On April 9, YouTube channel First We Feast released the latest episode of its popular show ‘Hot Ones,’ inviting the global K-pop act BTS to its studio. During the show, the group delved deep into the meaning of their latest album ‘ARIRANG,’ which marks the historical comeback of the biggest K-pop act.
Host Sean Evans asked just the right questions to bring out details about the albums and behind-the-scenes stories that fans were always curious about, while BTS members fought through the heat of the spicy wings.
Sean Evans brought to attention the music sequence of “Body to Body,” and asked, “So the album opens with ‘Body to Body,’ and after two minutes, the beat falls out, and it gives rise to the traditional ‘Arirang’ chorus. What kind of message is that to start the album? What are you saying to the listener?”
SUGA took it upon himself to respond and explained, “To be honest, Korea, in 1988, held the Olympics that year in Seoul. There was a song called ‘Hand in Hand.’ The title for their official song. So we thought of doing a 2026 version of that song, and started from there. Then we thought about sampling other music that’s specific to Korean culture. While going through the list, we then landed on ‘Arirang’ for that.”
Moving forward, the group also shared a bit about the latest album ‘ARIRANG’, being “the most rap forward record in years.” Sean Evans explained that the first half of the album includes heavy rap tracks, including “Aliens,” “Hooligans,” and “Body to Body.” Showing his extensive research on the group, Sean Evans directed another question at SUGA, asking, “How would you describe the underground battle rap scene in Daegu when you were performing under the name GLOSS?”
BTS members were impressed by the question while SUGA explained, “I feel a bit shy calling myself an underground rapper. You know, I was young doing music in Daegu. I would look forward to performing in Seoul. Daegu hardly had any venues. There was no real way to make money. So I realized if I want to do music, then I need to head to Seoul.”
‘Hot Ones’ continued to uncover more about each of the members’ music journey while asking various questions, allowing fans to get to know them better.
From deep music talk to fiery reactions, the full ‘Hot Ones’ episode reveals it all, so tune in to the BTS episode below and see which member survives to the very end!
