BTS Members: All About the 7 Stars Behind the K-Pop Supergroup
- - BTS Members: All About the 7 Stars Behind the K-Pop Supergroup
Kelsey Lentz, Ally Ipsen, Christopher RudolphJanuary 29, 2026 at 10:32 PM
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V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of BTS attend the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of BTS attend the GRAMMY Awards on April 03, 2022
Lester Cohen/Getty
BTS is a South Korean group comprised of seven members: RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook
The band released their first album in 2013 and later went into hiatus in 2022
In January 2026, BTS announced a new comeback album and tour
The Arirang era has begun for BTS.
After the South Korean boy band took the world by storm starting with their 2013 debut, they went into hiatus in 2022 while members completed their mandatory military service. Now, the group is ready to return to the stage with a new album Arirang, which is set to be released in March 2026 and a world tour starting the following month.
BTS, whose name is an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan (which roughly translates to Bulletproof Boys), has topped the charts with their catchy pop music, collaborated with notable names in the industry and grown one of the largest fanbases, dubbed ARMY.
The Grammy-nominated group is comprised of seven members: RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. In the years since they exploded onto the scene, the members have gone on to pursue solo projects, in addition to creating hits like "Butter" with their bandmates.
While they are mainly known for their collective success, which includes their various charitable endeavors, each artist has begun to pave their own path.
"We are really unique. We all have our style, so I think we all stand out," Jung Kook told Miss Vogue in 2018. "We each have our own roles and positions in the band and then we work together to make sure we all try hard for the ARMY."
So, with the upcoming release of their new music, here's everything there is to know about the seven members of BTS.
RM of boy band BTS on October 28, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
RM (whose full name is Kim Namjoon) is the band's leader and main rapper.
Born on Sept. 12, 1994, RM grew up in Ilsan, South Korea, and began rapping at a young age. He made waves in the underground rap scene — performing under various names, including Large, Stealo and Runch Randa — and eventually caught the eye of the South Korean record label Big Hit Entertainment (later rebranded into HYBE), who formed BTS and recruited him to be the first official member in 2010.
Over the years, RM has been praised for his fluency in English. During an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, RM revealed that he taught himself English by watching a popular show.
"My English teacher was the sitcom Friends," he said. "Back in the days, when I was like 15, 14, it was quite like a syndrome for all the Korean parents to make their kids watch Friends. I thought I was kind of like a victim at that time, but right now, I'm the lucky one, thanks to my mother."
During their annual FESTA dinner in June 2022, BTS shared that the group would be taking a break to pursue solo projects and figure out their next steps as a band.
"I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don't give you time to mature," RM said during the event. "You have to keep producing music and keep doing something."
RM released his first solo album, Indigo, in December 2022. His second album, Right Place, Wrong Person, followed in May 2024.
In June 2025, RM completed his mandatory South Korean military service.
Jin
Jin of BTS attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada Frazer Harrison/Getty
Jin (whose full name is Kim Seokjin) was born on Dec. 4, 1992, in Gwacheon, South Korea.
Often referred to as "Worldwide Handsome," Jin joined the group in 2013 as one of the four main vocalists. In 2017, Jin graduated from Konkuk University in South Korea, according to a post from BTS' official X page, with a degree in acting and art.
Jin is also BTS' resident foodie. He previously had his own food web series, Eat Jin, and he is the co-owner of a Japanese restaurant called Ossu Seriomushi, located in Seoul, South Korea. In August 2022, Jin made use of his time off from BTS and got back in the kitchen, receiving a cooking lesson from celebrity chef and South Korean television personality Lee Yeon-bok, per Billboard.
During an interview with Weverse Magazine, Jin opened up about finding his confidence as an individual, outside of BTS.
"It used to be that any time I had to do something, I thought it was such a big deal. Like, how can I handle something this big right now," Jin told the outlet. "I would always feel discouraged, but my personality has changed a lot now, I think. I think the biggest change in my mind is that now, even if there's a major project in the works, I think I can do it now."
He added, "Now, instead of, 'How can I handle this?' it's 'I can handle this!' when I'm making songs for other people to listen to."
Jin released the solo single, "The Astronaut," which was co-written by Chris Martin of Coldplay, in October 2022.
After completing his military service in June 2024, Jin released his solo debut album, Happy, in November of that year. In 2025, he dropped his follow-up, Echo, and embarked on a world tour.
Suga from BTS attends the Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 on January 25, 2023 in Paris, France
Marc Piasecki/WireImage
SUGA (whose full name is Min Yoongi) was born on March 9, 1993, in Daegu, South Korea.
Prior to joining BTS, he made his way as an underground rapper — performing under the stage name Gloss — and a producer.
These days, in addition to his involvement with BTS, SUGA performs as a solo rapper under the alias Agust D, which is a play on his stage name and a reference to his hometown. He is also a commercial producer under the name "By Suga."
Of his different aliases, he told GQ Austalia, "All three are me. They each take up a third of myself, and one isn't more reflective of me than another. I simply give people a choice. These three sides of myself are incredibly different, so I'm giving people a choice to see me as they want."
In April 2022, SUGA produced and was featured on "Gangnam Style" singer Psy's song "That That."
"At first, because he's many years my senior and someone who's well-respected in the business I was quite nervous," SUGA said of the collaboration. "It felt like working with a childhood friend so it made the songwriting process that much more fun. ... We became besties in a way."
In September 2023, SUGA became the third member of BTS to enlist in the South Korean military. He completed his mandatory service in June 2025.
j-hope
j-hope attends the 2022 MAMA Awards at Kyocera Dome on November 30, 2022 in Osaka, Japan Christopher Jue/Getty
j-hope (whose full name is Jung Hoseok) was born on Feb. 18, 1994, in Gwangju, South Korea.
j-hope got his start as a dancer and won several competitions in South Korea. He was then recruited by Big Hit Entertainment in 2010 and began training as a rapper. Now, he is one of three rappers in the group, as well as a dancer, songwriter and producer.
In 2019, j-hope teamed up with singer Becky G to release the song "Chicken Noodle Soup." The duo performed the song at Lollapalooza 2022 during j-hope's historic headlining set, which made him the first South Korean artist to headline a main stage at a major American music festival.
The month prior, he released his debut solo studio album Jack in the Box. j-hope told Rolling Stone that it was "filled only with things I personally wanted to do" and his bandmates RM and Jung Kook were some of the first people to listen to the album.
Later in the interview, j-hope shared that while his solo career has been "fun" and "challenging," he misses his bandmates, explaining that his rehearsals can sometimes feel "lonely."
On New Year's Eve 2023, j-hope performed in Times Square in New York City for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
The following month, j-hope became the second member of BTS to enlist in the South Korean military. He was discharged in October 2024.
More recently, in February 2025, j-hope set out on his first solo tour, Hope on the Stage.
Jimin
Jimin of BTS attends the Dior Homme Menswear Fall-Winter 2023-2024 show on January 20, 2023 in Paris, France
Marc Piasecki/WireImage
Jimin (whose full name is Park Jimin) was born on Oct. 13, 1995, in Busan, South Korea.
He is another one of the group's main dancers, and he studied dance in high school. He was the last to join BTS, as a trainee in 2012.
In recent years, Jimin has also ventured out independently and taken on new projects. In January 2023, he was featured on South Korean singer Taeyang's song "Vibe."
Jimin's solo debut album, Face, was released in March 2023, and included the single "Like Crazy." The song was a hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100, making Jimin the "first South Korean solo artist" to accomplish that feat, according to Billboard. He released his second album, Muse, in July 2024.
He and Jung Kook enlisted in the South Korean military in December 2023, and they were discharged in June 2025.
V of BTS attends the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California Frazer Harrison/Getty
V (whose full name is Kim Taehyung) was born on Dec. 30, 1995, in Daegu, South Korea.
He grew up singing and eventually joined BTS after accompanying a friend to an audition and was instead scouting himself.
After making his official debut with BTS, V also took on acting projects and debuted as an actor in the historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.
On his 25th birthday in December 2020, V released the song "Snow Flower," which is a collaboration with singer-songwriter, producer and rapper Peakboy.
The following December, when the BTS members joined Instagram, V broke two Guinness world records in the process. The singer was the fastest person to reach both 1 million followers and 10 million followers.
In December 2021, he released the holiday song, "Christmas Tree." The next year, he released a cover of the Christmas song "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas."
During BTS' hiatus, V continued to release his own music. His debut album, Layover, which hit shelves in September 2023.
He also enlisted for his mandatory military service with RM, serving from December 2023 to June 2025.
Jung Kook
Jung Kook of BTS on November 20, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins/Getty
Jung Kook (whose full name is Jeon Jungkook) was born on Sept. 1, 1997, in Busan, South Korea.
He is the youngest member of BTS and ARMY affectionately call him "Kookie" or "Golden Maknae," which translates to "golden youngest."
When he was a teenager, Jung Kook auditioned for the Korean talent show Superstar K during its third season in 2011. While he never made it to the finals, his audition got him recognized by a few talent agencies, including Big Hit Entertainment. He began training under the label and made his debut with BTS in 2013 as one of the four main vocalists and a dancer.
Jung Kook was inspired in part by his bandmate j-hope to make his own solo album. "It was really funny. After hearing the album, [Jung Kook] suddenly went to his studio," j-hope told Rolling Stone in July 2022. "I think he felt the motivation to start. I love that one of our greatest motivators is one another."
Before releasing his solo album, he dropped a few solo tracks, including "My You," "Still With You." His song "Dreamers" was part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup official song list.
In July 2023, Jung Kook made his solo performance debut at Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series in New York City. He performed three songs, including his Billboard hit "Seven."
In November 2023, he released his debut album, Golden, which included "Seven," "3D" and "Standing Next to You."
After enlisting in the South Korean military alongside Jimin in December 2023, Jung Kook ended his service in June 2025.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
