Lea Salonga took to social media to share snapshots from her experience attending the Busan leg of BTS's Arirang World Tour.
According to the Broadway star, she planned this trip very early this year.
"I wanted 2026 to be a year lived with joy, so this was definitely on the agenda to achieve that. And this trip to South Korea didn’t disappoint! Sure, there are things specific to the Busan experience that could’ve gone better, but @bts.bighitofficial was amazing and Arirang was a technical and artistic feat," she remarked.
The singer extended her congratulatory message to everyone involved in the Arirang concert. "Kudos to everyone involved in making that gigantic show happen! Shoutout to the dancers, too, who were spectacular!" she said.
Fans online were quick to react to Lea's post.
"My purple heart is so happy for your purple heart, Mama Lea! 💜😍 And I love that you gave the dancers a shoutout too. A true artist notices the whole picture," one fan commented.
"You deserve this kind of joy. So happy that your purple heart was so full," another fan said.
In a recent episode of the What A Life! podcast, Lea opened up about how BTS became a source of comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped her through a difficult period in her life.
“2020. COVID, and everybody’s stuck at home. I don’t know, I was just going through quite a bit in my life. The isolation, even though my friends and I were making an effort to stay in touch with each other. Watching my kid navigate that kind of isolation from friends — that’s a big ask of somebody that young and impressionable and vulnerable,” she shared.
Lea recalled discovering BTS through their global hit "Dynamite," which immediately caught her attention while she was browsing YouTube.
“I’m watching YouTube, as most everybody does to try and get through the day, and I’m like what is this? What is this on my social media? I watched the video and the minute I saw V in that bottle green Gucci waistcoat and flared trousers, like pushing his hair back, I’m like–– and I’m done, this is it,” she stated.
Lea Salonga listens to BTS before performing on stage
In an interview with CNA back in March 2026, the Tony Award-winning performer revealed that she watched the BTS The Comeback Live | Arirang livestream on Netflix before taking the stage for Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular at the Sands Theatre in Singapore.
"So last weekend BTS's album, Arirang, just dropped. And our tour manager [who is] sitting over there is also a massive fan. I just listen to their music all the time anyway. It's a great way to erase my head," she said.
According to Lea, watching the livestream gave her an extra burst of energy before her performance.
"The minute the show ended, I got up from my chair, marched on stage, and started doing my own show," she recalled. "I had so much adrenaline and happiness. I had the dopamine," she stated.