BTS Concludes Arirang European Tour, Attracting 720,000 Fans

BTS successfully completed its Arirang European tour, drawing 720,000 fans in total. Meanwhile, the group released the music video for “Normal,” the second single from their fifth studio album Arirang.

“The Normal” music video was directed by Tanu Muino, a Ukrainian film producer. It had its exclusive premiere on Spotify at 1 p.m. KST on July 17, with a 48-hour exclusive window. This release was part of a partnership between HYBE and Spotify; BTS previously released the “Merry Go Round” music video in the same manner. The video became the most-streamed K-pop music video in a single day.

The music video is set against the backdrop of a late-night party and the following morning. It shows the seven members relaxing, having fun, and enjoying themselves at a luxurious winter mansion. The video includes scenes such as a pillow fight, empty wine glasses, dogs, swans, and the seven members lined up in front of a toilet. These elements first appeared in previously released Teasers, completing the LAMRON campaign. LAMRON was quickly interpreted by fans as an upside-down version of “NORMAL,” and it was teased on social media for several days.

ARMY compared the music video to BTS’s most beloved earlier works. Fans pointed out visual and tonal similarities to the HYYH (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life) era (2015–2016) as well as the music videos for “Run” and “Spring Day.” The party scenes, pillow fight, and the idea of seven people existing in their private world away from public eyes were seen by many fans as intentional callbacks to an era they consider the emotional core of BTS’s discography.

“Normal” is the ninth track on Arirang and was produced by Ryan Tedder and Sean Cook. The lead single, “Swim,” has already surpassed 710 million streams. BIGHIT Music released three new versions of “Normal” alongside the music video: a Korean-language version, an instrumental version, and the original version. The Korean-language version was first performed at a concert in Busan. Physical single CDs will be sold through the Weverse platform.