San Francisco Frontiers - New BTS album to drop ahead of comeback mega-gig

The Saturday night gig, which is expected to draw around 260,000 people, will be the group's first after a hiatus of almost four years while the seven members performed around 18 months of compulsory military service. It comes ahead of an 82-date world tour.

"We gave deep thought to our identity -- and how best to express ourselves authentically -- across the entirety of our music and performances," said BTS member Jimin, 30, ahead of the release.

"As an extension of that process, we also revisited the significance of our background as a group comprised entirely of Korean members," he said in a statement.

The 14-track "ARIRANG" album, BTS's fifth studio release, takes its name from a folk song about longing and separation that is often dubbed South Korea's unofficial national anthem.

An animated trailer appears to draw on the story of Korean students whose singing of the song US anthropologist Alice Fletcher recorded on a cylinder phonograph in Washington in 1896.

As the melody plays, the trailer shows the students sailing to the United States before cutting to BTS at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace -- the backdrop for Saturday's concert.

- 'Coming back stronger' -

Excitement was meanwhile building in Seoul, with hotels long since booked out and thousands flying in from overseas, ramming home the immense popularity of an act that sings mostly in Korean.

Mara Cristia Yao and Rodessa Ericka Bonon, two fans from the Philippines, came to Seoul although they could not secure their tickets for the Saturday concert.

"We are just going to come to this area anyway. We are figuring out where to position ourselves tomorrow," Yao told AFP, after taking pictures with each other near the Gwanghwamun Square, where the huge stage was being set up.

At the concert, BTS is expected to perform the new album, which the group reportedly spent time in Los Angeles recording.

Grace Kao, a sociology professor at Yale University, said that while it features collaborations with Western songwriters and producers, the title works to "remind international fans that BTS is, first and foremost, a Korean group".

"They are looking towards the future but reminding the fans and themselves of their history," she said.

It also follows some new experiences for the bandmates, now aged between 28 and 33.

Four spent their military service stationed near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, known for barbed wire, harsh winters and intense training.

One slept in a self-propelled artillery vehicle.

"Just like many people who had to put their lives on hold or adapt to difficult circumstances, BTS completed a duty that separated them for a while," Loukia Kyratzoglou, a fan from Greece, told AFP.

"But they are coming back stronger and ready to continue their journey."

- 'Love letter' -

At the height of their fame prior to their break, BTS ranked among the most popular artists on Spotify, mixing with the likes of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber.

After visiting the White House, releasing hugely successful English-language albums and performing at famous venues around the world, the group has chosen a historic stage at home for the landmark comeback concert.

This will be Seoul's sweeping Gwanghwamun Square, near the landmark Gyeongbokgung Palace, an area that has witnessed centuries of history, including major political protests in 2025.

As well as those present in Seoul -- amidst a gigantic security operation -- millions more will likely watch a Netflix livestream to around 190 countries.

This new album "feels like a love letter to their home country," said Jeff Benjamin, Billboard's K-pop columnist.

"BTS starting off this new era with a huge comeback concert in the middle of Seoul feels like a group that wants to ensure Korea remains at the heart of this massively anticipated return," he said.

"I do think they'll be remembered the way we remember the Beatles or Michael Jackson — not just as chart-topping acts but as artists whom the industry calculates time in terms of 'before' and 'after'".

M.Gonzalez--SFF