BTS rewrites Billboard’s history with ‘Life Goes On’

This photo, provided by Big Hit Entertainment, shows a concept photo for BTS’s latest album “BE.” (Big Hit Entertainment)

SEOUL – It wasn’t the first time that sensational K-pop boy band BTS had seen their name atop the US music publication Billboard’s top singles chart, but this time it was different.

Billboard announced on Monday via social media that “Life Goes On,” the title track from the band’s latest album “Be,” debuted at No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100, the coveted singles chart. becoming the first song sung predominantly in Korean to top the chart in its 62-year history. It also marked the first non-English song to debut at No. 1.

The single “drew 14.9 million streams in the United States and sold 150,000 in the week ending November 26,” Billboard stated.

While the group celebrated the milestone of topping the Billboard main chart in early September with their pre-released single “Dynamite,” the disco-pop song had been an entirely English song and had sparked controversy over whether it could actually be considered part. of the K-pop genre.

“A lot of people had been cautious even until now, saying that ‘Dynamite’ became number one as it is an entirely English song, degrading BTS’s value as musicians,” Lee Gyu-tag, professor of cultural studies at George Mason University of Korea, told The Korea Herald. “‘Life Goes On’ has shown that BTS could succeed without exquisite strategies targeting the US music market.”

Lee explained that such a feat of “Life Goes On” is more significant, as it could hint at diversification in the global music industry.

“It is a soft ballad that sings words of comfort for people exhausted by the virus pandemic. Although it was unclear if both the song and its message could be commercially successful, the members continued to express their honest thoughts in their own way, and this seemed to have won the hearts of many listeners, ”said Lee.

“Just a decade earlier, K-pop songs were often considered exotic and even made fun of. With the efforts of BTS and many other Korean artists, much of the wall has been torn down. “

Meanwhile, the eight-track set, released on November 20, debuted at the top of this week’s Top Albums chart, the Billboard 200, becoming the group’s fifth consecutive album atop the charts, spanning only two and a half years. The band is the first act to achieve five number-one hits on the album chart since British rock legends The Beatles in the 1960s. BTS is also the only act, other than Taylor Swift, to have charted the top spots on the top singles and album charts in Billboard history.

The last track on the album, “Dynamite” rose again to No. 3 on the chart from No. 14 last week, staying on the chart for 14 consecutive weeks. The band is the first act to debut multiple songs on Billboard’s Top Singles Chart.

“We really appreciate it. It’s grateful that we not only reached number 1, but that we have two songs in the top 3. We are sincerely grateful to the entire Army that loves us,” BTS said on social media Tuesday, in reaction. to the Billboard ad. “Army” refers to the band’s official fandom.

Pop culture critic Jung Min-jae said that the feat accomplished by “Life Goes On” shows that BTS’s fandom has reached another milestone in the United States.

While ‘Dynamite’ had enjoyed explosive radio broadcasts in America as an English song, ‘Life Goes On’ showed a disappointing number in terms of radio plays. And this shows that BTS now has a large enough fandom to guarantee them a No. 1 in launch week with just digital streaming and downloads, as well as an improved reputation among the general public in the United States, ”Jung said.

But this just goes to show that BTS is at the peak of stardom, as all of pop culture has always revolved around those fandoms who make the stars and in return reinforce their stardom even more. This has applied exactly the same to other world stars, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the Beatles. The stars only exist in the great fandoms ”, added the critic.

Jung explains that with popular K-pop idol groups like BTS, the unique fandom culture in this digital age, supporting artists through aggressive broadcasts and social media advertising, has amplified the power of stardom in the US a huge market to be the target of a single fandom.

With major US music charts now under the group’s belt, hopes are higher that BTS will also take home the top music award, a Grammy, after the act became the first artists. K-pop player to get a nomination.

Stating that he had been predicting a win even before the Billboard announcements on Monday, Professor Lee said, “Based on BTS’s achievements and popularity this year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win, or rather disappoint them if they don’t. did “.

Jung was more cautious in promising a victory, stating that a nod as a finalist is symbolic in itself.

“The nomination proves that this team has become a legitimate part of their industry and that it is impossible to ignore them,” said the critic.

“While the Recording Academy (which hosts the Grammys) has been making efforts to embrace greater diversity in its membership in recent years, this has not made a significant difference in results.”

At the 63rd Grammy Awards, scheduled for January 31 in Los Angeles, BTS will compete in the category of best pop duo / group performance against stars such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa.

Read next

Don’t miss out on the latest news and information.