20/03/2026

LYFE FRIDAY | MAR 20, 2026

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BTS call themselves ‘just country kids’ ahead of concert

K -POP megastars BTS still see themselves as “country kids from South Korea”, according to a trailer for a new documentary released earlier in the week ahead of their huge comeback concert. More than a quarter of a million fans are expected to throng central Seoul tomorrow for BTS’s open-air gig, the first performance in almost four years by the boy band seen as the biggest in the world. Today, the group’s fifth studio album Arirang – named after a beloved folk song about longing and separation, something of an unofficial national anthem of South Korea – will be released. The documentary BTS: The Return will be released on Netflix next Friday, chronicling the seven member group’s comeback after completing its military service, widely seen as a gruelling experience for young conscripts. “We are still just country kids from South Korea. “We are trying to find out what makes us BTS,” the group’s 31-year-old leader RM said in the trailer. At the height of its fame prior to its hiatus, BTS frequently ranked among the most popular artistes on music streaming platform Spotify, mixing with the likes of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. After visiting the White House, releasing hugely successful English-language albums and performing at famous venues around the world, the group has chosen a historic stage at home for the grand comeback this weekend.

law in December 2024. The trailer featured the melody from Arirang the folk song, which is associated by many with themes of resilience and enduring longing. “ Arirang is a song imbued with han ,” an unidentified BTS member said in the trailer, referring to the Korean term for an unresolved grief rooted in the country’s history, including war, division and family separation. BTS light stick prices surge ahead of comeback concert Second-hand BTS light sticks were selling for up to six times the original price ahead of the K-pop megagroup’s huge comeback concert, an online reseller showed earlier in the week. The world’s biggest boy band reunites tomorrow for their first show in nearly four years, taking over central Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza beamed live around the globe. K-pop fans are known for their concert light sticks, which have become symbols of devotion to their artistes. BTS’s global fans, known as the Army, calls theirs the Army Bomb. The original price of the latest official version is around 50,000 won (RM131.40), but they are sold out. Listings on Bunjang, a major platform for used goods, are priced at between 100,000 and 330,000 won per unit. The concert tomorrow will see BTS take the stage on the doorstep of the famed Gyeongbokgung royal palace. The area has also long been a site of political protests, including after former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed 2024 martial law declaration, when K-pop fans took part with glowsticks – a striking image that drew global attention. – AFP

o Fans expected to throng central Seoul for group’s comeback gig

The world’s biggest boy

band reunites tomorrow for their first show in nearly four years.

The concert will be staged at Seoul’s sweeping Gwanghwamun Square, near the historic

Gyeongbokgung Palace. The area is also where many of South Korea’s political protests

have taken place, including those following former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial

Workers setting up the stage for the concert in front of Gwanghwamun Gate, the main gate of Gyeongbokgun g Palace, in Seoul. – PICS FROM AFP

People stand in front of billboards promoting the concert at Gwanghwamun Square.

Pami showcases cost of romantic heartbreak with new single Cry Jar

Cry Jar is about the cost of heartbreak in love.

THAI artiste Pami from Juicey is back with her latest sassy single Cry Jar , her first release since her debut album Puffette and fresh out of her recent “Best Hidden Gem of the Year” award win at the TOTY Music Awards in Thailand. This pop track features a light, easy-listening vibe contrasted with biting lyrics that challenge everyone to evaluate the cost of heartbreak in their relationships. Cry Jar represents the transformation of pain into something measurable through the concept of an “emotional compensation” jar. “If you don’t want to try in love, then fine! Pay the price. Every time you make me cry, those tears go into the jar as proof that the pain isn’t disappearing – it’s piling up,” said Pami about the single. Cry Jar was written by Pami during a song camp in Sydney, Australia – an environment that sparked new inspirations for her. The track is designed with a playful,

Pami says she wanted the song to be a dark joke that reflects the truth.

with a price,” Pami added. Pami is a Thai singer-songwriter who debuted in 2024, quickly catching the attention of fans worldwide with her pop sensibilities and warm vocals in her debut EP Out of Nowhere . This was quickly followed by her debut

bright and almost sweet sound to contrast its straightforward and sarcastic lyrics. “I didn’t want this song to feel heavy or dramatic. I wanted it to be a dark joke that reflects the truth – If someone keeps hurting you without care, that damage comes

album Puffette in 2025, which introduced Pami to a wider audience that has followed her growth since. Over the past year, Pami has stood out as one of the brightest

young and rising acts in Asia, playing in festivals across multiple countries, such as LaLaLa Festival in Indonesia, BiKN Shibuya in Japan, Zandari Festa in South Korea and Bangkok Music City in Thailand.