Recommendations of the Editorial team
BTS’ comeback album “Arirang” and new world tour are the biggest music story of 2026 – and ROLLING STONE celebrates the band’s return with the most ambitious cover package in its history to date.
For the May 2026 issue, the American ROLLING STONE will appear with eight print covers: one for each BTS member and one for the entire group. The covers will be released online over eight days – starting today until Monday, April 20 – and each will be accompanied by a video version. The publication is completely global: all 16 international editions of ROLLING STONE feature the cover (the German ROLLING STONE digital) and the associated story.
For collectors and die-hard ARMY members, the “ROLLING STONE BTS: The Cover Collection Box Set” is the safest way to get all eight physical covers. The limited set contains all covers from the May 2026 issue, each packaged in a gift box designed specifically for this release. The box set is available now at shop.rollingstone.com for $125 and ships worldwide.
The focus of the new issue is a cover story by senior writer Brian Hiatt, who previously wrote the 2021 ROLLING STONE cover story about BTS. In February, Hiatt met the group as a whole and then spoke to each of the seven members individually about the long journey BTS took in creating “Arirang.” The band provides a rare, in-depth look at the challenges and breakthroughs of the past few years – from RM, who pushed the group to challenge themselves, to J-Hope, who rediscovered the power of collective creation after his solo career.
If you want to own all eight new May covers from ROLLING STONE, you should get the BTS Collectors Edition Box Set now at shop.rollingstone.com – while stocks last.
