BTS Went Live Last Night And Here Are Things We Learned About ‘ARIRANG’

All seven members of BTS went live on Weverse last night to talk about their upcoming album, ARIRANG, which releases on March 20.

BTS – comprised of RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook – greeted ARMY with their signature “Bangtan Sonyeondan.” They then talked about their new album, answering many of the fans’ questions and theories (Yes, they’ve seen your theories).

We captured some of the main points from the live.

BTS wrote over 100 songs

With only 14 tracks on the album, BTS revealed they had actually written over 100 songs for it. Jimin revealed, “We actually participated in making around 10 songs each, and then finalized 14 out of them.”

They revealed they put a lot of emotion into their songs. Since it’s been a while since they’ve released an album, this album will have a lot of emotion.

“I think it’s like us,” Jung Kook says, revealing that he listens to it every day. V reveals that performing it sounds very different.

RM, who is notorious for revealing spoilers, said he has to be careful what he says. SUGA revealed they may use some of their solo songs.

Jung Kook help designed the album’s logo

While the group was at Song Camp in Los Angeles, Jung Kook began sketching, which the company incorporated into the album’s final design.

“I did like four sketches,” Jung Kook recalls. “I sent them, and the company developed it a lot.”

The logo visualizes ㅇㄹㄹ — the initial consonants of ‘Arirang’ (아리랑).

What ARIRANG means to them

With so many articles discussing the meaning behind ARIRANG, RM revealed what it meant to them, revealing he thought about it a lot during his time in the military. When the group finally gathered together, they thought about all the work they’ve done to get to where they are now and wanted to show where they all started. Because they’re seven guys from Korea, they wanted something to represent that.

“The keyword ‘Arirang’ came up,” RM says. “Honestly, the meaning is different for each person, because there are many ways you can interpret Arirang’s lyrics. I think it’s about sadness, longing, and love.”

J-hope says the past and performing were something they all longed for and truly love. He says, “[Arirang] feels like our roots. From that way, Arirang was what tied it all together really well.”

“We missed being in society,” says RM. “We missed ARMY and the Bangtan members a lot. Since Arirang contains the joy and sorrow of life, that kind of sentiment will be tied to the music – the joys and sorrows that we experienced ourselves. [Arirang] ties it all up together well.”

The group recalled performing Arirang at KCON Paris 10 years ago, and found it fascinating that their album is now called ARIRANG.

j-hope is excited for the 360-degree stage

i-hope says the new staging – which they’ve done before during fan meetings (Musters) in the past– will offer something new from them.

“This time will be special because of the 360-degree stage,” he says. “It’s been a while since we’ve done it once before. There’s something about that that makes it feel really immersive.”

Jimin played the album for his parents

Jimin revealed that his parents had heard the songs, telling him that the members are now adults and that he shouldn’t worry because “you are enough.”

He also reveals the album represents a new side to the group, with the tour being a unique return.

They know about your album theories

The members made fun of Jin for ARMY believing that he consistently saying “Hello” during their LIVE together on the beach last year was a hint that the album would be called “Hello.” Jin laughed, confused about how his greeting could be interpreted as a hint.

“That was just my greeting,” Jin laughs. “I was just saying hello.”

They requested to perform at more locations

Although BTS is visiting over 34 cities and performing over 79 shows, they are asking for more from their company. RM reveals that not all the tour details have been announced yet. Jimin is excited to perform, hoping to do as many performances as possible.

“Even though we can’t go to everyone, we wanted to meet ARMY in as many places as possible,” says RM. “So we will be doing this tour for a long time – until 2027.”

Jin reveals that the original plans were much shorter, but they decided to make the tour longer and more fun. Though they admit the tour may be physically exhausting, they wanted to focus on the quality of the concerts.

“If we kept the breaks short, we wouldn’t have been able to properly perform in the cities we visited,” RM reveals.

More Fun things are ahead

RM reveals that more information will unfold over the next two or three months, including the track list.

RM says, “Since it’s been so long since we’ve been back, we’ve prepared a lot with many people, so [please] look forward to it.”

BTS’s ARIRANG releases on March 20 on all streaming platforms. Physical copies of the albums are available at select retailers.