South Korean music sensation BTS has officially released its highly anticipated fifth studio album, Arirang, marking the group’s first collective project in five-and-a-half years.
The release follows a period during which the members focused on solo careers and completed mandatory military service in South Korea.
The 14-track record is accompanied by a new music video for the song “Swim”. To mark the launch, the septet has organised a free concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square on 21 March, which will be livestreamed globally by Netflix.
The group is also scheduled to perform in the US for the first time in nearly four years on 23 March for ‘Spotify x BTS: SWIMSIDE’, an exclusive event for 1,000 fans in New York.
Further media releases include a Netflix documentary titled BTS: The Return, which arrives on 27 March and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the group’s reunion. On 9 April, BTS will embark on an extensive 82-date world tour, set to conclude in March 2027.
Fans will also be able to attend cinema screenings of two performances, titled BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ Live Viewing, featuring the group’s Goyang, South Korea gig on 11 April and their Tokyo show on 18 April.
To record the album, members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook relocated to Los Angeles, where they lived together for two months. This marked the first time the entire group had shared a residence since 2019.
The production featured a diverse range of collaborators, including Pdogg, Diplo, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Flume, JPEGMAFIA, Mike WiLL Made-It, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, El Guincho, and Teezo Touchdown.
The album title, Arirang, is derived from a traditional Korean folk song. In a statement, the group explained that the title reflects a “sense of yearning, longing, and the ebb and flow of life,” resonating with their current professional and personal journey.
Speaking on the hiatus, Jung Kook told Rolling Stone UK that his time in the military built a “sense of longing” that drove him to deliver a high-quality project.
J-Hope previously noted on the Zach Sang Show that the personal growth each member experienced during their solo projects would provide the group with “new strength and energy” upon their reunion.
