Behind the scene ARIH development:
1. 3 years ago, BTS members themselves came up with the initial concept, saying, "Let's make the noodles and drinks we want to eat." It's not a simple collaboration. The members really created this from the very beginning.
2. The direction was clear. No spicy or stimulating flavors. It was a taste that harmoniously blended East and West while preserving Korean sensibilities. They wanted something that all global fans could enjoy.
3. All the members love carbonated drinks, but the guilt they felt every time they drank one was a problem. So, the goal was to achieve three things simultaneously: "It must be healthy, have a lively carbonation, and absolutely cannot taste bad." From the development team's perspective, this was truly a Mission Impossible, lol.
4. The same goes for caffeine. Since there was a member who couldn't drink coffee, they decided to go with natural caffeine, but finding ingredients that could get export approval to the U.S. was another battle.
5. All seven members were incredibly actively involved.
They contributed their opinions on every single detail, from the flavor and ingredients to the concept. They said that reaching a consensus was the hardest part, especially regarding the noodles, because all the members were experts in the field. But that is also the reason why they created such high quality.
6. After settling on the flavor, they spent three months just on the brand naming. The members strongly pushed for "ARI," taking inspiration from the 2.0 album title "Arirang," but 3 letters are unregisterable as trademarks. It reportedly took three months just to persuade them to change it to "ARIH" lol.
7. The design was no easy task either. Their standards as BTS artists were so high that proposals kept getting rejected. Eventually, the members personally created and submitted a design guide. That is why the flavor, name, and design are all BTS creations.
8. The members reportedly said they "would highly recommend Dual Soda to their parents." They also said they carry the noodles, soda, and energy drinks with them when they go on concert tours around the world.
9. They didn't make it just to sell it; they made it because they genuinely wanted to eat it themselves. That is the message that emerged from it: "We hope you like what we like, too."
10. This is why it is different from just any idol collaboration product. 3 years, 7 members, and they did everything themselves; flavor, naming, and design. ARIH was truly made by BTS.
NAMJOON BILANG KALAU BANGTAN SEMPAT KENA MENTAL ๐ฅบโผ๏ธ
๐จ: Waktu Jin hyung selesai wamil, dia keluar ya sekitar setahun lebih dulu dibanding kami semua. Kondisi mental kami tuh lagi nggak cukup bagus. Terus pas Jin hyung keluar wamil, aku main saxophone buat sambut diaโฆ setelah dia keluar. kami semua juga sempat kumpul. Aku agak lupa itu di rumah Jimin atau rumahkuโฆ eh kayaknya di rumah Jimin deh. Pokoknya kami kumpul di rumah Jimin, terusโฆ
๐จ: Waktu itu Jungkook juga lagi ada di masa yang berat banget. Sebenarnya kami semua juga capek dan susah karena masih sama-sama jadi tentara aktif. Jungkook sampai nangis banget. bisa dibilang karna aku posisinya sebagai hyung (buat jk) dan leader (buat team) aku harus lebih kuat buat nyatuin tim ini. Kami ngobrol banyak soal hal-hal kayak gitu, ngobrol serius dari hati ke hati juga.
๐จ: Dari situ kami bilang, โYa udah, karena banyak orang masih nungguin kita, habis keluar nanti ayo cepet bikin album dan balas penantian mereka.โ Kayaknya di situlah kami mulai nentuin rencana secara garis besar. Terus karena jadwal selesai wamil member juga bareng-bareng di bulan Juni, timing-nya jadi pas. Kayaknya dari akhir tahun itu kami mulai nyusun song camp juga. Terus muncul pertanyaan: siapa yang bakal jadi โkaptenโ buat song camp ini?
๐จ: Jujur aja, istilah โsong campโ itu sebenarnya agak Konglish juga. Kalau dalam bahasa Inggris biasanya disebut โsession.โ Aku sendiri udah cukup terbiasa sama session kayak gitu karena sebelumnya pernah ikut session bareng sekitar 30โ40 orang di HYBE buat album RPWP-ku. Jungkook sama Hobi juga pasti udah pernah ngalamin langsung.
๐จ: Nah kalau session itu, ada yang artisnya ikut langsung dalam prosesnya, tapi di industri ini juga ada yang namanya โpre-session,โ jadi penyanyinya nggak ikut secara langsung, tapi timnya bikin lagu-lagu yang cocok sama warna musik artis itu.
๐จ: Jadi akhirnya kami mutusin bakal pergi ke LA di bulan Juli dan Agustus, kumpul bareng, terus ngadain session-session itu. Kayaknya keputusan itu dibuat sekitar pergantian tahun, walaupun aku lupa detail waktunya. Yang jelas aku ingat banget waktu itu aku nunggu momen itu datang secepat mungkin.
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Ini juga jungkook pas live nangis bareng kita juga kan ya? bbrti waktu itu dia bneran sering bgt nangis ๐ฅบ aku gatau persis hal apa yang bikin dia sampe kayak gitu~ semoga saat ini dan kedepannya bakal bahagia terus ya cintaku semua, love my bangtan๐