Global superstars BTS and TXT are planning to release new albums in the latter half of 2020, parent company Big Hit announced during its latest Corporate Briefing with the Community on August 13.
During the conference, which was streamed live on the Big Hit Labels YouTube channel, the company discussed not only its growth and revenue but also the plans its artists (and those of sub-labels Source Music, PLEDIS Entertainment, and BELIFT LAB) have in store for the remainder of the year. Perhaps one of the biggest announcements on the BTS front was an upcoming concert to be held simultaneously online and offline on October 10 and 11.
The upcoming concert, dubbed “BTS MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E,” will take place physically in Seoul with “only limited seating available for purchase” and it will comply “with the government-mandated concert seat distancing measures for COVID-19 prevention.” The event will also be broadcasted online, most likely via Weverse à la Bang Bang Con: The Live from June.
News of the concert was announced with a new group photo that mirrors the promotional pic used for the Map of the Soul world tour, which was scheduled to kick off in April and later postponed. The new picture was later shared to Weverse and BTS’s social channel. In lieu of the reflecting water that dominated the previous promo pics, this one features a desert-like backdrop — which some fans have noted could be a nod to a verse from Love Yourself: Her hidden track “Sea.”
Per a press release, the concert’s name signifies a “one and only ‘ONline Edition’ concert.” “After a long wait, you can finally look forward to performances of Map of the Soul: 7 at the “BTS MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E” concert,” CBO Min Hee-jin said in the conference. “I hope this will be a gift for both BTS and all ARMY who have been waiting to meet again.”
Bang Si-hyuk, Big Hit’s chairman and CEO, said the cancelation of the original Map of the Soul word tour was “especially tough.” “An entire world tour that would have [come] to a thrilling conclusion at the end of the year was overhauled completely. Our artists and the company shared the same disappointment that our fans surely must have felt,” he said. “Endless discussions took place while the concerts were being postponed then canceled. Possible future dates were reviewed, new venues were searched for in a loop that lasted months. But from that fierce debate and discussion, we re-discovered something. That at the core of every decision was Big Hit’s philosophy and value, of placing content and fans at the foremost.”
Aside from the October concert and their upcoming single “Dynamite,” slated to be released on August 21, BTS has even more content in the pipeline. As unveiled by Bang Si-Hyuk in the conference, the septet is also gearing up to the release of a full-length album in the last quarter of 2020. “After long preparation by the members, the new BTS album will be unveiled in the fourth quarter. Please look forward to that,” the CEO announced, per YouTube’s closed captions. The septet also has a new reality show, In the Soop, airing on JTBC and Weverse running from August 20 and until mid-October.
Also preparing a new album are Teen Vogue’s July cover stars TXT, who are expected to drop theirs sometime this fall, following the success of The Dream Chapter trilogy culmination, Eternity. “TOMORROW X TOGETHER will also come back this fall with a new album. I’m sure you can’t wait to see what they’ll bring us next,” Bang Si-hyuk announced. (Update: Big Hit just confirmed that the TXT comeback will happen in late October, Soompi reports.)
He also revealed NU’EST, an eight-year-old fivesome under PLEDIS, will also release its first Japanese album in five years this October.
Still in PLEDIS, 13-member group SEVENTEEN – who released their successful seventh mini-album, Heng:garæ, in June – will also host a paid virtual fan meeting concert on August 30. “The Big Hit ecosystem centered on Weverse will continue to open its doors for expansion and integration,” Min Hee-jin said about the upcoming virtual concerts. ”It will not put a limit on domains or sizes when expanding new businesses and partnership opportunities. For BANGBANGCON, we joined hands with the global IT company, Kiswe. It was to provide [a] stable connection with a multi-view service. On August 30, a new service will be unveiled at SEVENTEEN’s online fan-meeting. In total, 14 screen views will be provided including the main camera and cameras for every member.”
Aside from album and concert announcements, the company is also planning to debut a new boy group, which will be formed via the reality show I-LAND, under Big Hit Labels soon. BTS will appear as guests on I-LAND’s next episode on August 14. Meanwhile, Source Music’s GFRIEND will also get a sister girl group in 2021. “This team was formed through the Plus Global Auditions held in 16 cities around the world last year," Bang Si-hyuk revealed. "They are working hard now for their debut next year. While we can’t reveal much now, you can be assured that it’ll be a team of girls full of unique charms, and a global girl group from diverse backgrounds and languages."
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