BTS has become the most viewed group in YouTube history thanks to their latest song “Dynamite” which had over 101 million views during the first 24 hours.
“Dynamite” music video was released on the 21st of August at midnight and within twelve hours it registered more than 84 million views on YouTube. It overtook the prior record holder Korean pop group Blackpink's “How you like that” which two months ago racked up over 86 million views in the first 24 hours. But it is not the first time BTS reaches the top 10 in first-day music video views. The band has already cracked into that position twice this year with their songs “ON” and “Boy With Luv”.
“Dynamite” comes six months after their fourth studio album “Map of the Soul: 7” was released. Since the band was formed in 2013, they have always stuck to Korean and Japanese language as an attempt to remain true to their roots and perpetuate their identity. They just incorporate few English phrases or words in their songs. In 2019 in an interview for Entertainment Weekly, the group's leader Kim Namjoon (best known as RM) stated “if we sing suddenly in full English, and change all these other things, then that’s not BTS”. However, while working on their upcoming album they decided to release their new single entirely in English as they wanted to soothe listeners around the world who have been struggling due to the pandemic. The song immediately became number one in iTunes in more than 100 countries, tying with Adele's hit “Hello”.
According to WARM charts, “Dynamite” has become extremely popular especially in the US with almost 35,000 plays, followed by Germany (around 19,000), Mexico (around 16,000) and UK (almost 8,000). Its popularity in the American continent is so high that last month BTS became the first Korean pop act to top the US Billboard Hot 100, a chart which classifies songs according to three metrics: streaming, radio airplay and digital sales.
Since the single was released plays have only increased worldwide as shown in the graph below. The tendency has consolidated “Dynamite” as number 21 at European level and number 12 at world level, something which would not have been possible without the so-called ARMY. This acronym stands for “Adorable Representative MC for Youth” and is the name given to the global brigade of BTS fans whose presence has been essential to turn the band into a global phenomenon.
BTS’ seven members: Jimin, RM, V, Suga, J-Hope, Jin and Jungkook were discovered in 2010. They were recruited through online auditions and talent agencies by South Korean management company Big Hit Entertainment. In 2013 they debuted with the name “Bangtan Sonyeondan”, a Korean expression meaning “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. Few years later in 2017, following a tour in the US, they announced through a YouTube video they would also be known as “Beyond The Scene”. They wanted their new name to reflect their professional evolution in the music industry. The band quickly became one of the most popular acts in South Korea and shortly after, of the entire world. BTS has even been named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential people on the internet, overtaking celebrities like Justin Bieber or Selena Gómez. They have become the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year.
However, BTS now faces a hard moment in their career. In South Korea it is compulsory for all men to accomplish almost two years of military service by the time they are 28. Despite fans calling for the group to get special treatment, a few months ago it was confirmed that seven members will have to take part in it. So the matter now is what will happen with the future of the band. Meanwhile BTS fans can only support the band and keep strengthening their ARMY.
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It's not the first time BTS make waves with their songs. Check our analysis here.
