K-pop boy band BTS is back with a banger and how! Within minutes of dropping the music video for Swim — their first release after nearly four years — the video garnered over 4 million views in half-an-hour.
The song, which dropped on Friday, is an ode to BTS’s beloved fandom, known as ARMY. At the time of filing this report, the four-minite-long video had 4.5 million views on YouTube.
Exploring the depths of emotional turmoil and the search for solace in darker spaces, the track captures a journey of rising above it all — with the band once again ready to “swim” through it with the love they offer their fans.
The response to Swim comes as no surprise, given BTS’s history of record-breaking premieres. Tracks like Dynamite and Butter had clocked millions of views within the first 10 minutes of release, powered by massive global fan turnouts during their YouTube debuts.
The music video has been helmed by Ukrainian filmmaker Tanu Muino, who previously directed Jung Kook’s Standing Next to You, and has collaborated with global pop stars such as Post Malone, Doja Cat and Dua Lipa.
Other tracks of Arirang album include titles like Body to Body, Hooligan, Aliens, FYA, 2.0, No. 29, Merry Go Round, NORMAL, Like Animals, they don’t know ’bout us, One More Night, Please, and Into the Sun.
Also, to celebrate the release of the album and their comeback after military service, the band will perform live at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. The special event will be streamed live on Netflix on March 21 at 4.30pm IST.
The album’s title is a reference to Arirang, a centuries-old Korean folk song with thousands of variations that is often regarded as Korea’s unofficial national anthem.
Netflix on Tuesday also dropped a trailer for an upcoming documentary chronicling their long-awaited return with their fifth studio album. The documentary is set to release on March 27.
