Calling BTS ARMY! Our boys are coming back with new music after almost four years on hiatus. After each of the BTS members released solo music and completed their mandatory military service, ARMY’s favorite K-pop stars returned to the studio last year to make their first studio album since 2020. The album — called ARIRANG — was announced on Jan. 4, 2026 in addition to a world tour, which will be the group’s first concert tour since Permission to Dance on Stage ended in 2022.
The upcoming album’s title was revealed to fans to be ARIRANG on Jan. 14, and since then, ARMY has been eagerly waiting for the March 20 release date. With that date approaching, here’s what fans need to know about the album, why it is expected to be an emotional body of work, and how the group is spoiling fans after its release.
What does Arirang Mean?
The album title references a Korean folk song of the same name. “Arirang” is not a modern Korean word, but the song is hundreds of years old, has thousands of variations, and is tied to Korea’s cultural identity.
Ahead of the album’s release, BTS dropped an animated trailer on March 12 that explains why the group decided to pay homage to the folk song. The trailer begins depicting what is believed to be the first audio recording of “Arirang” at Howard University in 1896, and then shifts to a BTS performance in 2013, the year they debuted. The trailer has direct parallels between the men who recorded the folk song and BTS’s existence as a band, and their rise to fame.
The ARIRANG Tracklist
The official BTS account posted the 14-song tracklist to Instagram on March 3. The list includes “Body To Body,” “Hooligan,” “Aliens,” “FYA,” “2.0,” “No. 29,” “Swim,” “Merry Go Round,” “NORMAL,” “Like Animals,” “they don’t know ‘bout us,” “One More Night,” “Please,” and “Into the Sun.”
No features are listed for the tracks, underscoring how raw and emotionally charged the album is expected to be. As for what the album will sound like, the group teased fans with some hints in a February 2026 interview with GQ. “It’s going to be quite different from the BTS albums and sounds that you’ve been listening to,” Suga said. “You’re going to see a more mature side of BTS this time around.”
The album is sure to be well-executed sonically and writing-wise, as many industry hit makers were involved in its making, such as One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Diplo.
The BTS ARIRANG Netflix Concert Film
Fans will be treated to a concert film of ARIRANG on March 21, available exclusively on Netflix. This performance at Gwanghwamun Square in Korea will be the group’s first live performance in three years. BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG will stream live at 8 p.m. KST / 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT on March 21.
The BTS Making of ARIRIANG Documentary
If the concert film weren’t enough for ARMY, a documentary about the making of ARIRANG will also drop on Netflix on March 27. According to Netflix, the documentary will show viewers BTS working “through their doubts and [sharing] moments of laughter and rediscovery.”
BTS’s absence from the music scene was definitely felt, so I’m excited for their return to pop royalty.