NOTE: The majority of these come from Korean and U.S. based magazines and websites (YouTube, Tumblr, Spotify, etc.) because this is what I’m familiar with as an American K-pop fan. But I’d also like to point out that BTS is incredibly popular across the globe and has had plenty other accomplishments in many other countries!
BTS set some records in 2018, but I won’t mention it if they’ve gone on to break it since. If you want further details, you can read the articles I linked in my bullet point lists and/or in the source notes.
BTS’s Achievements in 2018
Love Yourself: Tear (“Fake Love”)
- “Fake Love” entered the Spotify Global Top 200 at #17, which set a record for Korean artists at the time.
- “Fake Love” was one of two K-pop songs played during the World Cup. (The other was “Power” by EXO.)
- Love Yourself: Tear was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Recording Package.”
Love Yourself: Answer (“IDOL”)
- When Love Yourself: Answer was released, BTS swept the Top 12 spots on iTunes’ United States Top Songs chart. All of the songs on the album were also in the Top 50.
Popularity and Influence
- BTS won the TIME 100 Reader Poll for 2018.
- BTS won Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards for the 2nd year in a row.
- BTS was on TIME‘s “25 Most Influential People on the Internet” for the 2nd year in a row.
- BTS was the first and only Korean artist included on the Bloomberg 50, a list of “The People Who Defined Global Business in 2018.” (The only other musician on the list was Taylor Swift.)
- BTS won TIME‘s online reader poll for Person of the Year.
Other Achievements and Items of Note
- BTS was included in Time magazine’s “Best K-pop Groups You Should Know About.”
- BTS was included in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30 Asia.”
- BTS was the first Korean artist to have a concert at a United States stadium, holding a concert at Citi Field in New York.
- BTS delivered a historic speech at the UN’s General Assembly in support of the launch of UNICEF’s “Generation Unlimited” initiative.
- BTS was named the “Best Dressed Boy Band in the World” by Elle magazine.
- BTS became the youngest recipients of the Hwagwan Orders of Cultural Merit (which is one of the highest honors at the Korean Popular Culture & Arts awards).
- BTS became the first Korean artist to pass 1 billion streams on Apple Music.
End of Year Charts and Lists
| Website/Company/News Source | Achievements/Rankings |
|---|---|
| International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) | #2 Global Recording Artist Global Album Chart: #2 Love Yourself: Answer #3 Love Yourself: Tear |
| Instagram (Korea) | Top Boy Group Photo With Most Likes |
| New York Times | The 65 Best Songs of 2018: “Fake Love” and “Singularity” |
| Rolling Stone | #13 Best Pop Album of 2018 (for Love Yourself: Tear) |
| Spotify | #2 Most Streamed Group of 2018 |
| Tumblr | #1 Top K-pop Group #1-7 Top K-pop Stars (Order: Jungkook, Jimin, V, Suga, Jin, J-Hope, RM) |
| Most Tweeted Account Globally | |
| YouTube | Top 10 Most Watched Music Videos (in South Korea): #5 “Fake Love” #9 “IDOL” Top 10 Most Watched Music Videos (globally): #2 “Fake Love” #3 “MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix”) #4 “IDOL” |
SOURCES: Bloomberg (1), Elle magazine (1), Forbes magazine (1), IFPI (1), Instagram, iTunes/Apple Music, New York Times (1), Rolling Stone (1), Soompi*, Spotify, TIME magazine (1) (2) (3) (4), Tumblr (1) (2), Twitter, YouTube
*For Love Yourself: Tear: (1) (2) (3)
*For Love Yourself: Answer: (1)
*For Popularity and Influence: (1)
*For Other Achievements and Items of Note: (1) (2) (3) (4)
*For End of Year Charts and Lists: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Katherine Does K-POP 