Now that 2023 is upon us, it seems timely to look back at the past twelve months and reflect on how far we’ve come while at the same time considering where our new paths may take us. As J-hope once shared, “Our lives are unpredictable. We don’t know all the answers.” Hopefully, though, you were still able to enjoy some time in the light despite any shadows that may have crossed your path.
To celebrate 2022, this blog is dedicated to some of BTS’ highlights from each month. BTS shared so much with the world, so not everything has been captured here, but please feel free to share other activities, events, or highlights that come to mind in the comments section or online.
JANUARY gifted us Special Editions of Vogue Korea. Stunning images of the members in their Louis Vuitton attire turned up the heat for many fans; however, Jin’s Good Day/Bad Day Pajama set may have stolen many more hearts. The entire month of January was dedicated to BTS’ “Artist-Made Collection” with Jin, RM, V, Suga, Jimin, J-hope, and Jung Kook all sharing their self-designed merch. Despite some hefty prices, it’s not surprising that everything sold-out. ARMYs buying power is definitely a force to be reckoned with. 7 Fates: Chakho also debuted this month - an urban fantasy webtoon series of seven boys connected by fate, working together to overcome challenges - sound familiar?
FEBRUARY came with a follow-up to January’s webtoon in the form of an OST titled “Stay Alive,” produced by Suga and performed by Jung Kook. This month was already a winner though, simply for the fact that our sunshine J-hope celebrated his birthday on the 18th and blessed us with a VLive. Let’s not forget the ‘nutcracker’ live stream with RM, Suga, and Jimin where they introduced us to one of Korea’s lunar day holiday celebrations, Jimin’s perm, and the members’ Covid updates among other topics.
MARCH was a time to remember “we don’t need permission to dance” with BTS’ Seoul concert, both in-person and online. Remember the clappers that fans used because it was a ‘silent in-person’ concert only due to the pandemic. Despite that, we could still feel their energy and joy as they cheered the BTS members on. We also received more live streams this month. Suga celebrated his birthday, showing off his long hair while giving us insights into “Stay Alive.” Then J-hope, Jin, V, and Jung Kook came together for a catch-up with their fans, eating, laughing, and pranking. Finally, a post-concert live stream saw six members huddled together with Jin resting up due to his hand surgery.
APRIL was a huge month for BTS/ARMY. We can’t forget how BTS stopped off at the Grammys to perform on the way to their four-day Las Vegas sold-out concerts. With various members recovering from Covid and Jin recovering from his hand surgery, the fact that they were able to come together at least once prior to their Grammy ‘standing ovation’ performance was a testament to their hard work ethic. We must also pay tribute to the moment the ARMY fandom went wild with the amazing announcement of BTS’ planned comeback for June 2022. Tears were shed, hearts were racing, and plans were already underway before many of the fans had even left the stadium. Special mentions are Jimin’s first OST “With You” - a beautiful collaboration with his friend Ha Sung-won and Suga’s collaboration with Psy. “That That, I Like That” saw Suga feature as a performing artist, writer, and producer. Jung Kook had a ball with this, teasing Suga’s dance moves every chance he got.
MAY gave BTS three awards at the Billboard Music Awards, although they weren’t able to attend due to their busy schedules. BTS also released their series, “Proof of Inspiration” this month where each member shared short video clips explaining the inspiration behind their specific song choices for their comeback album. In order these were:
JUNE came bearing gifts also, but not entirely the kind ARMYs were hoping for, as BTS announced that they would be resting all group activities to focus on their solo albums & other scheduled solo activities. During their 9th anniversary FESTA dinner, they confirmed that each of the members were now living in their own homes, that they had planned to take a break prior to the pandemic but it never eventuated, and that they needed time and space to help them further realize their individual potentials. Perhaps the most heartwarming gift of the year though was BTS’ first-ever anthology album Proof, which introduced fans to three new tracks – “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” “Run BTS,” and “For Youth.” Charlie Puth released his collaborative project “Left and Right” with Jung Kook while Prod. Suga released “Our Island” -- theme song for their mobile game “BTS Island: In the Seom.” BTS’ most formal (and perhaps most prestigious) event for 2022 also took place this month with their visit to the White House, meeting President Biden, and speaking out against anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.
JULY rocked our worlds with J-hope’s “More” MV release, his first solo album release Jack In The Box, and his title track off the album “Arson.” The month ended with J-hope headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago – an epic performance that had fans captured for an entire hour. V also began his solo activities with his reality show “In The Soop: Friendcation” – an ‘In the Soop’ spin-off with his Wooga squad hyungs Park Seo-Joon, Choi Woo-Shik, Park Hyung-Shik, and Peakboy.
For an additional treat, BangtanTV released vlogs from each of the members, showing them going about their daily lives in a variety of ways. This month we spent time driving with V, went behind the scenes of Jack In The Box with J-hope, made a bracelet with Jimin, and visited museums with RM. Special shout out to Google Street Galleries who launched their “Google Arts and Culture” collaboration with BTS on July 9th (ARMYs anniversary day), showcasing various art pieces curated personally by each of the members.
AUGUST saw us complete the members’ vlog series while camping with Jung Kook, cooking with Jin, and woodcarving with Suga. Our eldest member Jin became an intern with MapleStory, showing us just how much he loves and respects the game. Prod. Suga featured again with his rendition of Samsung’s “Over the Horizon” while Benny Blanco gave us “Bad Habits” featuring BTS’ vocal line and Snoop Dogg. The MV gave viewers a lighthearted perspective of what it means to be ARMY when concert-prepping – definitely entertaining. As an extra treat a special favorite returned to our screens after a 10-month hiatus – BTS’ very own variety show “Run BTS!”
SEPTEMBER was another busy month with two members’ birthdays – Jung Kook and RM. Our leader RM also released his first solo collaborative project with Balming Tiger and their song “Sexy Nukim.” J-hope surprised fans with a second solo project, this time collaborating with P Nation’s artist Crush for his comeback song “Rush Hour.” V took part in another solo activity as well as a special guest DJ on Kim Eana’s “Starry Night” radio show, co-hosting with his friend Park Hyo-shin.
OCTOBER gave fans an opportunity to celebrate Jimin’s birthday – another special moment in our BTS/ARMY timeline. This month though was focused on the free Busan “Yet To Come” concert to promote Busan’s bid to host the World Expo 2030 event. Fans came from all over the world to enjoy this momentous event, during which Jin announced he would be releasing a solo single album. Not long afterward, HYBE then announced that Jin would commence his military service before the end of the year and although this news wasn’t entirely unexpected, it was still a surprise. However, to soften the blow Jin released “The Astronaut” featuring Coldplay and even traveled from South Korea to Argentina just to debut his single at Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” concert.
Let’s not forget how BTS blessed their fans with purple hammocks and the members’ hilarious attempts at flying yoga. While special mention goes to the teacher’s assistant Jimin for his high-quality demonstrative abilities, each of the members should be praised for their willingness of spirit despite the unwillingness (at times) of their bodies.
NOVEMBER sent us soaring with Jung Kook’s FIFA World Cup official soundtrack “Dreamers” featuring Fahad Al Kubaisi. It may have been a quieter month activity-wise, however, RM’s “Indigo” album release for December was confirmed, BTS were once again nominated for Grammys, and Jin introduced viewers to the fine art of making traditional Korean rice wine with his friend and mentor Chef Baek Jong-won.
DECEMBER was a bittersweet month for BTS and ARMY as we welcomed the release of RM’s solo album “Indigo” and bid Jin farewell who finally began his two-year military service in South Korea. Because of “Indigo,” we were able to spend a lot of time with RM during his various interviews and an up close and personal Rolling Hall concert featuring guest artists Kim Sawol, Youjeen, Colde, and Paul Blanco. Suga gave us episode 1 of “Suchwita” featuring none other than BTS’ leader RM. They talked, drank their favorite alcohol, laughed, snacked, and then said goodbye. Then V finished off 2022 so beautifully with the release of his cover “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” while RM and Jimin both posted personal letters to ARMY. The cherry on top, of course, has to be Hobi’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve performance in New York City, with special mention to the fans who were able to physically attend and support. How happy must Hobi have been to know you were there!
ENDING MENT
So many great things came out of 2022, and for BTS’ most dedicated fans, the best of these was BTS themselves. Knowing that it will be late 2025 before the seven members will stand together again on stage may have been painful at first to hear, but now that the shock has dissipated, fans have become more accepting of the fact that soon each member will say their goodbyes in their own ways. Now would also be a great time to acknowledge that although it wasn’t possible to include ALL of BTS’ activities for 2022, what has been shared here is a fair representation of how busy the members must have been, judging by all the content released despite the members only focusing on solo activities now. We look forward to the journey that we will take with BTS in 2023 and wish everyone a great start to the New Year.
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Written By: Shelley
Edited By: Aury
Checked By:
