BTS ANNOUNCES "OFFICIAL HIATUS"

According to published reports, K-pop superstars BTS are going on "official hiatus" to focus on solo work. NME related that the group made the announcement during their annual FIESTA dinner, which marked their ninth year together. Highly placed sources confirm the group's plan. This just as their latest album heads for the top of the HITS Top 50 chart in its first week.

"I always thought BTS was different from other groups," member RM explained in a video cited by the story, "but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don't give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something." The young men of BTS, he elaborated, wanted some time to consider their next moves.

This is not the group's first hiatus, although this one is being characterized as "indefinite." Member J-Hope has made the first high-profile solo foray by joining the Lollapalooza lineup as a headliner.

BTS' 48-track release Proof (Big Hit/Geffen) is headed for a #1 debut this week. Our projection was in the area of 300k prior to the announcement; will this news have a significant impact on their first-week total?