K-pop continues to dominate viewers on YouTube. Blackpink’s new single, “How You Like That”, has broken YouTube’s 24-hour viewing record, beating BTS in second place in over 7 million views. It counted more than 82 million visits during the 24 hours of the video’s launch.
YouTube views in the first 24 hours are generally considered true indications of one’s growing popularity. However, last September YouTube had to drastically change its methodology after an Indian rapper Badshah allegedly inflated his views through paid ads. Since then, YouTube Music Charts no longer counts paid ad visits within the 24-hour count to better reflect fan engagement.
This is not the first time that Blackpink reaches this digital milestone. Blackpink’s latest single, “Kill This Love,” also became YouTube’s most-watched single in 24 hours during the music video’s release. This award was previously made by American pop stars like Taylor Swift with “Me!” with Brendon Urie and Ariana Grande with “Thank U, Next”. Seven of the top 10 spots on YouTube’s 24-hour viewing record are now in the hands of acts of K-pop, namely BTS, Twice, and Blackpink.
Blackpink is a girl group made up of four members: Jennie, Rose, Lisa and Jisoo. They first rose to international fame in mid-2018 with their single “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du”, which became the most viewed YouTube K-pop music video in 24 hours.
The girl group is managed by YG Entertainment from South Korea. The music label is responsible for some of K-pop’s biggest acts like idol group Big Bang and Psy, the latter featuring the first YouTube video, Gangnam Style, to break a billion views. YG Entertainment is founded by Yang Hyun-Shik, who rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and the Boys in the 1990s.
