From Arirang to Arabic Mawwal: What BTS's Use of a Folk Song Says About Global Music Heritage

Hook: Why BTS’s Arirang matters to listeners in Saudi Arabia

Finding one bilingual, local hub for culture can feel impossible — you want trustworthy context, not just headlines. When global pop acts reach into folk traditions, the headlines explode, but what does that actually mean for the listener in Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam? BTS naming their 2026 comeback album Arirang isn’t only a K-pop story: it’s part of a larger moment where mainstream artists reawaken heritage sounds and invite new audiences to listen across languages and borders.

The immediate context: Arirang in 2026

In January 2026 BTS announced their first full-length studio album since 2020 and named it after Arirang, a Korean folk song steeped in association with separation, longing and reunion. Per the group’s press release, the album draws on Arirang’s “sense of yearning, longing, and the ebb and flow of returning.”

“Drawing on the emotional depth of ‘Arirang’—its sense of yearning, longing, and the ebb and…” — BTS press release (Jan 2026)

That statement does two things. First, it frames a pop record as a site of reflection about roots and identity. Second, it amplifies a centuries-old folk tradition through one of the world’s most-followed acts. For listeners in Saudi Arabia, the move is a reminder: global pop now treats heritage music as a meaningful source, not a novelty.

Arirang and Mawwal: distinct systems, parallel feelings

At a musical-technical level, Korea’s Arirang and the Arabic mawwal come from different musical frameworks. Arirang typically sits in pentatonic melodic space with modal inflections inherent to Korean folk practice. Mawwal, by contrast, lives inside the Arabic maqam system, using microtonal intervals, extended melisma, and vocal ornamentation. But comparing them only by scale misses the deeper parallels.

Shared functions and cultural roles

• Oral tradition: Both are primarily transmitted by ear and memory — sung at homes, markets, weddings, and rituals.
• Emotional register: Themes of separation, longing, praise and lament run through both forms. They work as repositories for collective feeling.
• Social glue: Each song form helps communities mark events — farewells, reunions, protest, and celebration.

Improvisation and personal voice

Arirang often embraces lyrical variation between regions; mawwal is frequently an improvised prelude where a singer stretches emotion into pitch and microtiming. In both cases, the singer’s personal stamp is central — which is why contemporary pop artists choose them as vehicles for authenticity.

Case study: BTS’s choice as a model of cultural revival in pop

BTS’s Arirang is not isolated. In recent years, high-profile pop acts have repurposed traditional material to anchor modern production, from sampling field recordings to collaborating with folk masters. The result is not merely aesthetic — it’s communicative: pop becomes a translator between global listeners and local heritage.

Why does this matter?

• Visibility: Millions of listeners encounter a named tradition they otherwise wouldn’t search for.
• Validation: When mainstream acts borrow respectfully, traditional forms gain cultural capital in youth markets.
• Economic pathways: Renewed interest channels revenue and festival bookings to heritage artists and local scenes.

Arabic parallels: how mawwal and other folk forms are reappearing in pop

Across the Arab world, traditional vocal forms like the mawwal, nawba refrains, Gulf Nabati sung poetry, and the Hijazi and Levantine vocal traditions have long coexisted with commercial music. Over the last decade — and accelerating into 2024–2026 — we’ve seen pop producers weave oud, qanun, and mawwal-influenced vocal runs into electronic and urban production.

Examples are abundant in regional festivals and streaming playlists. Legacy singers like Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, and Sabah Fakhri remain reference points for younger artists who reinterpret a mawwal as both prelude and standalone track.

Recent 2024–2026 trends shaping hybrid music

• Playlist culture: Global streaming platforms pushed curated regional playlists in 2024–2026, accelerating discovery and cross-pollination.
• Festival programming: Events during Riyadh and Jeddah Seasons expanded world music slots, increasing on-stage collaborations between Arabic and non-Arabic artists.
• Production tools: Affordable studio tech and AI-assisted restoration help producers adapt archival recordings into contemporary mixes while preserving tonal nuance.

What listeners in Saudi Arabia can gain

When pop stars use folk motifs, Saudi listeners gain three practical benefits:

1. Access: A single hit or album title can lead to deeper exploration — tracking down field recordings, regional variants, and historic performances.
2. Context: Seeing a famous act reference heritage encourages local artists and audiences to reclaim and revalue their own traditions.
3. Connection: Cross-cultural projects normalize shared human feelings — longing, belonging, and the need to tell stories — across distinct musical systems.

Actionable guide: How to explore Arirang, Mawwal, and heritage music respectfully

Want to go beyond the headline? Here are practical steps for curious listeners, creators, and event organizers in Saudi Arabia.

For listeners — build a bilingual discovery routine

• Start with a dual playlist: include BTS’s Arirang tracks alongside canonical mawwal recordings (Umm Kulthum’s mawwals, Fairuz’s traditional tracks) and region-specific folk of the Arabian Peninsula like Nabati poetry performances.
• Use platform metadata: search for tags like “mawwal,” “folk,” “Arirang,” and “traditional” and follow curators who specialize in world or regional music.
• Attend live sessions: look for cultural programs at the Korean Cultural Center in Riyadh, embassy concerts, and local folk nights listed on saudis.app or municipal season schedules.

For creators — integrating heritage with integrity

• Credit source artists: If sampling or adapting an old recording, identify and credit the singer, region, and, when possible, the recording archive.
• Collaborate locally: Invite a mawwal singer or a Nabati poet for a session. Co-created material feels authentic and builds community relationships.
• Balance tech and timbre: Preserve microtonal ornamentation by avoiding over-quantization in digital production; use pitch-edit tools that respect non-Western intervals.
• License fairly: Work with cultural institutions and rights holders to clear samples — this keeps heritage custodians compensated.

For event organizers and venues

• Program crossover sets pairing electronic producers with mawwal singers or oud players — affordable, ticketed residencies help keep costs down while creating test beds for new sounds.
• Host workshops on maqam and pentatonic systems — comparative musicology sessions help audiences hear nuance.
• Work with schools and universities to archive local field recordings; digitization grants are increasingly available in 2026 cultural funding cycles.

Ethics, sensitivity and the risk of tokenism

There’s a fine line between homage and appropriation. When global pop references a form like Arirang, the conversation can be constructive — but only if the source culture’s narratives and artists are visible and fairly compensated. The same standard applies to Arabic forms like mawwal.

Be alert to these red flags:

• Using a folk title or a single melodic motif as marketing without providing context or credit.
• Over-simplifying complex forms into exotic ‘flavor’ sounds for global playlists.
• Failing to involve living tradition-bearers when adapting their work.

Future predictions: what 2026–2030 may bring

Based on current developments through late 2025 and early 2026, here's what to expect:

• More named heritage albums: Artists will increasingly adopt folk titles and motifs to signal introspection and authenticity—BTS’s Arirang is an early, high-profile example in 2026.
• Cross-regional collaborations: Expect curated projects pairing Korean and Arab musicians — cultural diplomacy programs and festivals will fund joint residencies.
• Technological mediation: AI-driven tools will aid in restoring archival field recordings and offering tempo/scale conversions that respect non-Western tuning.
• Local industry growth: Saudi labels and festivals will invest more in heritage fusion projects as domestic audiences seek local sounds in modern contexts.

Practical next steps for Saudi listeners and cultural workers (checklist)

1. Follow the Korean Cultural Center in Riyadh and local embassy cultural calendars for Arirang-related events.
2. Create a bilingual playlist mixing Arirang tracks, mawwal recordings, Nabati poetry, and modern fusion pieces; use it to invite friends to listen and discuss.
3. Attend workshops on maqam and Korean pentatonic traditions offered by universities or conservatories; many are now hybrid (online + in-person) post-2024.
4. Support artists directly: buy music, attend live shows, and tip performers where possible.
5. For creators: document collaborations and publish liner notes explaining the lineage of borrowed material.

Real-world example: what a respectful fusion project looks like

A successful model: a Saudi producer partners with a mawwal singer and a Korean gayageum player for a four-week residency. The project includes:

• Community listening sessions to gather local variant lyrics and stories.
• Co-writing sessions where each artist contributes motifs from their tradition.
• Transparent credits, a split royalty agreement, and educational outreach about scales and themes.

This model preserves agency, builds intercultural competence, and produces work that both honors past forms and speaks to global audiences.

Why this matters to Saudi cities and communities

Saudi Arabia’s cultural scene is growing fast. As the country opens up programming and invests in festivals and venues, the way heritage music is presented will define cultural tourism and local pride. When global stars highlight folk traditions, Saudi listeners gain permission and inspiration to foreground their own musical legacy — from Nabati poetry to Hijazi melodies — in contemporary formats. That shift can create jobs for musicians, educators, and cultural managers while deepening civic identity.

Takeaways: three things to remember

• Arirang and mawwal are different musically but similar emotionally: both carry communal memory and longing.
• Pop revival can amplify or erase: the outcome depends on how artists, platforms, and listeners credit and compensate tradition-bearers.
• Saudi audiences are in a unique position: to listen, learn, and lead by creating respectful fusion that highlights local heritage on the global stage.

Call to action

If you’re in Saudi Arabia, don’t let the conversation stop at the headline. Explore our bilingual playlist on saudis.app that pairs BTS’s Arirang-inspired tracks with curated mawwal and regional folk recordings. Attend a workshop, invite a friend to a listening night, or submit a local heritage performance to our events calendar — help shape how global pop and local tradition meet, respectfully and creatively.

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