BTS' Arirang cover sends netizens into meltdown: 'This is revolutionary'

Global group BTS are all geared up for their upcoming album Arirang, which is just a week away from its release. The highly anticipated comeback of the South Korean boy band after three years have given a surprise to their fans by sharing a cover of their upcoming album.

Netizens' reaction to BTS' new cover of Arirang

The group's official social media channels shared an animated historical version of the group from their upcoming fifth studio album. As the device begins to pop into life, a melody of Arirang rises, which sets a bridge between Korean heritage and pop. The scene then shifts to the present day, where BTS performs in front of a crowd glowing with purple lights in 2013, which was the year group made their debut.

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The animation ends with seven men standing in infront of Gwanghwamun Square, where the boy band is also expected to perform on March 21 this year. Reportedly, the video is inspired by the story of seven young Koreans published in The Washington Post on May 8, 1896, some of whom also captured the first-known audio recordings of Koreans in Washington, DC, in the US.

Soon after the cover was dropped, fans flooded the comment section, with one user writing, “This is the best album cover...them in suits.” They look so handsome." Another user wrote, "They are looking so handsome." “Y'all saw the crowns,” wrote the third user.

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Arirang: Tracklist, significance of album name

BTS' music label BigHit Music shared a poster of the tracklist on X and wrote in the caption, "BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) 'ARIRANG' Tracklist #BTS #BangtanSonyeondan#BTS_ARIRANG #BTS_SWIM." The album features a diverse collection of tracks – "SWIM," "Body to Body," "Hooligan," "Aliens," "FYA," "2.0," "No. 29," "Merry Go Round," "NORMAL," "Like Animals," "they don't know 'bout us," "One More Night," "Please" and "Into the Sun."

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The title track, "SWIM", is co-written by BTS frontman RM. The group's label, BigHit Music, said the group held songwriting sessions last summer in Los Angeles for the album, in collaboration with star producers like Diplo, Ryan Tedder and El Guincho.

The title was later revealed on January 15, referencing the Korean folk song of the same name. Big Hit Music stated Arirang "captures BTS' identity as a group that began in Korea". Arirang is a Korean folk song. Reportedly, there are various versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to "arirang, arirang, arariyo". It is estimated that the song is more than 600 years old.

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Big Hit Music stated Arirang "captures BTS' identity as a group that began in Korea". Arirang is a Korean folk song. Reportedly, there are various versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to "arirang, arirang, arariyo". It is estimated that the song is more than 600 years old.

Arirang is included twice on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, having been submitted for inclusion first by South Korea in 2012 and then by North Korea in 2014. In 2015, the South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration added the song to its list of important intangible cultural assets. Arirang will be releasing on March 20.