After years of anticipation and the completion of their mandatory military service, the seven members of BTS are finally standing together again. The announcement of their fifth studio album sent shockwaves through the global music industry, but it was the title—Arirang—that sparked the deepest curiosity among fans and critics alike.
During a recent Weverse Live on January 16, RM peeled back the layers of this evocative choice. Far from just a title, Arirang represents a profound homecoming for a group that has conquered the world, only to find their most powerful inspiration waiting for them back where it all began.
RM Explains the Power of ‘Arirang’
The decision to name the album after Korea’s most iconic folk song was born from a period of deep isolation and reflection. RM shared that being away from the stage and the fans—the “ARMY”—forced him to confront a sense of “wistfulness, longing, and love” that only the abstract lyrics of Arirang could properly mirror.
“To be honest, I thought a lot about those things when I was in the military,” RM admitted during his live stream.“Because you end up reflecting a lot on the past and on performing again, too. You have this longing for everything… You yearn for society, the ARMY, you miss the BTS members, the past.”
Beyond the personal longing, the title serves as a proud reclamation of the group’s heritage as they stand together once more. RM explained that as the seven members reunited, they found themselves asking what truly feels “most like us, most like BTS.” The answer was an undeniable connection to their origins.
“We wanted to show where we started from. All of us are Korean. So we felt it would be very meaningful to include something that represents Korea. That’s how the keyword ‘Arirang’ came up,” he explained. By leaning into a concept that is universally recognized yet interpreted differently by every listener, BTS is inviting the world to experience a more intimate, culturally grounded version of their artistry.
Ultimately, Arirang acts as the emotional anchor for their first full body of work in years. Because the traditional song’s lyrics are famously open to interpretation, it provides the perfect canvas for the members to paint their individual experiences. “Arirang contains all the joys and sorrows of life,” RM noted, “and since it’s been a long time since we released an album, we wanted to encompass everything we’ve been through in our music, and we felt that the concept of Arirang could really capture that and tie the album together.” It is a statement that the group isn’t just returning to the charts, but returning to the core of their identity as seven.