Arirang

Arirang is the tenth overall studio album and sixth Korean-language studio album by the South Korean boy band BTS. Released on March 20, 2026, by Big Hit Music, it marked BTS's first full-length release since their hiatus for mandatory military service, following their 2020 album Be. The recording sessions for the album took place between July and November 2025.

The album takes its title and inspiration from the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang," a piece that traditionally deals with themes of love, longing, resilience, separation, and reunion. This thematic resonance is reflected in the album's musical direction, which has been described as BTS's most experimental to date. While the first half of the album leans into hip-hop, later tracks explore diverse genres including jersey club beats, rock influences, and grunge textures. The album also incorporates elements of alternative R&B, synth-pop, and electronic sounds, with the interlude "No. 29" notably featuring a blend of traditional Korean instruments like the gayageum and buk alongside modern synthesizers and percussion.

Arirang debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming BTS's seventh album to achieve this feat. The album's first-week performance was notably strong in physical sales, with 516,000 units sold, including 208,000 vinyl sales. This made it BTS's best sales week for vinyl and the largest for any group in the modern era tracked by Luminate since 1991. [편집]