BTS make history as 'Dynamite' debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 100
BTS Make History as 'Dynamite' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 100
The group's first fully English-language song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the South Korean artists their first chart-topping track and making them the first Korean act to achieve the feat.
BTS' "Dynamite" has officially blown up.
On Monday, the group's first fully English-language song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the South Korean artists their first chart-topping track and making them the first Korean act to achieve the feat. Previously, BTS' "On" peaked at No. 4 earlier this year, while Psy's "Gangnam Style" reached No. 2 back in 2012.
Per Nielsen Music (via Billboard), "Dynamite" notched 33.9 million U.S. streams and 300,000 units sold — a figure that includes 265,000 downloads, along with physical copies — in its first week. It also received 11.6 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending Aug. 30
BTS/YouTube
There were signs that "Dynamite" would make history — the song already broke records after it racked up 3 million concurrent views following its Aug. 21 premiere on YouTube. It became the new record holder for the highest number of YouTube views for a video premiere, far surpassing the 1.66 million record held by Blackpink's "How You Like That."
It also smashed YouTube's 24-hour debut record, garnering a whopping 101.1 million views on its first day. “Dynamite” earned over 210 million views through its first five days, making it the fastest music video in history to eclipse 200 million views. It currently sits at 252 million views and counting.
The numerous remixes in the deluxe edition of "Dynamite" also didn't hurt its chances at No. 1, with EDM and tropical editions among those released in the first week.
"The release of 'Dynamite' wasn't in our plans at all," group member RM said during an online press conference on Aug. 20.
"As soon as we heard it, we thought it was really fun and exciting, a fun and cheery song that wasn't that serious. It just made us feel good when we heard it," he added. "We really wanted to share this energy with the fans as soon as possible."
The news that BTS topped the Billboard charts came less than a day after they marked their first-ever VMAs performance, where they debuted "Dynamite" live on Sunday. The boys also nabbed four awards at the ceremony, including Best Group and Best K-Pop. Still, some of the Army (the name of BTS' fans) are holding out for the group to score a Video of the Year nod and get the recognition they feel the global superstars deserve.
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