The pressure that artists and celebrities go through is one that is often talked about but rarely ever acknowledged. I’m guilty of that myself—after all, their pressure doesn’t seem all that important when considering the payment-to-effort ratio we all wish we had. But as a fan who discovered BTS in their “Love Yourself: Tear” era, watching their live comeback performance in Gwanghwamun Square put something to mind that I’d never quite thought about til then: How do you prepare for something the whole world is watching out for?
Other K-pop groups have had their comebacks in studios and controlled environments, but for BTS, not only did they hold it in a historical landmark central to Korean culture, but they also broadcast it live for millions to tune in to. Who else could presume to understand that level of pressure?
But listening to “Arirang,” it’s clear BTS didn’t even bother appeasing anyone
And for their return album, “Arirang”—How do you live up to the expectations from millions of ARMY who each have their own idea of what BTS’s sound truly is? What if it sounds too Western? Should it showcase more of their roots? There’s no right answer to any one of these questions, and they were always bound to disappoint in one way or another.
But listening to “Arirang,” it’s clear BTS didn’t even bother appeasing anyone.
After all, BTS has always been all about breaking barriers and challenging norms. Only this time they weren’t against a rigid idol industry or an unfamiliar Western market—rather, the very fans they longed to meet again.
READ: Kings of K-pop: What to know about BTS’ comeback
Unlike anything in K-pop
Most K-pop albums and comebacks circle around the main title track. Think “DNA,” “Fake Love,” and “Blood Sweat & Tears,” these are the songs past BTS comebacks revolved around.
For “Arirang,” not only was “Swim” unlike your typical main single, but neither was it the strongest track in the album. It’s in full English, has minimal instrumentation, and has a relatively relaxed choreography. In short, it’s the opposite of what many had come to expect from BTS.
For “Arirang,” not only was “Swim” unlike your typical main single, but neither was it the strongest track in the album
Even BTS member Jimin, during their Studio Notes recording, shared that he was once against having “Swim” as the title track. He thought it was too laid back and differed too greatly from the high-octane singles they were popular for. But even he acknowledged that it was the song that best fit their current situation.
“It’s about swimming each day. When you’re in the military, you count down the days… you have to swim past it, we have to keep moving forward,” explained RM and J-Hope.
Not Korean enough?
Arirang, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to Korea’s most popular traditional folk song. It is regarded as an unofficial national anthem and is recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
For an album that not only features the heavy use of English but also sounds and production techniques more predominant in Western music, ongoing online discourse has described BTS’ title choice as disingenuous or misleading.
But when Arirang itself refers to feelings of longing and resilience—emotions that best encapsulate BTS’ situation—it seems some just conflated Korean representation with hanboks and traditional instruments. We already had “Idol” for that.
Jiye Kim put it best in an opinion piece on Teen Vogue: “A Korean artist does not have to be limited to using their country’s traditional instruments and speaking in their own language to be a Korean artist, just as much as I do not have to eat certain foods and wear certain clothes on a certain day of the year to be Korean.”
But for those who’d still claim that “Arirang” isn’t Korean enough, only three of the 14 tracks in the album are in full English, while the rest have a Korean-English split you’d normally expect in any K-pop track
But for those who’d still claim that “Arirang” isn’t Korean enough, only three of the 14 tracks in the album are in full English, while the rest have a Korean-English split you’d normally expect in any K-pop track.
Not to mention, “Body To Body,” the first track of the album, literally featured a brief traditional Arirang performance. Meanwhile, “No. 29,” which only played a singular bell toll at the beginning, had about a minute and a half of silence that followed.
RM later confirmed that the bell sound came from the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, which is designated as South Korea’s National Treasure No. 29. He also explained that the track length matched the time the bell’s sound would fade in real time.
Now, is that Korean enough?
“Arirang” and the markers of BTS’ growth
“Arirang” doesn’t quite sound like anything BTS has ever put out. Even as some would liken it to their hip-hop style from their earlier years, working with renowned producers such as Diplo and Ryan Tedder has added a Western touch that completely separates it sonically from those prior releases.
But beyond a combination of their early hip-hop roots and modern Western production, “Arirang” also represents the years of individual growth each BTS member went through.
While BTS has found tremendous success with full-English songs such as “Dynamite” and “Permission To Dance,” lyrically, these hits haven’t been anything special and have been, frankly, pretty surface-level. “Arirang” has taken BTS’ songwriting to the next level, with their English lyricism catching up to what one would expect from releases in their native language.
“Arirang” has taken BTS’ songwriting to the next level, with their English lyricism catching up to what one would expect from releases in their native language
Sonically, it’s also clear that the rap line had tremendous influence on the selection and curation of the album, with much of the first half of “Arirang” containing flashes of what you would see in a J-Hope, Agust D, or RM solo project.
But on the vocal side of things, Jin, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook never disappoint anyway.
BTS 2.0
“The world changed while we were gone, and there are so many amazing artists,” RM also shared during their Studio Notes video. “When someone takes a long break, they go back to their beginning, so we thought back to our roots, and also felt like we had to be new.”
What makes this comeback particularly special is that it goes beyond music: it’s a personal reunion between a BTS that didn’t quite believe they’d remain relevant after their hiatus, and the fan who kept waiting for them.
This time, however, they don’t seem quite concerned about whether or not you like the version of BTS that came back. Take it or leave it.
