K-pop superstars BTS marked their first US performance in four years with a high-profile appearance in New York City, promoting their latest album ‘ARIRANG’. The boy band, comprising of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, took to the stage at the SWIMSIDE event hosted by Suki Waterhouse and treated the BTS ARMY, with details about their life, lesser known facts about the members and closed it with some electrifying performances of their new songs including “Swim” and “2.0”.
BTS get candid with Suki WaterhouseThe appearance comes just days after BTS drew massive crowds at their comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, as they flagged off their return after a 4-year hiatus. Beyond the performances, the group engaged in a light-hearted on-stage interaction that quickly went viral. The band walked up on-stage amid hoots and cheers from ARMY who gathered in large numbers to watch the performance. The members were also greeted with a warm hug from Suki.
Suki congratulates BTS
The singer, who turned host for the evening, tripped on-stage, but was caught in time by RM. Thanking him, she wrote in a post, “congrats to @BTS_twt on an incredible album and thank you to RM for catching me when I was about to fall.”
BTS get candid in Q and A session
Suki kicked things off by talking about the new album and the launch of their ‘Swim’ music video. When asked if any member disliked swimming, Suga initially replied that he did not enjoy it, before correcting himself with a laugh, “no no no wait i don’t hate swimming I love swim (meaning the song) I just hate water.”Leader RM, who is nursing an injured ankle, quipped, “Members scolded me, ‘be careful’, you don’t want to break another ankle,” drawing laughter from the audience. The singer, who sustained the injury recently, sat out the performance for the debut show in Korea and also the NYC gig.The event also gave fans a glimpse of the group’s off-stage dynamics and banter. During the chat, RM revealed that JungKook contributed the catchy vocal to the track “Hooligan” and shared how challenging it was to execute it for live shows.Jimin, meanwhile, had fans amused with a cheeky remark, “I always take off my clothes when I get home,” prompting RM to jokingly respond, “He is always naked,” before quickly adding, “ok… too much information.”RM also shared a candid story about JungKook’s habits during their stay in Los Angeles, revealing that the youngest member had left his luggage unpacked for two months, forcing others to tip-toe around it whenever they entered his room.
BTS perorm live
The SWIMSIDE event comes just as BTS get ready to kick off their world tour. BTS will kick off the tour with a concert on April 9 in the South Korean city of Goyang before visiting 33 more cities around the world for a total of 82 concerts lasting into March 2027.After the first leg of concerts in South Korea and Japan in April, BTS will travel back to the US, after which they will then head to Mexico, and later to Europe to visit Belgium, Britain, Germany and France.
