K-Pop act tops the Billboard chart for the first time in history
Check out BTS, the Korean boy band whose popularity is skyrocketing in the West, and making hearts pitter-pat
K-pop superstars BTS are no strangers to their legions of North American fans, part of the worldwide "BTS Army" — but the group has just made history by becoming the first K-pop act to debut atop the Billboard albums chart.
Named after the Korean phrase "Bangtan Sonyeondan," which literally means "Bulletproof Boy Scouts," the group first formed in 2012 and climbed steadily in popularity. But it was a Japanese tour, a hit single in Korea, popular music videos and a giant social media following that soon set them on a meteoric climb to international fame.
Now ranging in age from 20-25, the members of BTS are no strangers to firsts: in 2017, their video for "DNA" became the most viewed in 24 hours of any K-pop group; the remix of their song "Mic Drop" by Steve Aoki and featuring Desiigner became the first K-pop track to hit the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100; in November, they became the first K-pop group to perform at the American Music Awards and on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
Both "Mic Drop Remix" and "DNA" were also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, making them the first Korean artists to land that claim to fame.
But their third Korean-language LP, Love Yourself: Tear, which was released just over a week ago, has made history by debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first K-pop record to reach the coveted top spot.
The release also marks the first foreign language number one album since 2006, when Il Divo topped the charts with their classical crossover release Ancora. BTS came close in 2017 with Love Yourself: Her, which peaked at number 7, but didn't clinch the number one spot.
BTS' music mixes breezy pop, hip-hop, R&B and gospel, and often includes lyrics about topical issues from mental health to female empowerment to school violence — and they also walk the talk. The group is involved with several charitable endeavours, most recently vowing to donate over $400,000, as well as a significant percentage of album sales and merchandise proceeds, to programs that prevent violence against children and teens.
They don't shy away from promotional opportunities, either: they have also become global brand ambassadors for Puma, brand spokespeople for one of South Korea's largest banks, and have upcoming deals with LG and Cola-Cola.