BTS members express desire for more Korean lyrics in their album 'ARIRANG' during a Netflix documentary, highlighting creative differences.
March/29/2026 12:05
*This article contains content related to the documentary story. The members of BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) revealed their intention to include Korean lyrics in their new song 'ARIRANG'. The recently released Netflix documentary film 'BTS: THE RETURN' depicted the differences of opinion between BTS and their agency regarding the 5th full album 'ARIRANG'. During a meeting, SUGA candidly expressed, 'There are too many English lyrics overall, so I would like a bit more Korean lyrics.' In response, J-HOPE added, 'Especially for the rap, I want it to be in Korean.' RM also stated, 'This should be a quite authentic album, and if there are too many English lyrics...' expressing concern that an album centered on English lyrics might dilute their 'sincerity'. However, Nicole Kim (BIGHIT MUSIC's Vice President Kim Hyun-jung) stated, 'Of course, sincerity is important, but if we want to launch the album globally, I think we should try with English lyrics,' presenting a contrasting opinion to the members. RM then expressed the physical difficulties associated with producing English songs, saying, 'How are we going to do this in this time? I mean, realistically, there's not enough time to finish the English pronunciation without discomfort.' Following this, V sang a line of English lyrics, and RM, laughing in resignation, said, 'If you need pronunciation, I can send it to you via voice memo.' BTS released their 5th full album 'ARIRANG' on the 20th of this month. The album encapsulates the members' identities and the universal emotions they faced. The title track 'SWIM' is an alternative pop genre song that sings about the attitude of continuing to swim without stopping amidst the waves of life, composed entirely of English lyrics.
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