[Review] "There Is No Reference for BTS... It's Scary Now That Everything Is Set, But We Want to Be Seen as Different"

World Stars BTS Open Up After Four Years
Seven Young Men Walking an Untrodden Path with "Swim"
"BTS: The Return" Documentary Premieres on Netflix March 27
Bang Si-hyuk of HYBE: "Our Target Is the Global Public"
"BTS 2.0" Era Begins Aft

Documentary 'BTS: The Return' still. Provided by Netflix

"There is no reference point for BTS. It's a burden to walk a path no one has taken. If I say I want to rest, I feel guilty."

The members of BTS are heading to Los Angeles, USA, to prepare for their fifth full-length album, 'Arirang,' after three years and nine months. It's been a long time since the members lived together. Before they became global stars, there was a time when they sweated it out in a small office practice room. Back then, they shared a house and pursued their dreams of becoming artists. That period of hard work turned BTS into artists who now fly on private jets for world tours.

As the members approached the age of thirty, they began to enlist for mandatory military service one by one. BTS paused group activities for about four years. During this time, members like J-Hope and Jin pursued solo careers, but their fandom, ARMY, eagerly awaited the return of the full group. The members say, "We believe we've returned to the place we were always meant to come back to."

On March 20, BTS released their new album 'Arirang,' ushering in what they call 'BTS 2.0.' Netflix will release the documentary 'BTS: The Return,' which captures BTS's album production process, on March 27. The documentary includes the members' concerns and behind-the-scenes stories as they prepared for their comeback.

Gathered in Los Angeles, the members grapple intensely with the tension between familiarity and novelty. When they first hear the album's concept, 'Arirang,' a variety of opinions are exchanged. The members welcome the idea, saying, "This is our new Arirang," and "The fact that we're country boys from Korea hasn't changed," but they also worry, "What if people call it 'nationalistic'?"

Listening to 'Body to Body,' a track infused with elements of the folk song Arirang, J-Hope dances, saying, "This is exciting," while RM remarks, "It feels like a bibimbap with kimchi and pork cutlet all mixed together without any order."

BTS constantly deliberates on what will appeal to the general public and how to capture both domestic and international listeners. As they exchange various opinions during the creative process, the members laugh weakly, saying, "We wanted to have fun making music, but it feels like a factory."

Bang Si-hyuk, Chairman of HYBE, meets the members in Seoul and emphasizes, "BTS is an iconic group that comes along once in decades," adding, "The target is the global public."

Still from the documentary 'BTS: The Return'. Provided by Netflix

Documentary 'BTS: The Return' still. Provided by Netflix

The title track is 'Swim,' a lo-fi genre song. BTS is known for their synchronized choreography and energetic performances. Even after selecting 'Swim,' which features restrained and sophisticated rhythms, as the title track, the members remain uncertain. They worry, "Won't people expect a song that explodes with dopamine?" When J-Hope confesses, "I hesitate to play the new song for my friends," V adds, "We're running in the opposite direction from what people expect."

RM, who participated in writing the lyrics for 'Swim,' explained the song's sentiment as "I've given up, but not 100%." He said, "It's like pushing through the current day by day, just living as it comes."

Jin laughs, saying, "Even when we did 'Dynamite,' half of us didn't want to do it." That song became the first Korean track to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart and gained immense popularity. BTS concludes, "We can't keep doing the same thing forever." RM adds, "When the stage is actually set, it becomes scary." Jimin reveals his feelings, saying, "I don't want people to say, 'BTS has lost it.' I want BTS to be recognized as different."

BTS enjoys grilling pork belly together. On their days off, they each spend time in their own way, playing tennis or relaxing with their pets.

Jimin, while resting at home in Seoul, says, "After reaching a certain status, I don't meet many people anymore. So, spending time alone at home has become familiar." Ordering jajangmyeon and playing computer games, he confides, "The me I know is not a special person." Jungkook admits, "I'm really not that great of a person," and Jin adds, "I'm someone who can't handle fame, yet I succeeded."

'BTS: The Return' is directed by Vietnamese-American filmmaker Bao Nguyen, who previously directed 'Be Water,' a documentary about Bruce Lee's life, and 'The Greatest Night in Pop,' which covered the making of the song 'We Are The World.'

At a press conference held at Cinecube in Jongno, Seoul, on March 20, Director Nguyen said, "I thought it would be easy to capture the creative process, but I soon realized how much pressure the members are under." He continued, "While filming the documentary, I witnessed how the members handle the responsibility of being BTS and channel it into their creative work."

Having walked together for 12 years, the members share, "We can tell how each other is feeling just by looking in each other's eyes," describing themselves as a "second family." Director Nguyen adds, "This is also a documentary about their brotherhood," and says, "Living as BTS may not be easy, but the fact that all seven are together is what allows them to get through it."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.