Mar 20, 2026 9:52am IST
BTS ‘SWIM’ Feels Like A Poetic Tribute For The ARMY Packed with Symbolism: Music Video Review
BTS’s “ARIRANG” has dropped along with the first music video of the title track, “SWIM.” In the MV teaser, we could see the BTS members on a sailboat named “ARIRANG.” The fifth studio album of the K-Pop boy band has 14 tracks. ‘SWIM’ is produced by Tyler Spry and LeClair. Tyler Spry has worked with Bad Bunny on his album, “DeBí TiRAR MáS FOTos,” including the title track “DtMF”. The song-writing and composing team includes James Essien, Sean Foreman, Jamison Baken, Ryan Tedder, RM, Kirsten Allyssa Spencer, Derrick Milano and Pdogg.
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BTS's "SWIM" features actress Lili Reinhart on a sailing boat. It is evident that she is going through a bad phase in her life wondering whether it makes sense to even exist in this world. The video is directed by Tanu Muino, who has worked with Dua Lipa and Doja Cat in the past. The Ukranian director also helmed Jungkook's song "Standing Next To You." Jungkook, Jin and J-hope stand out in "SWIM" with their singing and rap. "SWIM" MV benefits from Reinhart's performance as she expresses her feelings through her eyes and a small dance portion resembling a tormented ballerina. There is a lot of symbolism in the video. The main one is of how BTS quietly watched over their fans as they spent time in the army. SUGA, BTS V and RM show off their acting skills once again. RM is shown rightly as the captain of the ship.
After their fourth album, “Proof,” BTS members headed off to the military. Their fans, known as ARMY, waited patiently for the return of the KPop band to make a glorious return. The band spent two months in Los Angeles preparing for the same. RM (real name: Kim Namjoon) said that “SWIM” is about love, joy, courage and longing. The band paid tribute to the seven Korean men who travelled to the US in 1896 and sang “Arirang” the folk song of Korea at the Howard University.
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