BTS to perform new versions of hits for ‘MTV Unplugged’

The K-pop group are also up for a Grammy Award at the ceremony in March

BTS will perform on 'MTV Unplugged'. ABC / AFP

BTS are the next band to sit on the hot seats of MTV Unplugged.

The K-pop group are set to perform stripped-down takes of their hits in an MTV episode airing on Tuesday, February 23 at 9pm EST (6am UAE time on Wednesday, February 24).

A teaser video of the set was posted on MTV's Twitter account last week, indicating a relaxed affair is on offer.

Over various settings, all seven members wear a range of matching suits, from brown to all white, as they croon alongside a four-piece band.

In a statement by MTV, the broadcaster promises a memorable show: "BTS will bring its own iteration of the iconic Unplugged format to life straight from Seoul, South Korea, offering their fans a front-row seat to never-before-seen versions of the group's most career-defining hits."

The move to the influential programme continues the strides BTS has made into the US market.

In January, they became the first K-pop group to receive a Grammy Award nomination. At the Sunday, March 15 ceremony, they will up for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for the track Dynamite.

The achievement came after Time magazine named them Entertainer of the Year last December.

Meanwhile, on Friday, BTS will release a new "essential edition" of last year's breakout album Be.

As well as the CD, home to chart successes Dynamite and Life Goes On, the new version comes with a 140-page photobook.

An influential programme

The MTV performance finds BTS in esteemed company.

Premiering in 1989, the series features generations of popular acts, from Elton John and Eric Clapton to Lauryn Hill and Lorde, performing deconstructed and intimate versions of their biggest hits.

In some cases, the concerts were released as standalone albums that went on to be wildly successful.

Eric Clapton's Unplugged (1992) remains the bestselling live album of all time with 26 million albums sold.

Meanwhile, Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) was released seven months after the death of singer Kurt Cobain and was hailed as a creative breakthrough for the band.

While it remains to be seen if their MTV Unplugged slot will be a creative rather than commercial statement, BTS are already on their way to commanding a permanent place among pop music's biggest groups.