The legendary BTS are back with a new album and their biggest tour yet

This was revealed in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg. After a break of almost

four years, BTS are resuming full-scale group activities. During this time, the members completed their compulsory military service in South Korea and pursued solo projects; however, the group did not release a new full-length studio album or embark on a world tour.

Now BTS are returning with a new album, “Arirang”, and are preparing for the biggest tour in their history. Ahead of this, the group will also release a live event, “BTS: The Comeback Live | Arirang”, which will be streamed on Netflix.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the band members admitted that the comeback was not straightforward or automatic. BTS leader RM explained that whilst serving in the military, he thought that after his discharge, great ideas for the next phase would come naturally, but this did not happen. According to him, the members discussed at length what they wanted to say to the world after such a long hiatus, and ultimately decided to return to their roots.

This is how the idea for the album “Arirang” came about. BTS explained that they turned to a traditional Korean folk song associated with longing, love and resilience. RM emphasised that the band needed a very clear reason for this step, as well as a theme that could firmly unite all seven members whilst remaining accessible to an international audience. According to him, BTS wanted to emphasise that they are a Korean band, born and raised in Korea.

The article notes that the new album consists of 14 tracks, to which the band members contributed as writers or co-writers. BTS also worked on the album alongside Western hitmakers, including Diplo and Ryan Tedder.

Suga described the new work as an album that spans various genres whilst retaining strong roots in hip-hop. J-Hope, for his part, said that before working on the new material, he listened to the entire BTS discography from the past 10 years or so to better understand how the group had changed musically and sonically. According to him, the members didn’t want to copy the past too closely, as that wouldn’t have allowed them to honestly show how much they’ve grown.

To create a new sound, all seven members headed to Los Angeles for two months. There, they worked in a rented studio in Hollywood, followed a strict schedule and effectively returned to the rhythm of living together. Jimin explained that the day consisted of training, meals, studio work and more training, whilst J-Hope described the experience as particularly important, as the band hadn’t done everything together for a long time.

The first single of this new phase was the track “Swim”. RM admitted that the members had argued for a long time about whether this particular composition should be the album’s lead single, as it sounds significantly softer, calmer and more mature than what the public is used to hearing from BTS. According to him, in the lyrics he tried to convey the sense of disorientation the members felt after completing their military service, as well as the idea that life is a constant journey in which one simply has to keep moving forward.

The band also spoke candidly about just how much the music industry had changed during their hiatus. Suga noted that following the pandemic, the role of live concerts had surged once again, whilst musical tastes had become significantly more diverse. He also highlighted that more and more music is entering the market, particularly through the use of artificial intelligence tools.

According to Suga, BTS do not use AI in their own music, but they do not view these changes as something that can simply be dismissed. He compared it to a major industrial shift that can no longer be stopped. At the same time, RM acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges for the group has been promoting their new album in the era of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and a new generation of creators. He said that BTS do not want to pretend they have fully embraced the Gen Z mindset, and are still searching for the balance between staying relevant and maintaining their own authenticity.

Separately, the band spoke about their upcoming world tour. J-Hope revealed that one of the key ideas was to use a 360-degree format to connect with the audience from all sides. He said that BTS had analysed their previous concerts and concluded that they hadn’t worked that way before. The members agreed that this format should be the next big step for the group.

RM clarified that 360-degree performances would require a completely different approach to stage layout, sound, entrances, choreography and visual clarity from every angle. The members also emphasised that they are preparing physically for the tour, paying particular attention to endurance, running, strengthening their legs and weight management to avoid injuries.

Jin explained that the tour was initially planned for just four to five months with four to five concerts a week, but they decided to extend it to maintain better fitness whilst covering more countries and cities.

The members also clarified that they hadn’t managed to finish the entire album in Los Angeles. According to RM, work on the record continued after their return to Korea: in September they were still adding material and editing the lyrics, and the recording was finally completed in October and November.

Another change BTS highlighted is the length of the songs themselves. In a conversation with Bloomberg, the members acknowledged that the tracks had become 15–20 seconds shorter, and Jimin stated outright that people no longer listen to long songs. V summed this up succinctly as the influence of the “shorts generation”.

At the end of the interview, the band explained why they chose Netflix specifically for their new comeback live stream. Jin stated that BTS have fans all over the world, and Netflix is the largest platform with the widest reach. That is why, according to the members, they considered it the best partner for a project that needs to be seen by as many people as possible.

As a reminder, Gorillaz released the album “The Mountain” featuring the voices of deceased artists