BTS To Release New English-Language Single

Variety.com: K-pop superstars BTS will drop a new digital single in English on Aug. 21, the group said, calling the swap to their non-native tongue “a new challenge.”

The song will hit ahead of a full new album set to release later in 2020.

“We are preparing an album for the second half of this year, but decided to first release a single because we wanted to reach our fans as soon as possible,” the group said. “Due to COVID-19, people around the world have been going through tough times and we wanted to share some positive energy with our fans.”

BTS’s previous English-language songs include “MIC Drop” and “Waste It On Me,” with Steve Aoki. The group said this new track will be similarly “upbeat.”

“We thought that the song sounded perfect as it is in English. We recorded the guide version and felt that the result was something totally new and fresh,” they said, explaining that it had been written because “we also needed a breakthrough during these unforeseen times.”

“This is a new challenge for us as well,” they added.

BTS released their fourth Korean-language album “Map of the Soul: 7” in February, having also released others in Japanese. It rose to become their fourth number one album on the Billboard 200 chart, with lead single “ON” hitting No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest ever spot for a Korean group.

The news of the new single was first announced by the group on the Korean livestream broadcasting app V Live, and later detailed by Big Hit Entertainment, which manages BTS.