BTS Thank ARMY in Emotional Live After Scoring Hot 100 No. 1 with First Post-Military Album

BTS went live to celebrate their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, sharing the moment with fans. The members emphasized how meaningful the achievement feels as their first album since completing military service.

On April 1, the group announced the Hot 100 No. 1 themselves via Weverse Live. Leader RM said, “Thank you. It’s all thanks to our fans streaming so much,” adding, “I basically passed out last night, then woke up at 3 a.m. and it was chaos. We also hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It felt unreal, so we turned on a live out of gratitude.”

JIN shared, “We were congratulating each other and thought it’d be even better to celebrate with ARMY, so we went live. It’s our first album after the military, and it’s doing so well. I’m so happy.”

During the livestream, the members received flower garlands. They thanked everyone, saying, “So many people helped make this possible. We heard it was a tight race until the very end. Thank you.”

They also teased upcoming content. With a music video for 2.0―an homage to director Park Chan-wook’s "Oldboy"―on the way, the members said, “We laughed so much on set. You can look forward to it. It’s intense but funny.”

They hinted that the deluxe LP dropping on April 3 will include a hidden track. “It’s a song SUGA was really bummed about not releasing―now it’s finally coming,” they said, and SUGA added, “It’s a very special song,” asking fans to anticipate it.

The members opened up about the music, too. RM said, “People kept asking which track I like most. At first it wasn’t, but in the end, everyone’s saying 'SWIM' is the best.” V added, “The more you listen, the more you get why it’s the title track.” JIMIN said, “My mom listened and told me, ‘You’ve grown up. You’ve become adults.’ That meant the most to me.”

They shared quick updates on life lately, saying they’ve been watching fans’ challenge videos and ramping up tour rehearsals. RM said, “We’re practicing every day, so I’m a bit tired.” J-HOPE joked, “At this point, I just want to do the concert already.” JIMIN lifted the mood with, “I’ll work even harder―I’ll SWIM,” and J-HOPE wrapped the live with, “Please look forward to the tour. BTS, fighting! ARMY, fighting!”

Meanwhile, with their fifth studio album "ARIRANG," BTS swept both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200. All 13 tracks entered the Hot 100, earning praise for balancing fandom power and wider appeal.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)