BTS, the insanely popular seven-member South Korea boy band, has been beating music records for years. But on August 31 they reached a milestone no other K-pop arti has achieved-debuting a single at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 via their first all English track "Dynamite."
According to Nielsen Music and MRC iH data, the single has been streamed 33.9 million times and sold 300,000 singles since its release on August 21, beating out Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallions' controversial earworm, "WAP."
It's been a steady rise for the disco inspired song, which now holds the title for biggest YouTube premiere ever, garnering over 101 million views in just 24 hours. BTS also swept this years' VMAs on Sunday, August 30, winning four awards.
How did a band from a small (by K-pop standards) music label achieve this in less than eight years after their debut? As the group's leader RM has said time and again, it's all about the fans.
Billboard ranks singles for the Hot 100 based on a combination of all-genre United States streaming, radio airplay, and sales data. To get "Dynamite" to the top of the Billboard charts, fans from around the world reached out to their local radio stations to ensure airplay. r R dic
Aside from releasing the song in English, BTS also dropped multiple remixes to increase first week sales and a second version of the music video just a few days after the first one premiered.
"BTS's universal sound... gained sympathy in a time when the global music market sinks... and people need to get comforted due to coronavirus. On top of it, BTS released their song in English so they could overcome disadvantages with radio airplay."
The first time an artist of Asian descent reached #1 on the list was in June 1963, when Japan-born Kyu Sakamoto topped the charts with his song "Sukiyaki." Hip-hop ensemble Far East Movement also topped the list in October 2010 with "Like a G6."