10 years of BTS

RM has pursued a solo career in tandem with his activities as part of the group since releasing his first mixtape, RM, in 2015. Three years later, he released another called Mono, which made it into the US Billboard 200 charts and peaked at number 26.

In 2022, he released his first official studio album, Indigo. His album explores the dark side of being in the public eye and serves as an archive of his late 20s. It was released a few months after the band announced their temporary break.

“I don’t know what to do right now – I just made some album and this is me. I’m just figuring it out,” he said in an interview with NME in December.

Whatever comes next, RM said he is grateful for his success so far.

Asked by Pharrell Williams for Rolling Stone about his fan base in November, Kim said: “They brought us from just a small city in [South] Korea all the way back to the heart of this music industry, Las Vegas, LA, New York.

“Me having an interview with Pharrell, it could [only] happen because of fans all over the world. I’m just always grateful and I don’t want to disappoint them.”

Jimin’s solo debut album Face was released in March and peaked on the Billboard 200 at number two, making it the highest-charting album by a South Korean solo musician. He also sold more than one million copies of the album worldwide in 24 hours, which set a new for record for the country, according to Forbes.

In 2019, he was the first member to have his solo track Serendipity receive more than 100 million views on YouTube. He has found further success with follow-up solo songs Lie and Filter, also released under BTS albums, that have charted globally.

"There are a lot of things I want to say and there are a lot of feelings that I want to convey but as each and every year passes by, even though these are the same words ... the more the years go by, the more the weight of simple phrases like 'thank you, I am sorry, I love you' become even heavier. But even then, there is nothing except these phrases that I can express through words,” Jimin said in a message to his fans in Weverse in 2022.

"What kind of memories are we going to make in future? What kind of things will happen? What kind of moments will make me cry and laugh? I am really looking forward to those [moments]. I'm telling you in the words that are not [being said lightly]. We want to be together with you guys for as long as possible.”

Before joining as the third member of BTS, J-Hope was part of an underground dance group. His first solo release was the 2015 rap song, 1 Verse, in which he addressed criticism against him. He released his first solo mixtape, named Hope World, in 2018 along with a music video for the lead single Daydream.

In 2019, he collaborated with singer Becky G on a song called Chicken Noodle Soup. The song entered at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first BTS member to reach the charts on the Hot 100 as a solo artist.

J-Hope’s solo debut album Jack in the Box was released in July, entering at number 38 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In March, he collaborated with J Cole to release the single On the Street, which made made it to the UK Singles Chart and US Hot 100.

“I wanted to show a different aspect of me, other than the sunny and bright side I have as a member of BTS. I always had a very clear message that I wanted to convey through this album,” he said of his solo work in an interview with Consequence in July. “That’s why I decided to show a darker side of me through this album — maybe the shadow on the other side of the sunny and bright disposition I usually show."

On release of his solo album, he reassured fans that his work with BTS was far from over.

“I think we are on the verge of starting the Chapter Two for BTS — and going forward, we will definitely be working on group projects as well as solo projects," he told Variety.

"So I just hope that there’s no misunderstanding about where we are going and what kind of directions we’re taking as a team."

Jungkook made his solo debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 2022 with the song Stay Alive, included on the soundtrack for BTS webtoon 7Fates: Chakho.

He later released the song Dreamers for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, performing with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi at the opening ceremony. He is expected to release his debut solo album in 2023.

“I have realistic as well as idealistic goals. I used to be greedy and did what I wanted to do without giving it much thought,” he said in an interview with Vogue Singapore in December 2021. “But the way one thinks changes over time, as does life in general, and relationships, too. These days, I’m more realistic. What I need to do is more important than what I want to do.”

Speaking about the importance of the BTS fan base, he said: “I’m just someone who loves to sing and dance but Army is achieving greater things for us."

“I can’t thank them enough for their support for us but they’re also doing such wonderful things. I’m deeply moved by Army, which started as a group of BTS supporters but has evolved into a real force for good. I’m inspired by them.

“It seemed there was nothing special I could do. I’ve come to the conclusion that being good at my job, as I’ve been doing, is what I can do for Army.”