Everything We Know About BTS’ ‘Arirang’: The Album, the Tour, the Netflix Specials

The group's fifth studio album drops March 20, followed by a record-breaking world tour BTS’ Big Return Everything We Know About BTS’ ‘Arirang’: The Album, the Tour, the Netflix Specials The group's fifth studio album drops March 20, followed by a record-breaking world tour By Larisha Paul Larisha Paul Contact Larisha Paul on X Everything We Know About BTS’ ‘Arirang’: The Album, the Tour, the Netflix Specials Yebba Finds Her Way Through Devastation and Liberation on ‘Jean’ Harry Styles Reflects on Liam Payne’s Death: ‘It’s Difficult to Lose a Friend Who Is So Like You’ View all posts by Larisha Paul March 6, 2026 J-Hope, Suga, V, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, RM of BTS perform onstage for the 2020 American Music Awards on November 22, 2020 in South Korea. Big Hit Entertainment/AMA2020/Getty Images In one of the most anticipated pop comebacks of the century, BTS will release their first album in more than five years, Arirang, on March 20. It’s their first album since every member completed mandatory military service in South Korea. The first single, “Swim,” is available for preorder. The day after the album drops, BTS will perform a free concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, livestreamed globally on Netflix, followed by a behind-the-scenes documentary on the same platform. On April 9, they launch an 82-date world tour that will keep them on the road through March 2027. Tickets to every announced show have already sold out. “The most important thing,” RM told GQ in the group’s first joint interview since announcing their hiatus in 2022, “is just that we are here back together again. We’re going to see the fans all over the world.” Making ‘Arirang’: Two Months Under One Roof in LA In mid-2025, once the last member had finished his service, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook relocated to Los Angeles, where they shared a house for two months — the first time the group had been in one place since 2019. RM told GQ they kept a rigid schedule: “We’d do six days a week, like businessmen.” Mornings were for physical training; after lunch at home, they’d head to the studio and write and record with rotating teams of collaborators until the evening. It felt like being trainees again, RM said, except this time they arrived with years of stadium tours and billions of streams behind them. BTS confirmed Jan. 16 that the album was named after a centuries-old Korean folk song, “Arirang.” “Transcending time and generations, the song has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion,” their label’s statement read. The album was described as “a deeply reflective body of work” exploring the group’s “identity and roots,” with the members choosing the title for its “strong resonance with their current journey.” The Tracklist and Credits On March 3, BTS dropped the full tracklist: “Body to Body,” “Hooligan,” “Aliens,” “FYA,” “2.0,” “No. 29” (an interlude), “Swim,” “Merry Go Round,” “Normal,” “Like Animals,” “they don’t know ’bout us,” “One More Night,” “Please,” and “Into the Sun.” Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century Alongside longtime BTS collaborator Pdogg, the album features an all-star slate of writers and producers, including iplo, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Flume, JPEGMAFIA, Mike WiLL Made-It, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, El Guincho, and Teezo Touchdown, among others. Diplo told TMZ it’s “the craziest album ever.” Tedder wrote on X that working with the group across five tracks was “a journey and so much fun.” RM is credited as a songwriter on every track except an interlude. Suga and J-Hope are credited on songs including “Body to Body,” “Merry Go Round,” “Normal,” “One More Night,” and “Please.” Jung Kook has writing credits on four songs, including “Hooligan.” V wrote on “2.0” and “Into the Sun,” while Jimin worked on “they don’t know ’bout us” and the closer. BTS’ World Tour Kicks Off in April The Arirang World Tour kicks off April 9 at Goyang Stadium in South Korea and runs through March 2027, with additional dates expected to be announced later. With 82-plus shows booked across 34 cities in 23 countries, it is the largest world tour ever mounted by a single act from South Korea. All stops will feature an immersive in-the-round stage design. Tickets for virtually every show sold out within hours. During the hiatus, Jin, J-Hope, and Suga embarked on solo tours. In the concert film RunSeokJin_EP.Tour The Mo