From selling out arenas to dominating the Billboard charts, BTS and BLACKPINK have left their mark. Since the 1950s, K-Pop artists have traveled the world showcasing their unique musical sound, ultimately becoming international superstars.
K-Pop: 10 Interesting Facts You Should Know
- K-Pop is short for Korean Popular Music
- K-Pop originated in South Korea during the 1950’s
- Jackie Chan manages K-Pop group, ‘JJCC’
- Only 5% of K-Pop artists reach mainstream success
- ‘Seo Taiji and Boys’ was the first K-Pop group in Korea (1992-1996)
- ‘H.O.T’ is the first K-Pop idol group
- A K-Pop idol is similar to the term ‘celebrity’
- Average cost of K-Pop idol training is $3 million
- BTS is the first K-Pop group to perform on Saturday Night Live
- BLACKPINK is the first female K-Pop group to headline and perform at Coachella
BTS
BTS is an acronym for ‘Bangtan Sonyeondan,’ translated in English as ‘Beyond the Scene.’ These all-star music group members are SUGA, Jung Kook, j-hope Jin, Jimin, V, and RM. Since their debut in 2013, BTS has been recognized for their record-breaking hits. They have persistently dominated the charts in less than a decade, accumulating ten ‘Top 10 Hits’ and six ‘No. 1 Hits’ on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Furthermore, BTS has garnered seven ‘Top 10 Hits’ and six ‘No. 1 Hits’ on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. In 2021, BTS released their hit song ‘Butter,’ occupying the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten weeks! Since then, ‘Butter’ has surpassed 995 million streams on Spotify!
2019 was the year BTS became K-pop idols! During their “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” world tour, BTS sold out all of their dates! Their music video “Boy With Luv” made history by becoming the first YouTube video to gain 75 million views in 24 hours. Moreover, BTS was listed in ‘Time Magazine’ as one of the 100 most influential people of 2019.
In addition to this milestone, BTS became the first group since the Beatles to produce three No.1 albums in less than a year when they released their album “Map of the Soul: Persona.”
The Big Three
BTS has numerous videos with over 100 million views. Check out the three videos below that have surpassed 1 billion views!
Dynamite
Since its release in 2020, Dynamite has garnered 1.5 billion views and 35 million likes.
Boy With Luv
As mentioned, this record-breaking hit made history by gaining 75 million views in 24 hours in 2019. Since then, Boy With Luv has accumulated 1.5 billion views and 27 million likes.
DNA
Released in 2017, DNA has garnered 1.4 billion views and 22 million likes throughout the past five years.
BLACKPINK
In 2016, BLACKPINK made their debut with their first album, “Square One,” ultimately making history or, so to say ‘herstory’! For instance, their first single, “Boombayah,” hit No.1 on Billboard’s World Digital Songs Chart! Throughout the past six years, BLACKPINK has garnered two ‘Top 10 Hits’ and one ‘No. 1 Hit’ on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart.
Moreover, BLACKPINK has four members: Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rose. With 82.8 million followers, Lisa, the youngest member of the group, is the most-followed female K-Pop artist on Instagram. Not to mention, BLACKPINK’s official Instagram account has 50 million followers, making it no surprise why they have become fans’ favorite female K-pop group.
Taste that pink venom! If you didn’t know, this year, 2022, is the year BLACKPINK became K-Pop idols! From the ‘Born Pink’ album release to the Video Music Awards (VMAs) performance, BLACKPINK’s winnings are consecutive! In just one day, BLACKPINK’s highly anticipated comeback single ‘Pink Venom’ music video gained 100 million views! At the 2022 VMAs, BLACKPINK performed ‘Pink Venom,’ making history by becoming the first all-female K-Pop group to perform at this award ceremony.
Additionally, BLACKPINK took home two awards at the 2022 VMAs. First and foremost, BLACKPINK won ‘Best Metaverse Performance’ for their in-game virtual concert “Blackpink: The Virtual.” Secondly, Lisa won ‘Best K-Pop’ for her debut solo single, “Lalisa,” which allowed her to become the first solo female K-pop artist to win a VMA.
Major Comeback
On Sept. 16, 2022, BLACKPINK released their second studio album ‘Born Pink.’ This album is a great, cohesive project for their comeback, making it no surprise why it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. BLACKPINK’s ‘Born Pink’ singles, ‘Pink Venom’, and ‘Shutdown’ are dominating the YouTube charts!
Pink Venom
Since its release, Pink Venom has gained 372 million views and 13 million likes in 52 days!
Shutdown
Shutdown has gained 169 million views and 8.3 million likes in just three weeks!
