BTS Fans Sing Arirang in NYC

BTS announced the start of their U.S. activities by successfully completing their exclusive event "Spotify x BTS: SWIM SIDE" at the iconic Pier 17 in New York City, celebrating the release of their fifth full album, 'Arirang.' This event marks BTS's first full-group performance in the U.S. in four years, since April 2022, and the first time all seven members have visited New York as a group in approximately six years, since 2018. Pier 17 has hosted performances by renowned artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Eminem, and BTS expressed their honor in marking the beginning of their U.S. activities at this venue.

The atmosphere at the venue was electric even before the performance began. Fans spontaneously sang along to "Body to Body," a track from the new album, while waiting for BTS. Notably, the familiar chorus of the traditional Korean folk song 'Arirang,' featured in the song, led to a natural sing-along that garnered significant attention online. Diplo, the co-producer of the album, attended as a VIP guest, and actress Suki Waterhouse hosted the Q&A session. BTS performed tracks from their new album, including "2.0," "SWIM," and "NORMAL," for 1,000 of Spotify's top listeners.

Regarding the title track "SWIM," the members stated, "It carries the meaning of moving forward without stopping, even when facing difficult situations and emotional waves. We wanted to convey the message to our fans to push forward as if overcoming everything." Leader RM, who had recently caused concern among fans due to an ankle injury, appeared on stage looking healthy and reassured fans by saying, "​I'm getting much better."

BTS's new album 'Arirang' has been breaking records since its release. On its first day, it surpassed 110 million streams on Spotify, setting the highest debut record for the year. In Japan, it achieved a triple crown on Oricon's charts, topping the "Weekly Combined Album Ranking," "Weekly Album Ranking," and "Weekly Digital Album Ranking." The title track "SWIM" held the number one spot on Spotify's "Daily Top Song Global" for four consecutive days.

This album is expected to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard main album chart, "Billboard 200," and "SWIM" is challenging for the top spot on the main singles chart, "Hot 100." It is also highly likely to reach number one on the UK Official Albums Chart Top 100 and has a strong possibility of topping the Official Singles Chart Top 100. BTS is scheduled to appear collectively on the U.S. NBC show "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on the 27th.