BTS’ V on RS UK cover

Rolling Stone UK has put BTS on the cover of its May 2026 issue, and one of the individual covers features V as the magazine’s “designated old soul.” (rollingstone.co.uk) (ca.rollingstone.com) The cover package is tied to BTS’ return with *ARIRANG*, the group’s fifth album, which BIGHIT MUSIC says was released on March 20, 2026. BIGHIT says the record has 14 tracks and is BTS’ first group album in three years and nine months. (weverse.io) (bts.ibighit.com) Rolling Stone UK’s feature frames the comeback as a full-group reunion after military service and reports that the interviews and photo shoot took place in mid-February at HYBE’s headquarters in Seoul. The same feature identifies V as the member whose solo work leaned toward “sultry, jazz-inflected R&B” on his 2023 EP *Layover*. (rollingstone.co.uk 1) (rollingstone.co.uk 2) That matters in the current BTS rollout because *ARIRANG* is being presented as a roots-focused project. BIGHIT says the album was shaped by all seven members and was designed to express their reflections on their journey and their connection to Korea. (bts.ibighit.com) (rollingstone.co.uk) The magazine package is also landing alongside a large-scale tour. Rolling Stone UK reported in January that BTS’ world tour begins on April 9, 2026, in Goyang and runs through March 2027, with London stadium dates scheduled for July. (rollingstone.co.uk) For fans, the cover is part of a broader collector push rather than a one-off image drop. Rolling Stone has been selling a limited-edition BTS cover collection box set tied to the May 2026 issue. (rollingstone.com) V has been a frequent focal point in BTS coverage because his solo profile was already distinct before the group returned. Rolling Stone previously described his music as R&B and jazz-influenced, and that image fits the “old soul” label now attached to his cover. (rollingstone.co.uk) (ca.rollingstone.com) The result is a cover story doing two jobs at once: selling a magazine package and marking BTS’ first full-group album cycle in nearly four years. V’s individual cover gives that larger comeback a single face, and fans are circulating it as part of the band’s May 2026 return campaign. (rollingstone.co.uk) (bts.ibighit.com)