South Korean boy band BTS made history again with their new single “Dynamite” debuting atop the Billboard chart.
What We Know:
- “Dynamite” is the group’s first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 and BTS is the first all-South Korean act to reach the top of the chart. Their previous single “On” peaked at No. 4 in March. The best any other South Korean act has done on the Billboard chart was Psy’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012, which made it to the No. 2 position at the time.
- The Billboard Hot 100 chart combines radio airplay, sales data, and U.S. streaming. “Dynamite” achieved 33.9 million U.S. streams and sold 300,000 units in its first week. According to Billboard, that’s the biggest digital sales week since September 2017 when Taylor Swift released “Look What You Made Me Do”. The music video for “Dynamite” also broke YouTube’s record for most views within the first 24 hours, becoming the first video on the site to amass 100 million views in its first day.
- Continuing their great year, BTS also had a great night at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. The group won in all four categories for which they were nominated: Best Group, Best Pop, Best K-Pop, and Best Choreography. BTS also got to perform “Dynamite,” marking the song’s first stage performance and the group’s first performance at the VMAs.
- BTS is comprised of seven members: Jimin, Jungkook, Suga, Jin, RM, V, and J-Hope. The boys debuted together in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment and have paved the way for K-Pop groups to find mainstream success in the U.S. In 2019, they became the first artist to score three No. 1 albums in the same year since The Beatles. South Korean President Moon Jae-in even congratulated the group for their success with “Dynamite.”
BTS has achieved its first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, writing a new chapter in K-pop history as the first Korean band to do so. After having topped the Billboard 200 main album chart four times, they have now reached No. 1 on both charts.
— 문재인 (@moonriver365) September 1, 2020
Along with reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart, BTS has had four albums reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making them the only Asian act to have a No. 1 album and No. 1 single in the U.S.
