What is the story about?
BTS has started picking records for their upcoming album Arirang, even before the K-pop boy band officially released new music and made their highly anticipated
comeback. Though the group has continued to grab honours as OT7 along with its members' solo work even while Jin, J-Hope, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook were away serving their mandatory military duties, this one is special as it comes days after BTS announced its comeback schedule on March 20, 2026 along with the impending world tour. BTS' return is being touted as not just a grand moment for K-pop, but even the global music scene.
BTS new album Arirang
BTS revealed the name of the upcoming album, Arirang on January 15, and opened the pre-order window on January 16. This was two days after they announced the full schedule of their world tour, that currently includes 34 cities, 79 concerts across 5 continents. In the midst of this Arirang's pre-order earned a huge feat.
BTS breaks THIS Spotify record
Arirang has surpassed 2 million pre-saves on Spotify in just 4 days, becoming one of the most pre-saved album in Spotify's Countdown Chart history. It is also the first for any K-pop act, Asian artist, or group to cross the numbers in Spotify's history. This tops all but one release ever on the chart, fueled by explosive growth from 564,000 on day one to 2.02 million by day four after pre-orders launched January 16.
Arirang is also the fastest album ever to reach No. 1 on the Spotify Countdown Chart. RM, Jimin, and V also shared heartfelt notes on recapturing their debut energy with Arirang, teasing at how they intend to make 2026 memorable for ARMYs.
BTS announces comeback schedule
BTS had on January 1, 2026, revealed of setting March 20, 2026 as the group's comeback date. This was after the members rang in New Year with the ARMYs during a Weverse live. Ever since, BigHit Music has kicked off a massive promotional campaign along with unveiling a new logo. So far, BTS billboards, installations and fan art have reached multiple cities like London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul.
BTS world tour
According to the official announcement by their label under HYBE, after releasing the 14-track album set, BTS wold follow it up by a global tour. The 34 cities include Tokyo, Mexico, Las Vegas, Busan, Madrid, Paris, Chicago, Los Angeles, Singapore, Bangkok, Sydney, Hing Kong and many others. The announcement also promises that more cities would be added in Japan, Middle East and more.
