J-14 Presents: BTS Now & Forever

In 2012, Jimin was the seventh and final member to join BTS, making K-pop history. The guys would go on to spend the remainder of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 as trainees, or aspiring K-pop stars, before making their offcial debut in 2013. To celebrate 10 years together, take a look back at their timeline of joining the band. 2010 RM becomes the first offcial member of BTS. Initially envisioned to be a rap group, BTS’ label, Big Hit Entertainment, saw his potential as an underground rapper. He was 16 years old. 2010 Suga was added to the group next, when he was 17. He says he was tricked into joining the group, being told he would only have to rap, and not dance. 2010 J-Hope was the final…

In the K-pop world, long before fans ever watch a music video, hear a debut single or even learn the name of their future favorite group, the performers are hard at work as trainees. The process of being a trainee can take years, and is often grueling, consisting of hours of training each day, all with the goal of turning aspiring musicians into superstars. For BTS, that trainee period consisted of three years of 12 to 15 hour days of training, all while they got to know each other and form the bond we see today. Now, looking back, the guys can appreciate the highs and lows of their trainee time. When each of the members of BTS offcially signed on to be trainees, they moved away from their families,…

A ARMY Nothing matters more to BTS than their fans! B Bias In K-pop, your bias is your favorite member of a group. C Concert So far, the guys have done five different concert tours. D Dance Line This consists of the members who take the lead with dancing: J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. E Emoji Each guy has a dedicated emoji: RM is koala, Jin is mouse, Suga is cat, J-Hope is unicorn, Jimin is chick, V is tiger and Jungkook is rabbit. F Fanchant This is a chant that fans shout while the band is performing life. G Golden Maknae Jungkook is the golden maknae of BTS — he’s the youngest member and he’s so talented! H Hyung Line These are the oldest members of the group: RM, J-Hope, Suga and Jin. I Idol An…

From the moment BTS offcially became a band, they had one clear goal: To help the young people listening to their music by always expressing their real lives in their music. "When we first started out, some of us were still in our teens — I was in my early twenties,” Suga explains. “We talked about the issues that we faced, and that’s made BTS what it is today.” RM agrees, saying, “We wanted to try to use our abilities and our skills and some of our inside inspirations to help the world." This started with writing lyrics about what they were going through in school, and progressed to life as a young adult, focusing on topics like self-love and mental health. “Young people all over the world face these…

“A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK US HOW WE GET ALONG SO WELL. I TELL PEOPLE THAT IT’S BECAUSE WE FOUGHT A LOT. WE REALLY FOUGHT SO MUCH. BUT WE ALWAYS RESOLVED THEM WITHIN 24 HOURS. THAT WAS THE RULE WE SET FOR OURSELVES.”—Suga “I JOINED BTS WHEN I WAS 15. IN A WAY, THEY RAISED ME.”—Jungkook “THEY’RE MORE THAN JUST FRIENDS, BROTHERS OR FAMILY — THEY JUST FEEL LIKE A PLACE YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK TO.”—Jimin “WE CAN READ EACH OTHER’S MIND LIKE AN OPEN BOOK.”—RM “I CAME TO ACCEPT ALL OF MY SIDES AS PARTS OF MY IDENTITY BECAUSE THE MEMBERS ACCEPT ALL OF ME.”—J-Hope “MY WALLS ARE DOWN WHEN I’M WITH [THE] GUYS.”—V “WE'RE ALL VERY GOOD FRIENDS. WE ALWAYS TALK AND COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.”—Jin…

Considered the big brother of BTS, Jin comes across as a natural-born idol, practically made to be on stage in front of thousands of people. But prior to being scouted to join the BTS trainee program, he had no musical experience at all. In fact, Jin was well on his way to becoming an actor before his plans got derailed! Growing up, Jin’s passion was acting. He acted in school plays and focused his studies on his craft. “I wanted to become an actor at first,” he says. “The reason I wanted to become an actor is because I would learn and experience lots of different things depending on the roles I get.” "I DON'T HAVE ANY REGRETS" Jin was so passionate and talented that he ended up being the…