Billboard Records and Rise in the US
BTS became the first Korean group to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 1 in 2020 with “Dynamite,” a feat even more impressive for a song that is not entirely in English. “Dynamite” spent 18 consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, becoming the longest all-time leader.
“Butter” spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it one of the longest-running leaders of the 2020s. BTS became one of the rare artists who managed to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 5 different albums in short intervals. In 2021, Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. They became the first group to reach the double top of the U.S. charts as both a song and an artist at the same time.
Guinness World Records
BTS's number of officially registered Guinness World Records has surpassed 25, an unprecedented number among active music groups. Their music video for “Boy With Luv” broke the Guinness World Record for the most watched YouTube music video in 24 hours, a record they have broken more than once. Their 2021 “BANG BANG CON: The Live” event set a Guinness record for the most simultaneous viewers at an online concert.
They also hold the record for the fastest tweet with 1 million likes on Twitter, a record they have broken several times with their own posts. BTS also holds the record for the fastest song by a band to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify: “Butter” reached this number in 25 days.
YouTube Achievements and Visual Impact
The music video for “BTS - Dynamite” reached 101 million views in the first 24 hours of its release, setting a new peak in YouTube history. The number of videos on BTS's YouTube channel has surpassed 1,000 and total views have reached over 25 billion. “DNA” became the first Korean BTS music video to reach 1 billion views, and this threshold was considered a turning point in the global perception of K-pop.
The music video for “Boy With Luv” broke its own record, surpassing 100 million views just 37 hours after its release. BTS's official YouTube channel BANGTANTV has become the most subscribed artist channel in the world.
Album Sales and Chart Dominance
The album “BTS - Map of the Soul: 7” entered the Gaon Chart as the fastest-selling album in Korean history, selling 4.1 million physical copies in the first month. According to IFPI, BTS was named the “World's Best Selling Artist” in 2020 and 2021, a list based not only on sales but also on digital consumption.
BTS also holds the title of the best-selling album by a foreign band in Japan, despite the strict internal rules of the Japanese music market. In 2020, their album “BE” was No. 1 on the charts of more than 20 countries, including the US, UK and Japan.
Stage and Performance Records
BTS became the first Korean band to fill Wembley Stadium, playing two nights in a row in what the British press called a “historic moment”. The Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour in 2019 was seen by nearly 1 million people in 13 countries and 20 cities in 6 months; tickets sold out in minutes.
The Permission To Dance on Stage - Las Vegas concert in 2022 sold out within an hour and contributed millions of dollars to the city's economy. Stage productions are studied not only musically, but also cinematographically and theatrically; some academic journals have published articles on these performances.
Social Media Power and Digital Impact
BTS broke the Guinness World Record as the band with the most interactions on Twitter, sometimes exceeding 300,000 per minute. When BTS members opened their individual Instagram accounts at the end of 2021, members such as RM, Jungkook, and V reached millions of followers within hours, making it among the fastest growing accounts in Instagram history.
V's first post became the fastest post to reach 1 million likes on Instagram; the record was broken within minutes. On TikTok, the “BTS” hashtag became the most viewed artist hashtag of all time, reaching over 150 billion views. BTS's performance video for “Butter” ranked #1 on TikTok's global trending rankings just 1 day after its release.
Awards and Non-Industry Recognition
In 2020, BTS was named “Artist of the Year” by Time magazine, an award that recognizes social impact beyond musical achievement. In 2021, they became the first all-Korean group to be nominated for a Grammy, one of the first to break the language barrier in American music awards. BTS won “Artist of the Year” at the American Music Awards (AMAs), becoming the first Asian group to achieve this honor.
The “Love Myself” campaign they launched with UNICEF in 2017 turned into not only a donation project but also a global anti-violence education campaign. In 2022, they were declared “Special Presidential Envoy” by the President of South Korea; they are the only K-pop group to attend the UN General Assembly twice.
Economic Impact and Industrial Transformation
The contribution of BTS to the South Korean economy in 2020 was estimated at around 5 billion dollars, equivalent to the total contribution of a small industrial sector. According to one study, the number of tourists coming to Korea has increased by 40% thanks to BTS; some fans visit the country just to follow in the band's footsteps.
BTS has re-popularized the CD format in album sales; physical sales have reached record-breaking levels in the digital age. With the band's influence, many western record labels have now made the Asian market their main strategy, a shift that has directly affected global music policies. Spotify and Apple Music revised their algorithms after realizing that local content is also listened to more in regions where BTS songs are listened to.
Originality and Production Contribution in Creativity
BTS members are actively involved in the songwriting and composing process on almost all of their albums, which distances them from the “industrial product” image. RM, SUGA and j-hope's individual producing careers include collaborations with artists outside Korea. Since “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life” series, the group's entire story has been expanded into novels, short films and webtoons, revolutionizing the story universe strategy.
The fictional universe called “BU (BTS Universe)” became part of the fandom not only through music, but also through cinematographic narratives and character development. This creative approach proved that bands could go beyond being “brands” and build a narrative world.
Little Known but Impressive Achievements
In 2021, BTS became a subject of study in the American education system; a high school in California offered courses on analyzing BTS lyrics. A university in France developed a module on the cultural impact of BTS as part of its “Asia in Pop Culture” course. In 2020, individual Google search trends of BTS members reached such high levels that they surpassed the US presidential candidates.
After RM's UN speech, his words were included in some school textbooks in Korea, a rare case of an idol being included in an educational curriculum. At some of BTS's fan events, UNICEF's anti-violence handbooks were distributed, turning music events into social awareness tools.