Arirang<\/em><\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\tOver a Korean dinner in a rented Los Angeles home, where they were spending a couple months working on Arirang<\/em>, the members are visibly exhausted and a little frustrated that they\u2019re not making quicker progress. \u201cI just want to have fun making music,\u201d J-Hope says. \u201cBut I feel like we\u2019re holding back. We\u2019re kind of operating like a factory.\u201d V adds that they\u2019re supposed to be doing something experimental and different, \u201cbut it doesn\u2019t feel different.\u201d Jimin adds, \u201cThis album is so special because it\u2019s been so long [since our last record]. But the issue is that we wanted to avoid taking a long break after our military discharge. But now it feels like we\u2019re rushing through this project.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tMaybe it wasn\u2019t Nguyen\u2019s intent, but the emphasis on the time \u2014 or lack of it \u2014 that BTS spent making Arirang <\/em>could be positively viewed as a pop-culture allegory of how quickly South Korea rose from the ashes of the Korean War into a highly developed and rich nation. Great things can happen in a short period of time. But the film also questions, at what cost?<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tThis 93-minute documentary feels shorter than it is, without rushing through the process. Here\u2019s a look at six things we learned about BTS and their art in BTS: The Return<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\t\tThe monotony of daily life reminds the members of their mandatory military duty.<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\ub3d9\ubc18\uc785\ub300 <\/em>is a Korean phrase that refers to friends joining the military together, serving in the same unit, and being each other\u2019s moral support during their roughly 18 months of enlistment. Of the seven, Jimin and Jung Kook were the only BTS members who served in this companion program, but the group\u2019s shared experience of serving their country is brought up throughout the documentary in small snippets. RM worries that waking up every day and doing the same things as they work on Arirang<\/em> is too similar to what they went through in the army. \u201cPersonally, I really hate to be stuck in a routine,\u201d he says. \u201cWe spent a year and a half in the military, and now it all feels like a dream. It feels like we were never there\u2026 Things change and trends shift all the time. Newer artists are breaking into the industry all the time. We have to change, too. How are we supposed to evolve and grow if we keep pushing against the tide? That\u2019s just existing.\u201d But there\u2019s also levity interspersed with the more contemplative moments. At one point, the group groans and laughs raucously when RM picks up his saxophone and blasts out the army\u2019s morning reveille.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\u200bJimin is a homebody.<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n\n\tOnstage, Jimin is a menace in the best possible ways. But in private, being home is the best, he says. Jimin\u2019s a gentle homebody who washes his plates until they literally squeak with cleanliness, proudly points out the dish towel his mother gave him, and watches educational science shows as he eats his carryout meals. \u201cThese are the types of videos I like to watch when I\u2019m eating or trying to sleep,\u201d he says, engrossed in a show featuring archaeologists chatting at a Korean university. \u201cI like it when I don\u2019t have anything to do and don\u2019t have to work out,\u201d he says, quietly. \u201cI wasn\u2019t always an introvert, but as I got older, it just happened. I could sit here for 10 hours alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\t\tJin has no songwriting credits on <\/strong>Arirang<\/em><\/strong>. Here\u2019s why.<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n\n\tThe first member to enlist, Jin went back to work the day after his enlistment ended. He recorded two solo EPs and sold out every venue on his #RunSeokjin_EP. <\/em>tour. In other words, through his individual work, he kept the BTS brand alive while his bandmates were out of the public eye. Because of his tour obligations, he joined the others in Los Angeles later, after the others had already worked through most of the songs that would end up on Arirang<\/em>. He mentions that it would have been ideal if they could\u2019ve delayed recording the album until his tour had completed, but he understands the reasoning behind the tight schedule. \u201cThey made a really nice album while I was on tour,\u201d he says. \u201cComing in late and not really knowing where everyone\u2019s at is scary, because I have to figure out where I fit into all of this. But having spent the last 12 years together, I\u2019ve kind of known what to do without being told. \u2026 I\u2019m not even sure where I am.\u201d V offers comfort by commiserating and tells him, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, hyung<\/em>. We can do this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tJin usually is the member who doesn\u2019t dwell on personal difficulties. But in a vulnerable moment, the eldest member reveals that he had a rough time powering through his tour when he was sick. \u201cI took a ton of medicine,\u201d he tells his bandmates. \u201cI had to get an IV about five times.\u201d As Jin leaves the mansion to head back to Seoul, he sings a traditional snippet of \u201cArirang\u201d that would\u2019ve made a compelling coda on the album.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tThere\u2019s a lot of pressure to speak English.<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n\n\tAs if creating a new album under strict time constraints isn\u2019t enough pressure, BTS are encouraged to include more English into their songs to attract a larger portion of the global audience. While it may make business sense, it\u2019s a tough request to make of artists who \u2014 with the exception of RM \u2014 aren\u2019t fluent in English. Just 12 minutes into the documentary, Jimin is visibly frustrated with how he sounds singing English lyrics. Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of Hybe and BTS\u2019 chief producer, agrees with Nicole Kim, the vice president of BigHit Music, that they need to appeal to the global market. Suga pushes back, pointing out that \u201cthere\u2019s so much English in the songs already. I want to add more Korean.\u201d RM adds, \u201cI agree. There\u2019s a level of authenticity we need to have here.\u201d Later, there\u2019s a shot of RM working on a song. He\u2019s concerned that the lyrics he wrote sound unnatural, because English isn\u2019t his dominant language. With the impending deadline hanging over their heads, there isn\u2019t much time to get everyone\u2019s English pronunciations up to par. RM says they\u2019re experiencing a slump. After their longtime producer Pdogg jokes that \u201cSlump\u201d could be a great song, V puckishly asks, \u201cWhat if we made the [title track] really depressing and sad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tThe weight of \u201cArirang\u201d means a lot to them.\u00a0<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\u201c\u2018Arirang\u2019 is a song that describes han<\/em> \u2014 deep sorrow and longing,\u201d RM says. \u201cOur people sang it to overcome pain and suffering. As a Korean person, the thought of sampling this famous traditional song felt right. That was my first reaction. Then I realized the weight \u2018Arirang\u2019 carries. But once we decided to lean into it, we committed all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tIn a meeting with Hybe\u2019s Bang, the chairman wants the group to include a longer sample of \u201cArirang\u201d than they preferred. J-Hope flat out says no, because a longer sample would be overkill. Jung Kook points out that not all their fans will understand the significance of \u201cArirang.\u201d And RM agrees that the shorter sample fits better into the song.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tBang takes a step back. \u201cWe all know that a group like BTS only comes along once every few decades,\u201d he concedes. \u201cWe\u2019re in a situation where your target audience extends beyond just Korea \u2026 but there\u2019s no denying you\u2019re a Korean group. Ultimately, though, it\u2019s your decision.\u201d As RM had already pointed out, \u201cWe get to wear this huge crown, but it\u2019s heavy and scary to wear.\u201d Thinking about where he\u2019s at in life, Jung Kook says, \u201cThis intense level of fame can be a lot to carry. I\u2019m not really that special. There\u2019s a part of me that wants to be seen as a singer and nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tUltimately, the shorter \u201cArirang\u201d sample is the one that\u2019s featured on \u201cBody to Body.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tSo does the impermanence of time.<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\u201cIn old Greece, there were two ways of thinking about time,\u201d RM says in English. \u201cOne is chronos<\/em>, and one is kairos<\/em>. In the military, we had to do the same thing over and over again. Time just passed by. That was chronos<\/em>. But here in L.A., time with the members \u2014 my second family \u2014 this feels like kairos<\/em>. Time really stretches and you really feel\u2026. I don\u2019t know how to say it in English. \ubb34\uc0c1\ud568 [impermanence] of time.\u201d In arguably the most compelling cinematic sequence of the documentary, the camera pans to the members splashing around, laughing, and competing to see who can stay underwater the longest. All the while, Phoenix\u2019s \u201cLove Like a Sunset, Pt. II\u201d plays softly in the background. The French indie pop band\u2019s song includes the line, \u201cWhere it starts, it ends.\u201d This lyric can be interpreted as bittersweet, but it also fits in with what BTS has always maintained. They are in this Bangtan life forever. Where they started is where it will one day end. Together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rollingstone.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When BTS debuted in 2013, no one expected much from the scrappy septet. They were a young group from a then-no-name music company that had yet to produce a superstar. If the hip-hop-heavy group was lucky, they\u2019d maybe last a few years before splintering off in different directions. But that\u2019s not how it turned out. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2347083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[24133,314147,23191],"class_list":["post-2347082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-bts","tag-documentary","tag-netflix"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Six-Things-We-Learned-From-Netflix-Documentary.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2347082"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2347084,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347082\/revisions\/2347084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2347083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2347082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2347082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2347082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}