A timeline of BTS: how the K-pop superstars took over the world

With news that K-pop superstars BTS will be taking an “extended break” from the music scene, we revisit how they became one of the world's most famous bands. The seven-piece – made up of Jimin, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jin, V, Suga and RM – have myriad albums, best-selling singles and feature films under their belt, built up over the last decade.

Here's an in-depth look at how they crafted an empire:

September 30, 2010: For the first time, the name BTS (or Bulletproof Boy Scouts) is used, as the band collaborates on songs with artists such as rapper J-Lim, 2am and Lee Seung Gi.

July 2011: BTS create their Twitter account (at the time writing, it has 21.3 million followers).

December 17, 2012: The band introduces themselves to the world on Twitter.

워썹! 방탄소년단입니다.드디어 방탄소년단 트위터를 공식 오픈하네요~짝짝짝!데뷔 전까지 상상 그 이상의 이상하고 재미난 것들이 업로드됩니다.
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) December 17, 2012

June 13, 2013: The band release their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool which features their first single No More Dream.

September 11, 2013: The band release their first EP titled O!RUL8,2? that consists of 10 tracks.

November 13, 2013: BTS wins their first major award when they're recognised as Best New Artist at South Korea's Melon Music Awards. They would go on to win many other similar awards throughout the 2013 to 14 awards season.

February 12, 2014: Their second EP Skool Luv Affair releases and peaks at number three on the World Album chart.

March 29, 2014: The group holds their first fan club concert in Seoul.

July 14, 2014: BTS makes their first trip to the US with their Show & Prove concert in Los Angeles.

July 27, 2014: They continue overseas with a fan meeting in Berlin.

August 19, 2014: The boy band release their debut studio album Dark & Wild that features 14 tracks with Danger as its lead single.

November 13, 2014: BTS performs their first Asian concert outside of Korea by heading to Kobe, Japan as part of their Live Trilogy Episode II: The Red Bullet tour.

December 24, 2014: The group releases their first Japanese album Wake Up.

April 29, 2015: Their third EP The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Part 1 debuts on the Heatseekers Albums chart at number six.

May 5, 2015: The group perform on The Show, one of South Korea's weekly music shows, and win with their song I Need U.

November 30, 2015: A new era is set for the band as their fourth EP The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 releases and becomes their first album to debuts on the Billboard 200 at number 171.

March 25, 2016: In their first Middle Eastern appearance, BTS comes to Abu Dhabi to perform as part of the sold out KCon 2016.

May 2, 2016: They release their first compilation album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever and it peaks on the Billboard 200 at number 107.

September 7, 2016: BTS release their their second Japanese album Youth and it debuts at number one on the Oricon chart (Japanese music chart).

October 10, 2016: Showing no signs of slowing down, the group also release their second album Wings which lands at number 26 on the Billboard 200.

October 29, 2016: The band tops the Social 50 Billboard chart for the first time.

November 20, 2016: They win the coveted album of the year at South Korea's Melon Music awards for The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever. This would just kickstart the trend of the numerous awards won by the group throughout the year.

February 18, 2017: The group begin their The Wings Tour, which kicks off in Seoul and includes 40 shows in total. Much of it is featured in the YouTube series Burn the Stage.

March 11, 2017: The band head to South America for the first time with gigs in Chile and Brazil.

March 17, 2017: They perform in Mexico City as part of KCon Mexico.

May 21, 2017: BTS appears at their first Billboard Music Awards where they win the top social artist award, dethroning Justin Bieber who had previous won the award for the last six years.

May 26, 2017: They take The Wings Tour down under with a performance in Sydney.

September 18, 2017: The band releases their fifth EP Love Yourself: Her. At the time, it becomes the highest-charting Korean album as it hits number seven on the Billboard 200.

October 2, 2017: Their song DNA peaks at number 67 on the Hot 100 Billboard, also becoming the highest K-pop song at the time.

November 15, 2017: They appear on The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and make other US television show appearances for the month ahead of their performance at the American Music Awards (AMAs).

November 19, 2017: BTS performs DNA at the AMAs – marking their US TV performance debut.

November 24, 2017: A collaboration with Steve Aoki and Desiigner releases – Mic Drop (Remix) becomes the group's highest charting song at the time when it debuts at number 28 on the Hot 100 chart.

December 5, 2017: Twitter reveals that BTS is the most tweeted about celebrity for the year.

December 31, 2017: The group continues making history in the US as they become the first K-pop group to perform on the iconic Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve programme. They perform DNA and Mic Drop.

February 12, 2018: DNA and Mic Drop (Remix) are certified Gold (for selling 500,000 copies) by the RIAA

March 28, 2018: The Burn the Stage series comes out on YouTube. It follows the 300-day journey of the group's sold-out Wings Tour.

April 4, 2018: They release their third Japanese studio album Face Yourself. It breaks into the Billboard 200 and peaks at number 43. It gets certified platinum by the RIAJ.

April 26, 2018: The group announce the dates for their Love Yourself World Tour. It features the band heading to the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, Japan and Taiwan.

May 15, 2018: Fake Love gets released as the first single from their new album Love Yourself: Tear. The song debuts at number 10 on the Hot 100, becoming the group's highest-charting song.

May 18, 2018: BTS releases their third studio album Love Yourself: Tear. It debuts at number one on the Billboard 200 and makes history, as it becomes the first Korean album to top the US charts.

May 20, 2018: The group performs at the Billboard Music Awards for the first time. They are nominated (and win) the top social artist category for the second year.

August 24, 2018: The group release their compilation album Love Yourself: Answer with the lead single Idol. The album becomes the band's second one to reach number one in the US market.

August 28, 2018: BTS begins their Love Yourself World tour in Seoul.

September 12, 2018: The band stops at America's Got Talent to perform Idol for American audiences.

September 24, 2018: BTS give a speech at the UN headquarters advising young people to join global efforts against discrimination and poverty. The speech goes viral as #BTSxUnitedNations trends worldwide on Twitter.

October 12, 2018: Their agency BigHit Entertainment announces Burn The Stage: The Movie. The film documents the group behind the scenes of their 2017 The Wings Tour. It features live performances, award show highlights and interviews with members.

October 17, 2018: The group signs a contract renewal for seven more years with BigHit Entertainment.

February 10, 2019: They present an award at the 61st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

March 11, 2019: BigHit announces the next BTS album called Map of the Soul: Persona.

March 26, 2019: Mattel unveil BTS dolls based on the seven members and inspired by their Idol music video.

April 12, 2019: The music video for BTS and Halsey's Boy With Luv releases on YouTube.

April 13, 2019: The group make history as the first K-pop act to perform as musical guests on Saturday Night Live.

April 17, 2019: BTS appear in Time 100's list of most influential people with a paragraph written by American artist Halsey.

May 2, 2019: They perform Boy With Luv with Halsey at the Billboard Music Awards. They also win the top social artist again for the third year.

May 21, 2019: The group lights up the Empire State building in New York City. The iconic building announced it would be sparking purple for five minutes every hour from sunset for the band their fans.

June 1, 2019: BTS sells out London's Wembley Stadium while also making history as the first Korean act to do so.

BTS have once again made history by becoming the first Asian Act to sell out Wembley Stadium! #BTSxWembley #BTSSoldOutWembley

Congratulations @BTS_twt, we're so proud of you! 💜🎉 pic.twitter.com/Rb7YC6NQzz
— BTS Mauritius⁷ (@BTSMauritius) March 1, 2019

July 14, 2019: It's announced that BTS will perform at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh as part of their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour.

August 11, 2019: BigHit Entertainment releases a statement that BTS will be taking an "extended break" so that they can get a "chance to enjoy the ordinary lives of young people in their 20s".