The K-Pop band sensation that is BTS, dominated social media in 2018. They amassed over 800 million views on YouTube and were named the most tweeted about celebrity in 2018. The seven boys from South Korea look set to rise even higher in 2019, having already won 18 awards in the first month of the year.

In August, BTS’s video for their single ‘Idol’ reached 100 million views faster than any other film on YouTube. ‘Idol’ also became the first K-Pop track to enter the UK Top 40.

BTS released two albums in 2018: Love yourself: Tear and Love yourself: Answer. Both albums made No 1 in the Billboard (American) charts  – the first time since One Direction in 2014 that a single act has enjoyed two chart-toppers in one year.

The K-Pop sensation also set, not one, but two Guinness World Records in 2018. One was for gaining the most engagement on Twitter – more likes, Tweets, trends, interactions etc., than anyone else. The second Guinness record was for the most viewed video in 24 hours by a K-Pop group: ‘DNA’ clocked 21 million views in a single day.

 

At the Billboard Music Awards they won the award for Top Social Artist for the second time in a row. They have also been nominated for a Grammy – another first for a K-Pop group.

BTS member J-Hope’s ‘In my feelings’ challenge was the most liked Tweet of 2018, gaining almost 2 million likes.

To end the year with a further record, another band member Jimin released his solo single on SoundCloud on 31 December – without any promotions or heads-up to the fans – and the song still managed to become the most streamed track on SoundCloud with 8.5 million plays within 24 hours, breaking Drake’s previous record.

BTS toured in the UK for the first time in 2018. Tickets sold out within minutes, leaving many fans heartbroken. But their ‘Love Yourself’ concert in Seoul will be live-streamed in Vue cinemas all over the UK on 26 January.

We may not see much of the current line-up from 2020 until 2026, since all seven members are due to enrol for military service in South Korea. Because of the age-range between members of the group, it will be seven years before all of them have fulfilled this civic duty.

But before any one of them is required to put on military uniform, 2019 looks like the biggest year yet for BTS.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR