BTS is honoring its country of origin’s history with new album ARIRANG, for which the members just dropped a meaningful animated trailer showing how the group’s modern-day impact on the Western world mirrors a story from many generations ago.
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The video posted Thursday (March 12) opens with a message. “This video was inspired by the story of seven young Koreans as documented in The Washington Post on May 8, 1896 (‘Seven Koreans at Howard’), some of whom captured the first known audio recordings of Koreans in Washington, D.C.,” it reads.
“As a modern reimagining, this work draws upon the profound cultural significance of these historical records, which preserve the authentic voices of young Korean men and the first-ever recording of ‘Arirang,’” it continues, noting that the visual “may deviate from actual historical events.”
It then cuts to a group of seven men sailing to the United States and singing joyously for a crowd gathered outside Howard University, after which the timeline flashes forward 117 years. Suddenly, it’s 2013 and BTS is on a stage, performing for thousands of screaming fans — modeling how the band’s well-documented success in elevating K-pop’s presence in the U.S. parallels the reported achievement of those seven Korean men in 1896. The music also shifts at this point from a contemplative piano tune to a percolating EDM groove, possibly previewing a snippet from BTS’ upcoming LP.
“Every story begins with a song,” reads text at the bottom of the screen. “When the world feels heavy, when your heart feels light, what is your love song?”
The teaser comes just one week ahead of ARIRANG‘s March 20 release date. Also on Thursday, the band unveiled the business-themed cover art for the 14-track project, depicting members RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook dressed in tailored suits while looking stoically into the camera.
Since BTS announced the title of ARIRANG in January, the band members have been upfront about their desire to pay tribute to their heritage with the album. As explained in a press release at the time, “Arirang” is a traditional Korean folk song that “has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance and reunion.”
The album itself was described as “a deeply reflective body of work” that explores BTS’ “identity and roots.”
Watch the new ARIRANG animated trailer below.
