BTS, 10 Billion Views…"Single Year, World First Record"

[Dispatch=Lee Myung-ju Reporter] BTS has set yet another record. The group achieved 10 billion streams annually.

According to Spotify's latest count as of the 16th, BTS surpassed 10 billion cumulative plays over the past year. This marks the first time globally on a single-year basis.

Their cumulative play count this year increased 122% compared to last year (4.5 billion plays). Their fifth regular album "ARIRANG," released in March, was played over 5 billion times alone.

Daily play counts also showed a significant difference before and after the "ARIRANG" release. The count rose from around 23 million plays before the album announcement to 130 million plays on the day of the new album's release.

Upon their comeback, they occupied positions 1-14 on Spotify's "Daily Top Songs Global." The title track "SWIM" recorded 14 million plays on its first day, marking the highest record of the year.

"ARIRANG" is an album BTS released as a full group after approximately 3 years and 9 months. It captures the team's identity, longing, and universal emotions of deep love.

"SWIM" is a song that celebrates the attitude of not stopping and continuing to swim through life's waves. It conveyed a message of empathy to those living life to the fullest.

Meanwhile, BTS recently won "Artist of the Year" at the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan."