 2023 with his debut solo effort, GOLDEN, which highlighted Jung Kook’s versatile singing voice and energetic persona. Unlike the other BTS solo projects, which had new singles coming out immediately before album releases, Jung Kook shared a pair of singles months before GOLDEN arrived on November 3rd: “Seven” feat. Latto and “3D” feat. Jack Harlow. The project was a crossover hit for the singer, who enlisted a stacked cast of producers and songwriters to work on GOLDEN (including Andrew Watt, Cirkut, Blake Slatkin, Diplo, BloodPop, Jon Bellion, and several more).

Jung Kook entered the military on December 12th, 2023, the same day as Jimin. And like his bandmates, his time away was marked by pre-recorded efforts, documentary series, and more. His single “Never Let Go” arrived for BTS’ 11th anniversary in 2024, he appeared alongside Jimin in the travel reality series Are You Sure?!, and he was the subject of the documentary Jung Kook: I Am Still. He was discharged with Jimin on June 11th, 2025, and returned to the spotlight as a new ambassador for brands like Chanel and Hublot.