BTS has already established their success in previous years, and their achievements continue to materialize and manifest before the public. On Thursday, the all-male K-pop group reached another milestone as they have broken another record.
Soompi reported that the title track of their mini-album, Love Yourself: Her, has now become the first music video from a South Korean boy band to hit 1.2 billion views. As explained, "DNA" continues to amass hits and views from the public through YouTube, seemingly making it an all-time favorite.
The only other South Korean artists who have reached the same heights are PSY and BLACKPINK. "Gangnam Style" has obtained over 3.9 billion views and 1.3 billion views for "Gentleman." As for BLACKPINK, "DDU-DU DDU-DU" and "Kill This Love" has over 1.4 and 1.2 billion views, respectively.
While BTS has yet to surpass PSY's total views for his most popular tracks, the seven-member band has already broken a record in the past, beating the South Korean singer. Forbes said that the septet's "DNA" eclipsed "Gangnam Style" via the total number of the comments. This, then, made the group's 2017 hit the "most commented-on music video in YouTube history."
"DNA" has since obtained over 6.3 million comments, while "Gangnam Style" has 5.17 million. Three years after breaking the record, BTS has beaten their own milestone with "Dynamite."
The K-pop stars dropped their all-English track last August amid the pandemic lockdown. It has since been watched by more than 840 million times with over 11.7 million comments.
Apart from the number of views and comments, the group has had another success with "DNA." It has sold over 1 million units earlier in January, making it "eligible for platinum" certification, according to a separate report from Forbes. Upon certification, it will join the ranks of their other million-selling singles, like "Idol," "Boy with Luv," and "Mic Drop."
The publication noted, however, that the list does not include its hottest single, "Dynamite," because it has yet to receive its certification from RIAA. Nevertheless, the single has already sold more than 2 million units in the United States.
Meanwhile, some members of BTS once revealed why "DNA" is "special" for them, and that there is a meaning behind the song. Group leader RM previously explained it all and discussed how it took all the members to a "new ground," according to Cheat Sheet.
Speaking to Billboard, the 26-year-old K-pop celebrity said that the title track is about the "expression of a young, passionate love." He, then, mentioned some of the lyrics to support his assertions.
RM consequently emphasized that the members applied "new grammar and perspectives" to the song, adding that "DNA" is a "very different" production from their previous releases. He, later on, said that it became a "starting point of a second chapter" to their career as a group.
