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K-pop superstars BTS have become the first Asian act to receive the coveted IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year award.
The annual honor recognizes the worldwide popularity of an act in both streaming and sales, including downloads, CDs and vinyl.
Previous award winners have included last year’s winner Taylor Swift, as well as the likes of Drake, Ed Sheeran, Adele, and One Direction.
In particular, BTS’s IFPI award consolidates them not only as the first Asian recipients, but also as the first to perform primarily in a language other than English.
It’s safe to say that the group’s selection has been a long time coming, given that they came second in the competition in 2018 and seventh in 2019.
This year, Swift was a finalist for BTS, followed by Drake, The Weeknd, and Billie Eilish. The top 10 was completed by Eminem, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Juice Wrld and Justin Bieber.
As reported by Billboard, BTS enjoyed one of their most successful years in 2020.
Not just his seventh studio album Soul Map: 7 reach n. 1 on the Billboard 200 in April 2020, but his latest album To be He accomplished the same feat only seven months later.
On top of that, they also received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Group / Duo Performance with the single ‘Dynamite’.
In the meantime, To be debuted at number 2 in Australia and also featured a track co-written and produced by Australian electronic duo Cosmo’s Midnight.
In a statement (via Billboard) IFPI CEO Frances Moore described BTS as a “global phenomenon”.
“They have had another banner year, releasing three albums and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world,” he said.
“They really show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people all over the world.”
IFPI Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2020
1. BTS
2. Taylor Swift
3. Drake
4. The Weeknd
5. Billie Eilish
6. Eminem
7. Post Malone
8. Ariana Grande
9. Juice Wrld
10. Justin Bieber
Take a look at BTS’s ‘Dynamite’:
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