South Korean K-pop superband BTS releases its first studio album in nearly four years, ‘Arirang’, on Friday, a work that incorporates references to Korean cultural tradition and marks a new stage for the group after a period of hiatus due to its members’ compulsory military service.
The 14-track album, released at 13:00 local time (04:00 GMT), is the septet’s fifth studio album and first since Proof (2022).
The album’s title alludes to South Korea’s most representative folk song, considered a cultural symbol of national identity.
“Transcending time and generations, this song (Arirang) has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance and reunion,” BigHit Music said in January.
All seven members actively participated in the creative process of the album, incorporating their personal experiences into the compositions, according to a statement issued this month by the record label.
Band leader RM is credited on all songs except the interlude track, while Suga and J-hope contributed to several tracks, including ‘Body to Body’, ‘Merry Go Round’ and ‘NORMAL’.
Jimin participated in ‘they don’t know ’bout us’ and ‘Into the Sun”, V in ‘2.0’ and ‘Into the Sun’, and Jung Kook collaborated in the creation of four songs including ‘Hooligan’.
BTS returns with new single ‘SWIM’ and new album ‘Arirang
“Lead single ‘SWIM’ focuses on the determination to move forward despite the turbulent waves of life. Instead of resisting the current, the song presents the decision to move forward at one’s own pace as an expression of love for life itself,” said Big Hit.
According to forecasts by Hong Seok-kyeong, director of the Center for Hallyu Studies at Seoul National University and author of the book ‘BTS on the Road,’ the group will leave behind its teenage narrative to tackle more mature themes.
“Once someone returns from military service in South Korea, they are treated as an adult. They will graduate from the adolescent growth story and move on to an independent adult world,” the expert explained in an interview with Japan’s Mainichi newspaper last year.
The launch will be accompanied by promotional events at different locations in Seoul, where screenings and activities will be set up around the new album.
A day later, on Saturday, BTS will offer a free comeback concert at the emblematic Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, with some 22,000 attendees with tickets, although it is estimated that around 250,000 people could congregate to follow the show on screens installed in the surrounding area, reported Agencia EFE.
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