BTS is the first Korean pop act in history to top the Hot 100
Global superstars BTS celebrated their history-making No. 1 track “Dynamite” with a virtual press conference to thank the media and its fan ARMY for support. The group is the first Korean pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with their first-ever English language track. The song captured 33.9 million U.S. streams and sold over 300k copies in its first week, marking the biggest digital sales week in nearly three years since Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” launched in September 2017.
The music video for “Dynamite” reached new heights on YouTube, amassing 101.1 million views within 24 hours of going live and garnering over three million peak concurrent viewers immediately upon release. The song has also topped the iTunes charts in 104 regions, and Spotify’s “Global Top 50” chart, the very first for a Korean act.
During the hourlong virtual livestream, the group’s seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — answered media questions, shared their gratitude for their accomplishments, and gave a bit of incite to what’s ahead for the K-pop superstars.
“Reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100, we never imagined it,” J-Hope states. “It still feels like a dream. I don’t know if this is reality, I am still shaking, I am still excited. We started this because we love music, because we love dancing, I am very happy and excited that our sincerity resonated. The energy we received from our fans allowed us to keep going.”
They recently performed “Dynamite” for the first time at the MTV Video Music Awards, where they won all four categories they were nominated for including Best Pop, Best Group, Best K-Pop and Best Choreography.
The pandemic forced the postponement of its summer tour. The group’s leader, RM, says despite the setback, they hope to reflect on this year as a success. “I hope we can look back and say we tried our best, we couldn’t go on tour and meet our fans, but we had these achievements,” he says.
“Dynamite” is the first taste of what’s to come from the band’s forthcoming studio album, set for later this year. A release date has yet to be announced via its label, Big Hit Entertainment.
BTS’s fourth film, Break The Silence: The Movie, was set to be released in limited theaters beginning September 10th in Korea, but has been postponed due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Seoul. A new Korean premiere date will be announced by the end of September once the situation is more stabilized. Additional screenings begin September 24th with dates varying per territory and subject to change based on the status of local cinema re-openings due to the pandemic.
The group also just dropped a free single in partnership with Hyundai. The track, “IONIQ: I’m On It,” incorporates the now quintessential shape-shifting pop sound of BTS with slick and catchy melodies, while the reflective lyrics aide in exploring the individual moments fans can experience with Hyundai’s new EV brand, IONIQ.
“Dynamite” comes six months after the group’s most recent album, Map of the Soul : 7, which was released in February 2020. The project earned the superstars its fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.