BTS’s fifth full-length album will arrive on March 20. That much we already knew.
We now know the collection will be titled Arirang.
“Arirang” is a traditional Korean folk song renowned, according to a statement from BigHit Music, which delivered an update on the album Friday, Jan. 16. “Transcending time and generations, the song has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion,” the release continues.
The collection is said to be 14-tracks deep, “a deeply reflective body of work” that explores the K-pop superstars’ “identity and roots,” the statement reads.
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The album’s red and white artwork can be seen at BigHit’s Instagram.
Furthermore, the band will “draw on the emotional depth of ‘Arirang’ — its sense of yearning, longing, and the ebb and flow of life,” adds the message, the seven-piece ultimately choosing the title for its “strong resonance with their current journey.”
The new album marks the group’s reunion following a nearly four-year hiatus, during which members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook completed South Korea’s mandatory military service.
BTS‘ big title reveal closely follows the announcement of another world tour, their first large-scale jaunt in nearly four years, since BTS Permission to Dance on Stage, which concluded in April 2022.
The forthcoming trek will get underway April 9 in Goyang, South Korea, then makes a stop in Tokyo before arriving in the United States in late April. The first stateside concerts will take place April 25-26 in Tampa, Fla., and closes its North American run with four shows in Los Angeles in September. All told, 79 shows are booked across the globe including Asia, North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and more.
“The new release explores universal emotions of longing and love,” the statement continues, “and will resonate with the worldwide audience as a timeless legacy across generations and cultures.”
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