True Taste Korea

ARIRANG

  • BTS Won 3 VMAs—But Millions of Viewers Never Saw It Happen

    BTS had one of the biggest nights of its career at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

    The group won three awards: Song of the Year for “SWIM,” Best K-pop, and Best Group.

    But there was a strange twist.

    For viewers watching the live broadcast, none of those three victories happened on television.

    BTS made history at the VMAs, but much of the audience never saw the group’s awards being presented.

    BTS Won Everything It Was Nominated For

    BTS entered the 2026 VMAs with three nominations.

    It left with three trophies.

    “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG, won Song of the Year. The group also took home Best K-pop and Best Group.

    The Song of the Year victory was especially significant.

    It marked the first time BTS had won that category, and it made BTS the first K-pop group to take the award. The group had previously been nominated for Song of the Year in 2021 but did not win.

    Best Group was another record.

    The 2026 victory was BTS’s fifth win in the category, extending the group’s record after four consecutive victories from 2019 through 2022.

    On paper, it was an extraordinary night.

    But on television, it looked very different.

    Only Six Awards Were Presented on the Main Broadcast

    The 2026 VMAs had awards across 23 categories.

    However, only six categories were presented during the live CBS and MTV telecast.

    The remaining awards were announced separately after the ceremony, meaning BTS’s three victories were among the awards that did not receive a live presentation on the main broadcast.

    That created an unusual situation.

    Lisa’s Best Pop victory was shown during the televised ceremony. Madonna received major awards on stage. Taylor Swift accepted Video of the Year in front of the audience.

    But when BTS won Song of the Year, Best K-pop and Best Group, viewers watching the main broadcast did not get the traditional award-show moment.

    No BTS members walking onto the stage.

    No live acceptance speech.

    No Moon Person trophy being held up by the seven members.

    Instead, the results appeared outside the main televised ceremony.

    And BTS Wasn’t There Anyway

    There was another reason the moment looked so different.

    BTS itself did not attend the ceremony.

    According to Yonhap, the members were absent because of scheduling commitments. The group is currently carrying out its large-scale ARIRANG World Tour, making the trip to Los Angeles for the awards difficult to fit into its schedule.

    So even if the three categories had been televised, viewers would not have seen the seven members accepting the awards in person.

    Still, the absence created an unusual image.

    One of the world’s biggest music groups was winning major American music awards from somewhere else.

    The Biggest Win Was Almost Invisible

    This is what makes BTS’s Song of the Year victory particularly interesting.

    The award is considered one of the major honors of the VMAs. BTS defeated a field that included major artists and songs, including HUNTR/X’s “Golden,” Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Bring Your Love,” and Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.”

    Yet the historic moment did not become one of the night’s major televised scenes.

    Instead, fans learned about the result through the published winners list and online reports.

    BTS later expressed gratitude through its agency, saying that winning Song of the Year was possible because of everyone who loved “SWIM” and that the group hoped to continue making music and performing together as seven members.

    In other words, the group had the trophy.

    But it did not have the traditional VMA stage moment that usually comes with it.

    Why Does This Matter?

    Award shows are not only about who wins.

    They are also television events.

    A trophy presented during the broadcast becomes a piece of entertainment: the envelope opens, the winner reacts, the artist walks to the stage, the audience applauds, and viewers at home experience the moment together.

    BTS’s 2026 VMAs victories followed a completely different path.

    The results were historic, but the television audience experienced them mostly as news rather than a live event.

    That distinction is important for a group like BTS.

    The group has spent years turning award-show appearances into major global moments. Its performances and acceptance speeches have often been watched, clipped, translated and shared by fans around the world.

    This time, there was no such scene.

    There was only the result.

    A Different Kind of BTS Moment

    And perhaps that is why the 2026 VMAs will be remembered differently.

    BTS did not need to perform.

    It did not need to walk the red carpet.

    It did not even need to be inside the building.

    The group simply won.

    Three times.

    The most important of those wins was Song of the Year, a historic first for BTS and a milestone for K-pop at the VMAs.

    Yet millions of people watching the ceremony never saw the trophy being handed over.

    BTS won three VMAs—but the strangest part is that its biggest night happened almost entirely off screen.

  • Why Did BTS’ ‘Merry Go Round’ Take Three Months to Reach YouTube?

    BTS fans finally got something on September 25 that many had been waiting months to see:

    the official “Merry Go Round” music video on YouTube.

    But there was one unusual detail.

    The music video was not actually new.

    “Merry Go Round” had originally premiered on Spotify on June 19, 2026 — more than three months earlier.

    So why did BTS wait so long to put the video on YouTube?

    The short answer is:

    We know why it appeared on Spotify first. We do not have an official explanation for why the YouTube release took more than three months.

    And that difference matters.

    “Merry Go Round” Was Originally a Spotify Exclusive

    When the music video arrived in June, it was promoted specifically as a Spotify music video.

    Spotify Korea described it as available “only on Spotify,” while reports at the time said the video was created through a special collaboration between BTS and the streaming platform.

    That meant many fans could not simply open YouTube and watch the MV the way they normally would with a major BTS release.

    Access also depended on Spotify’s music-video availability and Premium access in supported markets.

    For one of the world’s biggest music acts, that was an unusual rollout.

    And ARMY noticed.

    Fans Kept Asking: When Is It Coming to YouTube?

    The wait quickly became a discussion among fans.

    When BTS later prepared the video for “Normal,” Reddit users were still talking about “Merry Go Round” being stuck on Spotify.

    Some fans were frustrated that such a visually detailed BTS video had not received the wider YouTube release they expected.

    Others simply wondered whether it would ever be uploaded there at all.

    Then something interesting happened.

    “Normal” also debuted through Spotify — but its exclusive window was very different.

    “Normal” Makes the Three-Month Wait Even More Interesting

    In July, Spotify officially explained that selected music videos could debut first for Premium subscribers in its beta markets.

    For “Normal,” that early-access period lasted only 48 hours before the video reached a wider audience.

    That naturally raises another question.

    If “Normal” could move from Spotify to YouTube after a short exclusive window, why did “Merry Go Round” remain away from YouTube for more than three months?

    At the moment, there is no confirmed public answer.

    There could have been different promotional plans, different agreements or simply a different release strategy for the two videos.

    But without an official statement from BTS, BIGHIT MUSIC or Spotify explaining the delay, those possibilities remain speculation.

    The YouTube Release Changes the MV

    Not artistically.

    But in terms of who can actually see it.

    The Spotify release made “Merry Go Round” part of an experiment in how fans consume music videos.

    The YouTube release makes the video much easier for BTS’ enormous global audience to discover, replay, share and discuss.

    And that matters especially for this particular MV.

    “Merry Go Round” is packed with details that invite repeated viewing:

    the “You Never Walk Alone” carousel,

    RM and the coffin,

    the horses,

    the isolated rooms,

    and the final reunion of the seven members.

    Those details are exactly the kind of material ARMY has spent years analyzing frame by frame.

    Now the discussion can happen around a platform where BTS music-video analysis has traditionally flourished.

    So Why Did It Take Three Months?

    For now, the most accurate answer is surprisingly simple.

    Because “Merry Go Round” began as a Spotify-exclusive project — but the exact reason that exclusivity effectively kept it away from YouTube for more than three months has not been publicly explained.

    What we do know is that fans noticed the absence.

    They asked about it.

    They complained about it.

    And now, finally, they can watch the video where many expected to find it in the first place.

    Perhaps the funniest part is that a song about going around and around finally completed its own circle.

    Three months later, “Merry Go Round” has arrived on YouTube.

    The delayed YouTube release is only one of the questions surrounding BTS’s “Merry Go Round.” The music video has also sparked discussion about its recurring imagery and hidden messages. For a closer look at its visual symbolism, read why the carousel says “You Never Walk Alone” in BTS’s “Merry Go Round”.

  • Why Are There So Many Horses in BTS’ ‘Merry Go Round’ MV?

    At first, the horses in BTS’ “Merry Go Round” music video seem like an obvious choice.

    It is a song about a merry-go-round.

    Of course there are horses.

    But look more closely and something feels strange.

    These are not simply colorful carousel horses attached to poles.

    Some appear distant and unreachable. Others seem almost wild. The members watch them, encounter them and eventually ride with them.

    That has led ARMY to ask an interesting question:

    Why are horses so important in “Merry Go Round”?

    A Horse Usually Represents Freedom

    Horses are often associated with freedom.

    The image of a horse running across an open field is almost the opposite of being trapped.

    A carousel horse, however, has a completely different existence.

    It appears to be running.

    It moves up and down.

    It travels constantly.

    But it never goes anywhere.

    After hundreds of circles, it ends exactly where it began.

    That makes the horse an almost perfect symbol for the central idea behind “Merry Go Round.”

    The official lyrics describe everyday life as being like a carousel or a hamster wheel.

    BTS keeps moving.

    But the ride will not stop.

    The MV Turns That Idea Upside Down

    Fans on Reddit quickly noticed the contrast.

    In one discussion about the video, viewers interpreted the real horses as symbols of a freedom the members can see but cannot always reach.

    That reading becomes particularly interesting when compared with the carousel itself.

    A carousel horse has no choice about where it goes.

    Its path has already been decided.

    Round and round.

    Again and again.

    A real horse can leave.

    It can change direction.

    It can run somewhere completely new.

    That difference may be one of the keys to understanding the video.

    Are the Horses About Military Service?

    Some Reddit fans have taken the symbolism further.

    They connect the horses and the repetitive carousel with the members’ military service.

    RM has discussed the military experience in relation to the inspiration behind “Merry Go Round,” and fans have consequently examined the video through that lens.

    Military life is built around schedules, rules, repetition and duty.

    From that perspective, the carousel becomes an unusually effective metaphor.

    You wake up.

    You follow the schedule.

    You perform your duties.

    You sleep.

    Then the cycle begins again.

    Some viewers therefore see the free horses as representing something temporarily beyond the members’ reach.

    But this remains a fan interpretation of the imagery rather than an officially confirmed explanation for every horse in the video.

    There May Be a Bigger Meaning Than the Military

    The symbolism also works without limiting it to military service.

    BTS have spent more than a decade living inside another kind of cycle.

    Albums.

    Promotions.

    Concerts.

    Flights.

    Interviews.

    Expectations.

    Success itself can become repetitive.

    That does not mean BTS are rejecting their career or their success.

    Rather, “Merry Go Round” seems interested in a feeling almost everyone eventually recognizes:

    What happens when you keep moving but no longer feel like you are going anywhere?

    That is why the horse works so well.

    It can represent both movement and confinement.

    Everything depends on whether it is free to choose where it runs.

    Then the Ending Changes the Meaning

    There is another fascinating detail fans noticed.

    The horses near the end do not behave like traditional carousel horses fixed to poles.

    They appear untamed.

    They can move freely.

    And yet they move together.

    One Reddit interpretation describes this as an important transformation: the cycle may still exist, but the confinement does not.

    That creates a very different image from the lonely carousel horse.

    Freedom does not necessarily mean running away from everyone.

    It can also mean choosing who you run beside.

    And that idea fits the larger story of the music video remarkably well.

    For much of “Merry Go Round,” the BTS members are separated.

    Eventually, they find one another again.

    The ride has not necessarily disappeared.

    Life will probably keep spinning.

    But now they are moving together.

    Maybe the Horse Is the Real Question

    A carousel horse and a wild horse can both run.

    Only one gets to decide where it is going.

    That may be why horses appear again and again throughout “Merry Go Round.”

    The question is not simply whether BTS can escape the ride.

    It may be something more universal:

    Are you moving because you chose a destination — or are you simply going around because the ride never stopped?

    And perhaps the final horses offer an answer.

    You do not always have to stop moving to become free.

    Sometimes freedom begins when you can finally choose the direction.

    The contrast between wild horses and carousel horses becomes even more intriguing when we consider the words written on the carousel itself. Explore why BTS’s “Merry Go Round” carousel says “You Never Walk Alone” and how that message connects to the group’s earlier music and imagery.

  • Why Is BTS Bringing Its World Tour to Movie Theaters — And Where Can Fans Watch It Live?

    BTS fans who cannot make it to Argentina or Brazil may still have a chance to experience the group’s South American concerts with a crowd.

    But not through a normal livestream at home.

    This time, BTS is heading to movie theaters.

    As part of HYBE CINE FEST 2026, two concerts from the BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ will be shown in cinemas around the world.

    So why put a stadium concert inside a movie theater when fans can already watch almost anything online?

    The answer may be the crowd itself.

    Two BTS concerts are coming to cinemas

    HYBE CINE FEST 2026 will run from October 24 through October 31, expanding globally after previous editions in Latin America and Asia.

    The festival is set to reach more than 60 territories and includes six cinema experiences featuring BTS and other HYBE artists.

    For BTS fans, the biggest attractions are two live viewings from the South American leg of the ARIRANG tour.

    The first comes from Buenos Aires, marking BTS’s first-ever performance in Argentina.

    It will be shown on October 24 in the Americas and October 25 in other regions.

    The second comes from São Paulo, near the end of BTS’s Latin American tour, on October 30 in the Americas and October 31 elsewhere.

    Depending on the territory and time zone, some screenings may use delayed broadcasts rather than showing the concert at the exact local time.

    Why a movie theater instead of streaming at home?

    That is the more interesting question.

    Watching BTS alone on a laptop and watching BTS with hundreds of ARMY in a theater are completely different experiences.

    A cinema offers a huge screen, powerful sound and, most importantly, other fans sitting beside you.

    You can hear the cheering.

    You can see light sticks.

    And for a few hours, a theater thousands of miles from the actual stadium can feel a little more like part of the concert.

    That communal experience appears to be central to HYBE CINE FEST.

    The festival’s slogan is “EVERYWHERE, WE CHEER!”, and its program goes beyond simply replaying concerts.

    There is even an interactive HYBE CHEERING PARTY in 3D, built around music videos, fan chants and light sticks.

    In other words, the cinema is not being treated simply as a screen.

    It is being turned into another place for fandom to gather.

    It’s bigger than BTS

    BTS may be the headline attraction, but HYBE CINE FEST 2026 also includes full-length concert films from SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and ENHYPEN.

    The festival therefore looks less like a traditional concert movie release and more like a week-long K-pop cinema event.

    That distinction matters.

    A fan who cannot afford an international flight, secure a stadium ticket or travel to South America can still share at least part of the experience with other fans locally.

    It obviously cannot replace actually being inside the stadium.

    But that may not be the point.

    The idea is to create something between watching at home and attending the real concert.

    Where can fans watch BTS?

    Exact theaters, screening times and regional availability depend on the country.

    HYBE says participating locations and program information are being provided through the official HYBE CINE FEST site, while BTS live-viewing details are handled separately for the Buenos Aires and São Paulo broadcasts.

    So fans should check local availability before making plans, especially because broadcast dates and times differ between the Americas and other regions.

    And perhaps that explains why BTS in a movie theater makes more sense than it first sounds.

    A stadium has a limited number of seats.

    A livestream can reach millions, but everyone watches separately.

    A cinema sits somewhere in between.

    BTS performs in Buenos Aires or São Paulo.

    ARMY gathers in theaters around the world.

    And for one night, thousands of kilometers apart may feel just a little bit closer.

  • Why Is BTS Nominated for 3 Awards at the 2026 MTV VMAs?

    BTS is heading into the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with three nominations — and one of them could extend a record the group already owns.

    So, what exactly is BTS nominated for this year, and why is the Best Group category getting so much attention?

    BTS Has Three MTV VMA Nominations in 2026

    BTS is nominated in three categories:

    • Song of the Year — “SWIM”
    • Best K-Pop — “SWIM”
    • Best Group — BTS

    “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG, was first nominated for Song of the Year and Best K-Pop.

    Then another nomination arrived.

    MTV added BTS to the Best Group race alongside BLACKPINK, CORTIS and KATSEYE, giving BTS three nominations in total.

    Why Is the Best Group Nomination Special?

    This is where the story becomes more interesting.

    BTS already has an unusually strong history in this category.

    The group won Best Group four consecutive times from 2019 through 2022. Those four victories remain the most by any act in the category.

    That means the 2026 nomination gives BTS a chance to add a fifth Best Group trophy to its record.

    For longtime ARMY, this nomination also feels different because BTS spent several years away from full-group activities while the members completed their military service.

    Their return in 2026 has therefore been more than another album cycle. It has marked the return of all seven members to the global stage.

    “SWIM” Is Competing Beyond the K-Pop Category

    Another important detail is that “SWIM” is not competing only in Best K-Pop.

    It is also nominated for Song of the Year, one of the VMAs’ major categories.

    That puts BTS in a broader race with major international releases rather than limiting the group’s recognition to a genre-specific K-pop award.

    It also reflects how much the position of K-pop at American music awards has changed.

    BTS is no longer the only Korean act appearing across the VMA nominations. BLACKPINK, LISA, LE SSERAFIM, CORTIS and other K-pop-related acts are represented this year as well.

    When Are the 2026 MTV VMAs?

    The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will take place on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

    For BTS fans, there are now three results to watch.

    But Best Group may carry the most history.

    BTS already won it four years in a row.

    Now, after returning as a full group, they have a chance to add another chapter to that record.

  • BTS Is Bigger Than Ever in 2026? “SWIM” Just Became One of the World’s Biggest Songs of the Summer

    BTS returned as a full group in 2026 with enormous expectations.

    But months after their comeback, an even more important question is emerging:

    Was the comeback simply driven by hype — or is BTS actually bigger than ever?

    The latest Billboard numbers offer a powerful answer.

    BTS’s “SWIM,” the lead single from their fifth studio album ARIRANG, has ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s 2026 Global Songs of the Summer chart excluding the United States and No. 6 on the Global 200 summer ranking.

    And this was not the result of one explosive week.

    “SWIM” has remained near the top of the global charts for months.

    That may be the most impressive part of BTS’s 2026 comeback.

    “SWIM” Didn’t Just Go Viral — It Stayed

    There is a huge difference between a comeback hit and a lasting global hit.

    When one of the world’s biggest groups returns after a long break, enormous first-week numbers are almost expected.

    Fans stream the song.

    Albums sell.

    Social media explodes.

    But then comes the difficult part:

    What happens three months later?

    “SWIM” has passed that test.

    According to the 2026 Global Songs of the Summer results, the song ranked:

    No. 2 — Global Excl. U.S.
    No. 6 — Global 200

    The seasonal ranking is based on streaming and sales data from more than 200 territories during the summer tracking period.

    In other words, this isn’t simply a ranking of songs that had one huge moment.

    It measures sustained performance across the summer.

    And BTS remained near the very top.

    Eight Weeks at No. 1

    The numbers become even more striking when you look deeper.

    “SWIM” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart eight times and remained inside the Top 5 for 23 consecutive weeks.

    On the Global 200, it spent four weeks at No. 1 and remained inside the Top 10 for 19 consecutive weeks.

    That’s important.

    A massive fandom can create an extraordinary debut.

    Maintaining a song near the top of worldwide charts for months requires something else:

    continued listening.

    That is why “SWIM” may tell us more about the real strength of BTS in 2026 than their comeback-week numbers alone.

    It Started With a No. 1 Debut on the Hot 100

    The story began months earlier.

    “SWIM” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming BTS’s seventh No. 1 song on America’s main singles chart.

    Their previous Hot 100 No. 1 songs include “Dynamite,” “Life Goes On,” “Butter,” “Permission to Dance,” “My Universe” with Coldplay, and the BTS remix of “Savage Love.”

    “SWIM” therefore wasn’t simply a successful reunion single.

    It immediately joined some of the biggest hits of BTS’s career.

    But what happened afterward may be even more meaningful.

    The song didn’t disappear.

    Months later, it was still strong enough to finish among Billboard’s biggest global songs of the entire summer.

    ARIRANG Is Showing Staying Power Too

    The success isn’t limited to one song.

    BTS’s fifth studio album, ARIRANG, has also shown remarkable longevity.

    On the Billboard 200 chart dated September 12, the album climbed two places to No. 29 and extended its run on the chart to 24 consecutive weeks.

    Again, longevity matters.

    A No. 1 debut shows how many people were waiting.

    Twenty-four weeks on the chart shows that people are still listening.

    That distinction becomes especially important when evaluating BTS after their long period without normal full-group activities.

    The Biggest Question Before BTS Returned

    For years, BTS faced a question that almost every enormously successful pop act eventually faces:

    Can they maintain their popularity after a long break?

    Military service made that question even more significant.

    All seven members pursued individual paths while full-group activities were suspended.

    Meanwhile, the global music industry continued moving.

    New K-pop groups emerged.

    New pop stars appeared.

    Music discovery became even more dominated by short-form video and algorithmic recommendations.

    A few years can feel like a generation in pop music.

    Yet BTS returned to a market that had changed — and immediately sent “SWIM” to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

    Months later, the song was still one of the biggest global tracks of the summer.

    The Tour Numbers Tell the Same Story

    And then there is the live audience.

    The North American leg of BTS’s ARIRANG World Tour sold out all 31 concerts across 12 cities and attracted approximately 1.92 million fans.

    That is important because streaming charts and concert tickets measure different kinds of demand.

    A person can stream a song in seconds.

    Attending a stadium concert requires money, time and travel.

    Yet both indicators are pointing in the same direction:

    BTS’s audience is still enormous.

    The combination of sustained chart performance and stadium demand makes the 2026 comeback particularly significant.

    Did the Hiatus Actually Make BTS Stronger?

    It sounds counterintuitive.

    Normally, a long break hurts a pop group.

    But BTS had an unusual advantage.

    During the group’s hiatus, the seven members did not simply disappear.

    Their solo careers allowed fans to see different musical identities and personalities.

    Some listeners may even have discovered individual members first — and then entered the wider BTS fandom.

    At the same time, the absence of full-group BTS created something increasingly rare in modern entertainment:

    anticipation.

    Fans knew the group would eventually return.

    They just had to wait.

    When all seven members finally came back together, the reunion became more than another album release.

    It became a global event.

    “SWIM” May Be the Best Evidence Yet

    First-week sales can be driven by anticipation.

    Opening-week streams can be driven by curiosity.

    Social media trends can disappear within days.

    But remaining near the top of global charts for months is harder to explain away.

    “SWIM” reached No. 1 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart eight times.

    It spent 23 consecutive weeks in that chart’s Top 5.

    It also spent 19 consecutive weeks inside the Global 200 Top 10.

    Those numbers suggest that BTS’s comeback is not simply running on nostalgia.

    People are continuing to listen.

    BTS Is No Longer Just a K-Pop Success Story

    There was a time when every major BTS achievement was framed around one question:

    How far can a Korean group go in the Western music industry?

    That question increasingly feels outdated.

    BTS has already topped the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times.

    They have filled major American stadiums.

    They have built a global fandom that survived years without normal group activities.

    The more interesting question in 2026 is no longer whether BTS can compete with Western pop stars.

    They already are one of the world’s major pop acts.

    The question is how long this level of global demand can continue.

    Final Thoughts

    “SWIM” gives us one of the clearest answers yet to the question surrounding BTS’s return.

    The comeback was huge.

    But the months after the comeback may be even more impressive.

    Hot 100 No. 1 debut.
    Eight weeks at No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S.
    23 consecutive weeks in its Top 5.
    19 consecutive weeks in the Global 200 Top 10.
    No. 2 on the Global Excl. U.S. summer ranking.
    No. 6 on the Global 200 summer ranking.

    Meanwhile, ARIRANG has remained on the Billboard 200 for 24 consecutive weeks.

    So perhaps the question shouldn’t be:

    “Did BTS survive the hiatus?”

    The better question may now be:

    “Did the years apart actually make the return of BTS even bigger?”

    And judging by what “SWIM” has done throughout 2026, the answer is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.