BTS smash records with comeback album Arirang
BTS released new album Arirang on March 20 and the record has made an immediate impact.
BTS have smashed records with their comeback album Arirang.
The K-pop megastars - made up of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook - returned on March 20 with their first full-length album in six years, and it's already made waves.
In the first week of its release, Arirang sold 641,000 copies, which Billboard reports is the first since it started tracking streaming numbers back in 2014.
That figures includes 532,000 in pure album sales, which is the largest by a group since One Direction's Midnight Memories dropped in 2013.
When it comes to album sales, these were bolstered by physical sales with 17 vinyl variants and nine CDs.
While all the various editions have the same tracklist, they contain collectible items including stickers, posters and photocards.
Within 24 hours of its release, BTS' new record also had the most single-day streams for an album release in 2026 on Spotify.
Over on Apple Music, the LP earned the group their all-time biggest streaming day.
The album opens with Body to Body moving through Hooligan, Aliens, FYA and 2.0. At the centre sits the interlude No. 29, followed by the lead single SWIM.
The tracklist continues with Merry Go Round, NORMAL, Like Animals, they don’t know ’bout us, One More Night and Please, closing with the anthemic finale Into the Sun.
BTS have taken a hands‑on approach to the album’s creation, with the members shaping the sound and emotional core of each track.
RM is credited on every song except the interlude, while SUGA and j‑hope contributed to multiple cuts, including Body to Body, Merry Go Round and NORMAL.
Jimin appears on they don’t know ’bout us and Into the Sun, V co‑wrote 2.0 and the closing track, and Jung Kook played a key role in four songs, among them Hooligan.
The lead single SWIM explores the determination to keep moving through life’s turbulence, framing perseverance as an act of self‑love rather than resistance.
ARIRANG also brings together an impressive roster of global producers and songwriters, including Mike WiLL Made‑It, Flume, El Guincho, JPEGMAFIA, Diplo and Ryan Tedder, signalling a wide‑ranging sonic palette.
