BTS's Swim Joins Apple Music's Best Songs of 2026 as Arirang Extends Chart Run

A Place Among the Year's 100 Songs

BTS's Swim has earned a place on Apple Music's Best Songs of 2026, a selection of 100 tracks, as the group's fifth studio album, Arirang, reaches its 33rd consecutive week on the Billboard 200. BigHit Music said BTS is the only K-pop group represented on this year's list.

The selection arrives ahead of another major stretch of the Arirang world tour: 15 concerts across five Asian cities, beginning in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on November 19. The album ranks No. 62 on the Billboard 200 dated November 14, while Swim has climbed five places to No. 28 on the Billboard Global 200.

Apple Music's editors described the playlist as a collection of songs they believe defined 2026. Their description connected Swim directly to the seven members' return as a group:

BTS returned to active duty with the bravado of 'Swim,'

For BTS, the recognition brings together three parts of the Arirang campaign: an editorial selection for its lead single, continued listening and album consumption reflected in the charts, and a concert schedule extending into December. Each measures a different part of the group's return.

What Apple Music Selected

Swim appears alongside songs and recordings from several musical traditions. The playlist includes Tame Impala's Dracula featuring Blackpink member Jennie, as well as a variation from Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan's 2025 Carnegie Hall recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, originally published in 1741.

Jennie's appearance is through a collaboration with Tame Impala, while BTS's entry is a recording by the group itself. BigHit Music's description of BTS as the only K-pop group on the list therefore sits alongside the presence of another prominent Korean pop performer.

Apple Music also selected Swim for its A-List Pop, Viral Hits and KPOPWRLD playlists in its 2026 collection. The song consequently appears in both the main selection and lists focused on pop, viral listening and Korean pop music.

Apple Music's accompanying commentary described the Arirang comeback as a moment K-pop listeners had awaited for years. The service also credited BTS with redefining the direction of K-pop in 2026. Those assessments explain why its editors placed the group within their account of the year's music.

Arirang Holds Its Place After an April Debut

Arirang entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 on the chart dated April 4 and remained at the top for three consecutive weeks. Its No. 62 position on the November 14 chart extends its uninterrupted stay to 33 weeks.

The Billboard 200 ranks albums using a combination of purchases and listening activity converted into album units. In simple terms, it brings together people buying an album and people playing its songs through streaming services, using Billboard's rules to calculate a common measure.

Arirang also ranks No. 24 on Top Album Sales, which focuses on album purchases. That position gives a different view of its performance from the broader Billboard 200: purchases remain part of the album's audience activity months after its initial release.

The three weeks at No. 1 describe the album's strongest opening period. The 33 consecutive weeks describe how long it has remained on the chart. Together, those figures trace a release that began at the top and continued to draw consumption through the autumn tour schedule.

Swim Climbs as Normal Also Charts

Swim rises to No. 28 on the Billboard Global 200, five positions above its previous placing of No. 33. The chart combines streaming and digital song sales from markets around the world, giving a broader geographical picture than a ranking limited to the United States.

On Global Excl. U.S., which measures activity outside the United States, Swim ranks No. 14. Another Arirang track, Normal, stands at No. 114 on the same chart.

Swim's position is higher on the chart excluding the United States than on the worldwide chart. The rankings place the song against different fields of listening activity; the published positions provide no country totals or breakdown of streams and purchases.

Normal's appearance adds another detail to the album's chart story. Alongside the lead single's stronger position, a second track is still attracting enough activity outside the United States to enter the global ranking. Arirang's continued presence therefore extends beyond a single song.

The Dates Behind the Comeback

BTS's latest recognition follows a campaign stretching from the album's spring release to concerts scheduled near the end of December. Apple Music released its playlist on November 7 local time, corresponding to November 8 in South Korea. BigHit Music publicised the selection on November 11.

The main milestones connect the album, charts and upcoming performances:

• March 20: Arirang was released, according to the Italian certification register cited in earlier coverage.
• April 4: Arirang debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, beginning three consecutive weeks at the top.
• April: The Arirang world tour began in Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
• November 2: Arirang received FIMI platinum certification in week 44 of 2026 for reaching 50,000 units.
• November 7 local time: Apple Music released Best Songs of 2026.
• November 14: Arirang ranks No. 62 in its 33rd consecutive week on the Billboard 200.
• November 19: The next Asian run begins in Kaohsiung.
• December 29: The scheduled Asian run concludes in Jakarta, with that concert also selected for cinema screenings.

The calendar places Apple's selection between the completed South American concerts and the next Asian performances. Fans following the album now have both new listening recommendations and a series of confirmed concert dates ahead.

Five Cities and a Cinema Audience

Kaohsiung opens the regional itinerary before BTS continues to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta. The five cities will host 15 performances in total. Kaohsiung's concerts are scheduled for November 19, 21 and 22, while Jakarta's dates are December 26, 27 and 29.

Two performances will reach viewers beyond the stadiums through the previously announced Kaohsiung and Jakarta screenings. The November 21 Kaohsiung show is scheduled for about 3,300 cinema screens, and the December 29 Jakarta performance for about 2,800, across more than 80 countries and regions.

The cinema programme gives fans a way to watch a full stadium performance without travelling to either city. Screening schedules vary by location: some audiences will watch live, while others will see the concert one or two days later because of time zone differences.

For ticket holders, the local cinema date matters as much as the concert date. The two selected broadcasts also fall near opposite ends of the regional schedule, offering audiences performances from both its opening city and its final stop.

Singapore Extends the Concert Calendar

Singapore's stop includes four sold out National Stadium concerts on December 17, 19, 20 and 22. Around those performances, BTS THE CITY ARIRANG SINGAPORE is scheduled to run from December 1 to 31, with activities involving 10 venue partners.

The expanded Singapore celebration programme, announced by the Singapore Tourism Board and HYBE on November 10, includes illuminated landmarks, a fan village and shows featuring about 1,500 drones. The programme begins 16 days before the first concert and continues for nine days after the last.

Those dates give travelling fans several possible combinations of concerts and other events. The fan village is scheduled for December 16 to 22, while Palawan Beach parties and drone shows run from December 18 to 20. Jewel Changi Airport's Light & Music Showcases are scheduled daily from December 1 to 26.

Singapore therefore illustrates how the Arirang tour extends into activity around the host city. The stadium dates remain the centre of the visit, but airport attractions, public lighting and gatherings create a wider calendar for residents and visitors.

A Return Reaching Beyond One Market

Arirang's latest chart results follow its first Italian platinum certification, recorded by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry on November 2, 2026, in week 44. BigHit Music described the award as representing 50,000 units through physical copies, downloads and streaming; FIMI's platinum threshold is 50,000 units. According to BigHit Music, Arirang is the first album by a K-pop act to receive FIMI platinum certification.

The Italian award gives a useful comparison with three earlier BTS releases. Love Yourself: Answer, Map of the Soul: Persona and Proof received gold certifications there. Under the current Italian thresholds, gold requires 25,000 units, while platinum requires twice that threshold.

Apple Music's selection, the Italian certification and Billboard's weekly rankings capture different parts of the same release. Editors choose songs for a playlist; certification bodies recognise accumulated consumption within a country; charts track activity during a particular period. For Arirang, those developments now sit alongside a tour bringing the album to audiences across several continents.

BTS's return involves all seven members, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook, following a period shaped by military service and individual projects. With Swim still climbing globally and another 15 concerts scheduled in Asia, the latest recognition arrives during an active phase of that return rather than at the end of its performance calendar.

Key Points

• Swim is among the 100 tracks on Apple Music's Best Songs of 2026.
• BigHit Music says BTS is the only K-pop group represented on this year's list.
• Swim also appears on A-List Pop, Viral Hits and KPOPWRLD.
• Arirang ranks No. 62 on the November 14 Billboard 200, extending its run to 33 consecutive weeks.
• Swim rises five places to No. 28 on the Global 200 and ranks No. 14 on Global Excl. U.S.; Normal is No. 114 on the latter chart.
• Arirang received FIMI platinum certification on November 2, 2026, for reaching 50,000 units; BigHit Music says it is the first album by a K-pop act to receive the certification.
• BTS begins 15 concerts across five Asian cities in Kaohsiung on November 19, with the regional schedule ending in Jakarta on December 29.
• Selected Kaohsiung and Jakarta concerts will reach cinemas in more than 80 countries and regions.