BTS Members Share Tour Memories for FESTA

BTS is marking its debut anniversary on June 13 with a new behind-the-scenes look at its ongoing world tour and fifth studio album, "ARIRANG."

The group released the video Thursday on its official YouTube channel as part of FESTA, the annual celebration the seven members hold around the anniversary. The clip was filmed during the North American leg of the tour, when all seven members gathered in one place during the Stanford run to catch up and look back on the road so far.

The members revisited shows in South Korea, Japan and the United States, sharing the moments that stuck with them. They started with Goyang, the opening city of the tour. Rain fell during the first night of the run. "Standing on stage just taking the rain, we couldn't help laughing," they recalled.

They also talked about visiting Mexico City. "We were shocked to see the crowd filling Zócalo," they said. "We weren't sure if it was because of the festival or because of us."

Life off stage came up too. "We used to not know what to do with our time after a show," the members said. "Now we fill it with small things, like having dinner together. We like it that way."

One memory they kept returning to was hearing audiences sing "Arirang" during the performance of album track "Body to Body." "No matter what country or city we go to, when ARMY sings 'Arirang' together, we get chills and our hearts swell," they said, using the name of the group's fandom. "You can feel in your whole body that they're enjoying the show more confidently than before."

The members also discussed making "ARIRANG," BTS' fifth studio album. "We gave it everything and worked hard," they said, looking back on the recording process. Of the title track "SWIM," they added, "'SWIM' is a song with romance to it. It's about wanting to protect something. Because there are seven of us, we think we were able to deliver a message that feels pop and universal at the same time."

Asked what has changed across 13 years together, the members said the core has held. "The energy between the seven of us hasn't changed, but as each person has grown, we've gotten much gentler as a group," they said. "It feels like we've really become adults."

They closed by looking ahead to the rest of the tour and the upcoming hometown stop in Busan. "This is just the start. There's still so much to do," they said. "We hope fans cheer us on so we can finish the tour happy and healthy." They added, "We came back after a long time, and you stayed right where you were. We truly thank you for that. Please look forward to the Busan concerts too."

BTS will hold "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN" at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Friday and Saturday. The shows run alongside "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG - BUSAN," a citywide project taking place across Busan through the end of June.