What Is BTS' Most Successful Song?
BTS might just be the most popular boy band on the planet right now. That's hardly an overstatement, given that K-Pop is having a major moment. If you need proof of BTS' popularity, look no further than the news that their recent collab with McDonald's resulted in several franchises closing early after the chicken nuggets meal sold out minutes, per Today.
Not that the success of their fast-food partnership makes much of a difference to their musical success, though. BTS has been sitting comfortably atop the K-Pop pyramid for years with or without chicken nuggets. The poppy beats and multilingual lyrics of their music, along with the insanely high production values of their music videos, have helped ensure a deeply devoted fan base. Their official Instagram has more than 44 million followers; to put that in perspective, that's about 10 million more than Barack Obama. Surpassing Obama and shuttering a few McDonalds in Singapore isn't even the biggest thing they've done this year. Read on to find out what major milestone BTS just hit.
BTS is breaking their own records
Dropping a hit single is nothing new for BTS. Since their formation in 2013, they've had 29 songs on the Billboard Top 40. It seems like every new song is more successful than the last, and BTS has no plans on slowing down. In September 2020, they released "Dynamite," an upbeat anthem that cemented them as an international powerhouse, given that it was their first single sung entirely in English. The song spent an impressive three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.
They smashed their own record in June 2021, weeks after releasing "Butter." Since its release, "Butter" has racked up 12.5 million streams and 25.8 million radio airplay audience impressions. What does all this mean? It means that it's now "Butter," not "Dynamite" that goes down in history as BTS' most successful song. "Butter" has been on the top of the Hot 100 for four weeks, surpassing "Dynamite" which lasted three, and "Savage Love" and "Life Goes On," which each lasted one week, per Billboard.
Four weeks topping the Hot 100 is definitely impressive, but given the trajectory of BTS' career, we won't be surprised if they surpass the accomplishment sooner rather than later.