Christopher Polk/Billboard
The BTS ARMY is globally recognized for their unwavering devotion—a passion that translates into fierce advocacy for the group and a critical eye for those they collaborate with. Recognizing this formidable influence, electronic music titan Diplo, who contributed to five tracks on the band’s upcoming album ARIRANG, took to social media on Wednesday (March 4) to playfully request the fans’ favor ahead of the release.
Sharing a nostalgic photograph of himself alongside members RM and Jung Kook, Diplo paired the image with screenshots of the official ARIRANG tracklist, highlighting his production credits. In an Instagram post, the DJ urged, “ARMY please be nice … I made 5 of these,” signaling his excitement and slight trepidation regarding the reception of the new material.
The producer further leaned into the history of their partnership by including footage from the 2020 Grammys. The video captures a behind-the-scenes moment with the Bangtan Boys, Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Mason Ramsey, celebrating their massive joint performance of the record-breaking hit “Old Town Road.”
The full tracklist, unveiled on Tuesday (March 3), confirms that Diplo lent his signature sound to the songs “Body to Body,” “FYA,” “One More Night,” “Like Animals,” and the album’s concluding track, “Into the Sun.” The 14-track project is a star-studded affair, featuring contributions from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Ryan Tedder. Notably, the group members—Jin, Suga, j-hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook—retained creative control, with production credits appearing on every single song.
Diplo has been teasing his involvement in the project for some time. In a February interview with TMZ, he predicted that the upcoming album would “shock the world,” adding that he felt incredibly fortunate to earn the group’s trust to craft such high-caliber music together.
Expectations are soaring for ARIRANG, set to debut on March 20, as it marks the group’s first full-length studio effort since 2020’s Be. That previous era saw BTS dominate the Billboard 200 and secure multiple No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, setting the stage for this highly anticipated return following their hiatus for solo projects and mandatory military service.
