Ahead of their 5th studio album, Arirang, BTS has released a new animation video titled Arirang Animation Trailer: What is your love song? They have released it on their official YouTube channel a week before the album, which would mark their comeback after military service, drops.
The animation serves as a visual prologue, tracing the historical and cultural inspiration behind the new album. The clip opens with animated versions of the seven BTS members gathered around a gramophone. As the record begins to play, the scene transitions back to a historical moment, a ship crossing the Pacific Ocean carrying Korean men, introducing the origins of the Korean folk song Arirang. This folk song sings of distance, longing, and the resilience to move forward. The following scene shows Korean men singing “A-ra-rang” at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1896, making it the first known recording of a Korean song.
The animation rewinds to the pivotal moment in history, depicting the men singing the song that would go on to become one of the most widely recognised Korean songs in the world. The scene also portrays them sharing the song with students at Howard University, illustrating how the music travelled beyond Korea.
The story then shifts forward to 2013, highlighting the global attention BTS has received since their debut. It shows the unfolding of their journey with a stadium concert filled with a sea of BTS official light sticks.
The sequence captures the band performing in front of a roaring global audience, bridging the historical moment of Arirang with BTS’ own journey from Korea to the world stage. The scene then cuts to the seven members gathered around the gramophone, singing and dancing, as a subtitle appears reading, “When the world feels heavy, when your heart feels light, what is your love song?” The line continues with the subtitle, “My love song is…,” before the animation closes on the final shot of the ARIRANG logo.
Ahead of the release of the animation, BTS also drew attention with their call-to-action campaign “WHAT IS YOUR LOVE SONG?” featuring large-scale installations across Seoul, New York City, and London in celebration of the upcoming album.
ARIRANG will be released on streaming platforms worldwide on March 20.
Also Read: Countdown to ARIRANG: BTS’ V Shares Glimpses of Preparation Ahead of Comeback
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