The year is coming to an end and while there’s plenty to miss and plenty to look forward to, K-pop fans will remember 2022 for the hiatus taken by BTS. Several members of the boy band are beginning their compulsory military service. Jin has already started his military stint while other BTS members are looking to focus on their solo careers. Even so, the year has been another stellar one for this much-loved pop group. Here’s everything that happened with BTS in 2022.
Proof
BTS released their anthology album, Proof, on June 10, on the ninth anniversary of their debut. The album sold over two million records and rose to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the US. This was the sixth No.1 hit by BTS.
Hiatus
Just days after the release of Proof, BTS shocked fans by announcing that they will be taking a temporary hiatus. It was later announced that the band would continue to make music under the BTS label and solo acts even as members finished their military training.
Even solo tastes sweet
The first to release a solo album was J-Hope with his Jack in the Box. The album went on to rise on musical charts like Billboard, iTunes, Spotify.
Jin's solo single The Astronaut was also well received, rising to the top of the iTunes top songs when it dropped. It was even lauded as one of the 100 best songs of the year by Rolling Stones magazine.
Jungkook’s single for the FIFA World Cup 2022, Dreamers made it to the official FIFA soundtrack.
RM’s first album Indigo broke records when it reached No. 3 on the Billboards 200 in the US, making it the highest-rated album from a Korean solo artist ever.
The album was followed shortly after by V’s cover of the classic Christmas song It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. The number was uploaded on V’s Soundcloud and features heavy jazz inspiration.
Collaborations
Along with their solo careers, the BTS members did make a number of feature appearances with other artists. Jimin's collaboration song, With you (Drama Our Blues OST) with fellow South Korean singer Ha Sung-woon hit No. 1 on iTunes in over 100 countries.
Suga also collaborated with a South Korean artist when he featured on That That (prod and feat SUGA of BTS)' with Psy. But it was perhaps Jungkook in Left and Right (feat Jung Kook of BTS) with Charlie Puth that really stole the show this year. Jin, Jimin, V, and Jungkook's feature on the song Bad Decisions with Benny Blanco and Snoop Dogg made the single an instant hit as well.
