All seven members log onto a livestream, broadcast from a seaside. A number of years in the past, it was a typical picture. But after the Okay-pop boy band BTS pressed pause on their full-band duties for almost 4 years, it was revelatory.
That’s the scene that begins “BTS: The Return,” a brand new Netflix documentary from director Bao Nguyen (“The Stringer,” “The Greatest Night in Pop”), produced by This Machine (“Martha,” “Karol G”) and HYBE, the South Korean leisure firm behind BTS and numerous different worldwide acts.
The mostly-Korean language movie affords an intimate take a look at BTS’ journey to their newest album, “ARIRANG,” launched Friday. It additionally follows the seven member group — RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope — as they realized to reacclimate to their life within the quick lane, collectively once more.
Here are key takeaways from the documentary movie, which premieres on Netflix on Friday, March 27.
As BTS followers are nicely conscious, “ARIRANG” is the band’s first full-length launch since all seven members accomplished South Korea’s necessary navy service. In South Korea, all able-bodied males aged 18-28 are required by regulation to carry out 18-21 months of navy service beneath a conscription system meant to discourage aggression from North Korea.
In their documentary, point out of BTS’ service emerges instantly. In the primary minute, whereas the band movies their reside video on the seaside, RM mentions that he “learned to hustle” within the navy. Then it cuts to footage of the fellows getting their heads shaved and sporting their uniforms — and shortly thereafter, rejoining the band. In actuality, they have been separated for various years. Before saying their comeback in June, all seven members hadn’t been seen broadcasting reside collectively since September 2022.
Shortly after getting back from their necessary service, the band decamped to Los Angeles in the course of the summer time of 2025 to start work on “ARIRANG,” their 14-track, fifth studio album and first in almost 4 years.
They lived in the identical home collectively. It was tight quarters, and a decent turnaround: In the movie, Jin says he joined the band in Los Angeles the day after finishing his 2025 solo tour. For that purpose, he missed a number of the early writing and recording.
The journey was additionally bumpy. As RM mentions within the film, a protracted lifespan for a Okay-pop group will not be assured.
Fans of the style is likely to be aware of what’s known as the “seven-year curse,” the place a gaggle disbands, or loses members, or contracts expires, and so they crumble. That has not been the case for BTS, nonetheless broadly regarded some of the standard bands on the planet. The query then, for them, grew to become: Where does their sound go from right here?
“We’re doing a lot of experiments, trying to find out, like, what makes us special,” RM mentioned. “What makes us BTS?”
They additionally felt the stress to ship a great album, and quick. “We’ve been out for too long,” mentioned Jimin in a single dinner scene. “Now that we’re finally out of the military, we don’t want to extend this break.”
Working in and round Hollywood was a supply of creativity for the band. The documentary reveals clips of the fellows within the studio working with some recognizable producers like Diplo and the South Korean songwriter Pdogg.
It additionally reveals the band struggling to land a lead single and their in-studio dynamics: Suga taking part in guitar, severe and studious, V comforting an anxious Jin, so on and so forth.
Then they returned to South Korea to complete and blend the album.
Boyoung Lee, government artistic director at Big Hit Music, advised the band that in 1896, a gaggle of Koreans arrived within the U.S. for an schooling, the place they met music producer and ethnologist Alice C. Fletcher. Together, they recorded the first-ever Korean-language track within the U.S.: “Arirang,” the standard Korean people track that dates again to the 1400s and that impressed BTS’ album title.
It additionally meant that the album was a real celebration of South Korea and BTS’ efforts to deliver their nation and tradition to the world. In one scene, Suga mentions adjustments wanted to the track “Normal,” which he felt initially featured an excessive amount of English and never sufficient Korean. “For this album, authenticity matters,” RM agreed.
Some members expressed reservations about how they could be obtained — what did their followers need from them, after a lot time aside? And in an business that calls for reinvention? So, they labored as arduous as they may, and in stunning methods: In one scene, V throws a baseball in a parking zone — seemingly to blow off steam. Days later he is throwing a pitch at Los Angeles’ Dodgers Stadium. It’s clear he was practising as to not disappoint their followers.
Even when the band is stress-free at evening collectively at their shared residence in Los Angeles — having fun with pork stomach, soju and beer — they’re nonetheless proven speaking about their music, what may’ve been finished otherwise within the studio, what they could wish to strive sooner or later. It’s a 24/7 course of.
“I wonder if we’ve done a good job here,” Jung Kook asks aloud.
Some members of the band thought the track “Swim” is likely to be too low in vitality to function their lead single. But additionally they weren’t certain about “Dynamite” again in 2020, which grew to become an enormous worldwide smash. It was their first all-English-language single and it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a primary for an all-South Korean musical act.
Suga seemed to be an early believer in “Swim.” “‘Oh, they can come back with a song like this?’ I think it’ll be cool,” he advised his band mates, fantasizing about fan response.
“It’s a cool, mature song for us,” RM agreed. “It’s time we give off a grown-up vibe.”
Appearing extra grownup — and writing songs that mirror the place they’re of their lives — was a precedence.
“We’ve all gotten older in general,” mentioned Suga. “We tried to express more about being an adult.”
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