On March 20th, BTS returned with a powerful homage to their heritage, their newest album Arirang. Originally a traditional Korean folk song, “Arirang” now serves as BTS’ first full album since their album “BE,” released in 2020. In order to present their return to the music industry as a group, as they were still very active while completing their mandatory enlistment in the Korean Military, they collaborated with Netflix and put together a free concert.
This concert was a lovely fusion of both Korean Culture and Hip Hop with BTS performing right in front of Gwanghwamun Palace, a traditional palace where past kings of Korea took residence. I feel that this move in of itself is a powerful move; an expression to the world that the kings of music are back and ready to come back with a bang. I also believe that with their album being an expression of the members and their culture, performing in front of such a historical landsite beautifully supports the message they strive to send to anyone watching.
In regards to the performance, BTS expressed the short amount of time they had to work on their album and performance beautifully. Starting right after all members were released from the military, they worked hard and produced a strong performance that was watched by hundreds of thousands across the world.
I really loved how at the very beginning, the first song they performed was the first song off of their new album; a song that is filled with the common elements of hip-hop plus a fiesta of traditional Korean music and instruments. A direct homage to the actual song, “Arirang” could be heard while people dressed in Hanbok, a Korean traditional dress, sang and performed with Korean instruments.
In my opinion, this was the best part of the comeback show. Seeing them represent their culture on such a large scale was truly a beautiful thing to witness. I feel that the performance and combination of both hip-hop and Korean culture really helped to represent their mark on the world and introduce a whole new audience to who they are.
With mixtures of different songs, both new and old, BTS truly came back with a powerful start. Although it was a taste of what is to come, the show was a stunning array of culture, heritage, and respect , leaving viewers on the edge of their seats and wondering what else the members have in store.
Photos With Madison 