Pop royalty BTS have released their fifth studio album ARIRANG today. After approximately three years and nine months, the band’s reunion marks a defining moment set to be etched in pop culture history.
ARIRANG is an album that encapsulates the identity of BTS and the universality of the emotions they encounter. BTS have consistently woven their own stories into music, expressing an unwavering authenticity shaped by their journey from boyhood into youth, which has forged a deep connection with listeners around the world. The seven members deeply contemplated the message and musical vision they wished to embody through ARIRANG, striving to find a narrative that best represents BTS today. In this process, their focus returned to their roots—their identity as a band that began in South Korea.
That reflection led them to “Arirang,” a song deeply embedded in Korean cultural memory. The album drew inspiration from “Arirang,” a traditional Korean folk song that has long symbolized themes of distance, longing, and resilience across generations, and is also recognized as one of the earliest Korean songs recorded in the United States in 1896 by Korean men with American ethnologist Alice Fletcher. The song carries emotions that resonate across cultures and languages, and ARIRANG expands these sentiments into a universal narrative that transcends generations and borders.
With the members steering the creative direction and anchoring every song in raw emotion, this hands-on approach ensured that their personal touch is evident in every track. RM is credited on every track excluding the interlude, while SUGA and j-hope contributed to multiple tracks, including “Body to Body,” “Merry Go Round,” and “NORMAL.” Jimin participated in “they don’t know ’bout us” and “Into the Sun,” while V contributed to “2.0” and “Into the Sun.” Jung Kook also played a key role in the creation of four tracks, including “Hooligan.” Additionally, contributing to the album’s sound is an elite lineup of world-renowned producers and songwriters including Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Mike WiLL Made-It, Flume, Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), El Guincho, and JPEGMAFIA.
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