BTS Band Releases New album “Arirang”
Seoul, Jan 16 (EFE).-
K-pop supergroup BTS announced Friday that their upcoming album will be titled ‘Arirang,’ a reference to a well-known traditional Korean folk song, according to their record label BigHit Music.
Scheduled for release on Mar. 20, the South Korean group’s first album in nearly four years will feature 14 tracks and will be the band’s fifth studio album and their first since 2002’s ‘Proof’.
The choice of title suggests that the band may be alluding to their South Korean origins, using the title of the most recognized folk song in the country, estimated to be around 600 years old and can be heard in various settings, from concerts to protests, and which many have adopted as a symbol of national unity.
“Transcending time and generations, the song (‘Arirang’) has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion,” BigHit said in a statement.
The origin and meaning of the traditional song are debated, but some scholars interpret it as a journey from hardship to hope. The song has more than 3,000 variations, according to UNESCO, which registered it as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
“The members participated deeply in the entire song production, infusing their own thoughts and colors, and expressing the emotions and concerns they felt during their past journey through music,” BigHit said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
The record label further explained that the album is a deeply reflective work that explores BTS’ identity and roots, constructed from stories that only the South Korean group can tell and referencing the emotional depth of ‘Arirang,’ with its sense of longing, yearning, and the ebb and flow of life.
The agency emphasized that the release also holds special significance as it is a work conceived and presented by the group after a long period without joint albums, and because it charts “the direction the seven members will take going forward.”
Following the album’s release, BTS will embark on a world tour, kicking off on Apr. 9 in Goyang, near Seoul, and will include stops in Japan, Europe and Latin America.
The tour will encompass 34 cities and 79 concerts, making it the largest tour ever undertaken by a K-pop group, marking BTS’ return to the stage as a full lineup after completing their mandatory military service. EFE
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