Skip to main content

BTS

 



Arguably the biggest musical group in the world right now, BTS has taken the world by storm, and it seemed like there was no stopping the group from reaching new heights, with only required military service being their roadblock. Debuting in 2013 with their single album 2 Cool 4 Skool alongside lead single "No More Dream", BTS soon became a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. By 2017, they had three Korean studio albums to their name (Dark & Wild, Wake Up and Wings) and had crossed over into the United States and the global market, with the Platinum-certified album by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) by a South Korean act with their fourth Korean studio album Love Yourself: Tear.

Their dominance only continued into the 2020s, as they started off the decade by becoming the first K-Pop act to sell more than 20 million albums worldwide, in April. Later that year, BTS would release their first English-language single "Dynamite", which would end up being one of the biggest hits of the year. Debuting at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the group earned their first chart-topping single, and they became the first all-South Korean act to achieve a number-one single in the United States.  The song would be even nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, being the first Korean pop act to be recognized by the Recording Academy. Later that year, they would feature on a remix of Jason Derulo and Jawsh 685's "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)", debuting at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, their second in a row within the same year. In November, the group then released their 5th Korean studio album Be, along with the lead single "Life Goes On". The song debuted at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, now becoming their third in a row in three months. They were named the IFPI's Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2020, becoming the non-English speaking act to ever do so. 

2021 saw no stopping of their dominance either as they achieved their fourth number-one hit within nine months, with "Butter", their second English-language single. They became the quickest act to achieve 4 number-one singles since Justin Timberlake in 2006, and the fastest group to achieve it since The Jackson 5 in 1970. "Butter" also ended up being nominated for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Between November 27 and December 2, BTS held their first live performances before an in-person audience since before the pandemic. The band played four sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as a continuation of their Permission to Dance on Stage concert series. 

In 2022, the group announced that the group would be going on a hiatus, as under South Korean law, all able-bodied males must complete between 18 and 21 months of military service, usually by age 28. The band's oldest member, Jin, 29, had enlisted into the military, officially going into hiatus, with a planned reunion in 2025.

While current events see them with an uncertain future or even a reunion, the group made its mark in the music industry and made the K-pop genre a mainstay across the globe. Even currently, they are the most streamed group daily on Spotify, and constantly sell physical albums, in a day and age where music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music are most popular. Love them or hate them, there is no doubt that BTS is undoubtedly one of the biggest musical acts in the world today.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Taylor Swift

In this day and age, there can't be a "biggest artist in the world" discussion and have it not include Taylor Swift. Everyone knows who Taylor Swift is, and everyone knows what Taylor Swift has done. Arguably already the biggest artist of the 2010s, even being honored with the titles of "Artist of the Decade" by the American Music Awards, and "Woman of the Decade" by Billboard. However, the biggest leap of her career was about to be taken this decade. To begin the decade, Taylor Swift had made her intentions clear to re-record the albums and songs she didn't own the masters for, those being owned by her previous record label Big Machine Records, which was later sold to Ithica Holdings for $300 million, with Swift not getting a chance to buy those herself. An act completely unheard of for an artist of this stature, it has inspired artists across the world to fight to have the right to own their music and has possibly changed the music industry for t...
2 comments
Read more

The Weeknd

  One of the pioneers in making R&B sound popular in the mainstream pop world, The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, reached new heights that even his biggest of fans couldn't have imagined. With an already established name and reputation in the music industry, it was only about to reach the next level. The decade began with the second single off his upcoming fourth album After Hours , "Blinding Lights" debuting at #11 on the US Billboard 200, which would not be a reflection of the song's performance and legacy down the line, peaking at #1 down the line. The album was released in March, not soon after the surge of COVID-19 cases leading to a worldwide shutdown. The album debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200, making it his fourth consecutive number-one album (three coming from the previous decade). It became the most streamed R&B album of all time, surpassing Tesfaye's own Starboy. In the album's first charting week, Tesfaye also became the first artist ...
1 comment
Read more