January 2021
January 2021
BTS achieved many milestones in both Korean and global pop music last year, conquering the U.S. Billboard charts. Given the difficulty of even making Billboard¡¯s Top 10, topping one of its charts is a remarkable feat. Given that Billboard is heavily oriented toward acts from the Western Hemisphere, BTS achieved what was thought impossible by producing two No. 1 hits: ¡®Dynamite¡¯ and ¡®Life Goes On.¡¯ The former song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for longer than ten weeks.
Written by
Lim Jinmo, pop columnist
Illustrated by
JB
Time magazine of the U.S. picked BTS ¡°Entertainer of the Year¡± for 2020, saying, ¡°BTS isn¡¯t just the biggest K-pop act on the charts. They¡¯ve become the biggest band in the world — full stop.¡± This honor was hardly surprisingly as the K-pop super group took the world by storm last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is more on its huge global following and loyal fans.
Even before Time dubbed BTS last year¡¯s top entertainer, the magazine had earlier called the group ¡°the K-pop band that conquered the world.¡± Big Hit CEO Bang Si-hyeok has defined BTS¡¯s success as ¡°a well-executed output borne of authentic K-pop values¡± comprising ¡°visually pleasing aesthetics,¡± ¡°total package of musicality¡± and ¡°eye-catching onstage performance.¡±
The group scored its first Billboard entry in September 2017 with ¡°DNA¡± (67th), followed by ¡°Fake Love¡± (10th) and ¡°Idol¡± (11th) in 2018 and ¡°Boy with Luv¡± (eighth) in 2019; early last year, ¡°On¡± reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Thus BTS¡¯s rise to Billboard dominance was neither a fateful coincidence nor miraculous luck; its ascent was gradual but steady.
BTS members all sought to conquer Billboard, with their management agency Big Hit Entertainment said to have formed a task force specially for this objective. The incredible global success of the boy band reminds people of the Beatles, with BTS repeatedly dubbed ¡°the Beatles¡± of the YouTube age and the 21st century.
¡®Dynamite¡¯ did more than
just set a Billboard record.
A major factor behind BTS¡¯s success is its massive fan base ARMY. Music in the past was simply released to the public through music labels and mass media, but social media and fans are largely responsible for the success or failure of songs today. ARMY not only helps ensure that each group performance is a sellout, but also consistently and aggressively spreads news about the group. The fan group is especially renowned for its power to organize in strategic and collective ways.
The recent BTS hit ¡°Dynamite¡± is considered a product of the explosive growth of North American ARMY members, the result of the group¡¯s bid to penetrate the continent¡¯s music mainstream. This is why BTS is always quick to thank its fans for the group¡¯s glory and fame and whenever a milestone is achieved.
¡°Dynamite¡± became the first K-pop song to earn a Grammy nomination, specifically for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The nomination alone is expected to draw huge ratings to the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 31.
2020 was an incredibly difficult year for most, but BTS, through its carefully crafted hit-making formula, massive fan base and the surge in Hallyu¡¯s influence worldwide, used the crisis as an opportunity to further disseminate its global reach and appeal. With the Korean government recently allowing BTS members to fulfill their mandatory military service later, the boy band has more time to create more hits and make K-pop waves throughout the globe.
