BTS, Arirang, New Narrative, Roots, Proof

Global superstars BTS has made their highly anticipated comeback on March 20th with their 5th full-length album, ‘Arirang’. This marks their return after 3 years and 9 months since the release of their anthology album, ‘Proof’, in 2022.

This comeback signifies more than just a return to the music scene. While ‘Proof’ focused on encapsulating their journey and ‘proving’ the group’s existence, ‘Arirang’ draws from the most Korean sentiments on that solid foundation, redefining their ‘roots’. Now, they are moving beyond the stage of self-affirmation, posing fundamental questions about what to inherit and where to move forward, expanding a new narrative.

‘Arirang’ profoundly captures the team’s identity and universally relatable emotions. The upbeat alternative pop title track, ‘SWIM,’ sings of the attitude of continuing to swim through the waves of life without stopping. Member RM took charge of the overall lyrics, directly incorporating BTS’s current thoughts.

In addition to the title track, a total of 14 songs are included, such as ‘Body to Body,’ ‘Hooligan,’ ‘Aliens,’ ‘FYA,’ ‘2.0,’ ‘No. 29,’ ‘Merry Go Round,’ ‘NORMAL,’ ‘Like Animals,’ ‘they don’t know ’bout us,’ ‘One More Night,’ ‘Please,’ and ‘Into the Sun,’ encompassing various genres and narratives to comprehensively complete the album’s message.

◆ Beyond ‘Proof’ to Starting from ‘Roots’..In-depth ‘SWIM’

The previous work, ‘Proof’, was a comprehensive record containing thoughts that ran through BTS’s past, present, and future. It focused on proving the team’s reason for existence by aggregating the music and narrative accumulated since their debut. The title track ‘Yet To Come’ also spoke of the future, but also looked back on 9 years of activity, functioning as one ‘period’ before opening a new chapter.

‘Arirang’ contains the meaning of fully expanding the world beyond that period. Beyond simply borrowing from folk songs, it reinterprets the universal emotions of Koreans, such as separation and longing, sorrow (恨), and recovery, with a modern sensibility. This acts as a key axis in expanding BTS’s musical horizon in this album. ‘Arirang’ poses the question of ‘What will we inherit and what will we leave behind?’ and presents a milestone for the next chapter.

In this regard, member RM said, “I think the Korean element is an important keyword that can tie the seven of us together. Because it is also connected to where we started, to our roots,” and added, “What is Korean is still being redefined and changing. It would be fun if we could be part of that flow as well.”

Also, J-Hope added, “I incorporated Korean excitement and culture into the lyrics of the new album. In many parts, I tried to create more ‘points where the seven of us can be together’. I think showing myself as I am, coming back again, ultimately starts from the roots. I believe that we are who we are today because those roots were solid together.”

This change in message becomes even clearer in the title track ‘SWIM’. This song sings of the attitude of moving forward without stopping, even in the rough waves of life. If the past BTS showed the energy of ‘survival’ by fighting against the current, ‘SWIM’ shows the aesthetic of ‘swimming’ by calmly accepting the incoming flow at their own pace.

It contains the message that rather than rejecting the incoming changes and the flow of the times, they will swim out at their own pace. In particular, the fact that the driving force of this movement is 풀어낸 as ‘love for life’ is impressive. The attitude of accepting even the rough currents as part of life shows the inner side of BTS, which has become stronger after the hiatus, and delivers positive resonance to listeners around the world.

◆ BTS’s New Journey..Anticipated Future Narrative

In terms of narrative, if ‘Proof’ was a ‘period’ that summarized Act 1 of BTS, ‘Arirang’ is closer to an ‘exclamation mark’ that opens after that. Those who have organized the past and stopped for a while are now clearly expressing their will to move forward again.

The sentiment of ‘Arirang’ that flows throughout the album is based on separation and reunion, but it is 풀어낸 in a relatively calm tone rather than excessively emotionally consuming it. In addition, the rhythm and development of the title track ‘SWIM’ play a role in emphasizing the movement forward without staying in a static emotion.

Rather than consuming the return after the hiatus as a simple emotional release, the focus is on reorganizing the relationship with fans on the extension line of the past by organizing it as a starting point for activities that continue again. In the end, ‘Arirang’ is a work that clearly shows the direction after ‘Proof’. It is also a starting line for the next era of BTS, standing at the point of going beyond the stage of organizing achievements, looking back on the origin and roots of those achievements, and expanding them into the future.

This album, which contains a universal message based on the most Korean sentiments, once again proves that BTS has established itself as an artist who creates a cultural narrative beyond a simple K-pop group.

The culmination of this journey will lead to the performance ‘BTS Comeback Live: Arirang,’ which will unfold on the 21st at Gwanghwamun Square, the heart of Korea. ‘SWIM,’ which will resonate in Gwanghwamun, where history and modernity coexist, is expected to be a stage that symbolizes the team’s roots and future at the same time. This performance, which will unfold amid global attention, is likely to be recorded as a cultural event beyond a simple concert. Attention is focusing on whether it will be the starting point of a new narrative that BTS will write and a signal flare that will once again engrave its global status.