There are so many ways to become part of the BTS ARMY, a journey that is often both joyful and overwhelming. Perhaps you’re a renowned debut ARMY and have been following the group for nearly a decade now; maybe you’re a more recent “Butter” era ARMY, and are still feeling slightly intimidated by the sheer scope of the group’s discography. There are also some points throughout BTS’ career that were watershed moments for the group — SNL, Carpool Karaoke, and “Dynamite” all ushered in a slew of new fans.
However you found your way to RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, V, Jimin, and Jungkook, this week is important for fans old and new alike. On Friday, June 10th, BTS are releasing their first anthology album, PROOF, along with a brand new single, “Yet to Come” (The Most Beautiful Moment).” If this is your first official “comeback” with BTS, there’s probably a lot of new vocab words being tossed around — what defines a comeback, anyway? What does 190811 Jungkook mean, and why are we talking in code?
To make things a little easier for everyone, we’ve put together a handy guide to BTS’ discography so far. This timeline, from the group’s debut in 2013 to last full-length release in 2020, includes all Korean-language EPs and LPs. (To be clear, the Japanese releases absolutely slap, but we are focusing on BTS’ Korean discography as laid out by Big Hit Entertainment for this breakdown — “Lights” stans, you are not forgotten! “Stay Gold,” you will always be famous!)
The fact of the matter is that there are so many gems throughout each era of BTS’ career, so let these album highlights act as jumping-off points for further discoveries within each of them. Enjoy the journey through the wild and whimsical world of Bangtan Sonyeondan with us ahead of PROOF.