As we came out of the pandemic years and the world seemed to start turning again, many would have thought it would be back to business as usual for BTS. But could that really happen? They’d experienced unprecedented growth during 2020 and 2021, largely in part due to the success of the three English language tracks they’d released during that time. They were now a global phenomenon.

When 2020 began, BTS was excited to be releasing a new comeback album—Map of the Soul: 7—and a massive world tour to go with it. It was set to be their biggest one ever, and ARMYs all over the world battled online for tickets, selling the tour out instantly. However… the universe had other plans.

This week we dive into Festas 2018 and 2019. We have epic Muster performances, some legendary fan-favorite song releases, and a massive interactive project launched called “ARMYPEDIA”. As you read and watch along, remember… we’re riding this Festa train all the way through until this year’s (2024) Festa-ivities (still funny) and Jin’s return from the military!

And now we begin our epic month-long coverage of all things Festa, BTS’ annual celebration of the anniversary of their Debut. It will be really fun to explore the evolution of Festa, from the small dinner party they had for themselves in 2014 where Jin cooked for all of them, to the epic fireworks display the city of Seoul put on in 2023 to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

As we continue our look at You Never Walk Alone, BTS was undergoing some tough times in 2017. Allegations of chart manipulation (ultimately proven false) momentarily threatened their credibility. The song “Not Today”, all about not giving up in the face of adversity, seemed perfectly timed. BTS was determined to work harder and to leave their mark on the world, and it wasn’t just ARMY who was noticing.

With the release of the special repackage of WINGS, entitled You Never Walk Alone, BTS reminded us that while we may have just undertaken a journey of self-reflection, we didn’t do it alone. Songs like “Spring Day” and “A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone” give us a glimpse of the softer, more supportive side of BTS. The journey to find our “wings” may have felt lonely at times, but they were with us the whole time.

When we began our exploration of WINGS, we found ourselves in a very dark place of self-examination—surrounded by temptation, and feeling very lost. This has been a journey of discovery, allowing us to acknowledge the duality within ourselves that is necessary for growth and change. And now here we are—our last week with this amazing album.

As we continue exploring the landmark album WINGS, this week features more incredible music that focuses on exploring the duality of self, and looking inward to find what’s important for learning and growth. We’ll also touch on some absolutely legendary moments in BTS history, such as moments from backstage and VLives that are responsible for countless memes and inside jokes.

As we continue our exploration of WINGS, we dive into the rest of the album’s solo songs. They’re all uniquely tailored to the member performing them. Each song also continues to deal with how ‘facing temptation’ affects the struggle between appearances and self-realization, and how important it is to embrace duality.