K-pop fans are tuning to the Grammy Awards because of BTS, who will perform at the Hollywood event, and could also likely take the trophy for Best Pop Duo or Group.
The group's Grammy journey has been one of the most impressive and uplifting moments amid a pandemic year. In 2020, BTS broke music records and pushed the boundaries as they united fans worldwide with their songs, videos, and countless hits both in the English and Korean languages.
It all started when BTS dropped their very first single from their latest album, Map of the Soul: 7. "Black Swan" easily shot up to number one in the iTunes charts across 104 countries in January 2020, dislodging Adele's record for Hello five years ago.
That hit was followed up with the release of their English song, "Dynamite," which hit the number one at the Billboard Hot 100. BTS became the first non-English band to reach this feat. Dynamite's music video also broke records for reaching 101.1 million views on YouTube within 24 hours.
BTS leader RM said that they released "Dynamite" earlier than anticipated to bring hope to the fans because it's such a vibrant, danceable song. Released during the year of lockdowns, RM also said that they were dispirited to miss concerts, and this song was their way of reaching out to the fans.
In November, BTS released another album, Be, with the first single, "Life Goes On." Its music video was directed by BTS member Jungkook, while V was the visual director. The song maintained its standing on the Billboard charts for several weeks despite having fewer radio play in the U.S. since it's in Korean.
Because they could not perform on stage amid the virus threat, BTS had a virtual pay-per-view concert in June to celebrate their seventh year. The online event became a Guinness World Record-holder for "most viewers for a music concert live-stream" with 756,000 paying fans in 107 countries. The group performed 12 songs for them. According to industry experts, one of BTS strong points is in making their fans feel so valued.
Three months later, BTS broke their own record when they had a two-day concert online, bringing in 993,000 paying viewers in 191 countries. These concerts were broadcast from the KSPO Dome in South Korea.
Apart from their music, BTS has also made 2020 a special year with their outreach activities. The group spearheaded a UNICEF campaign "LOVE MYSELF" to fight violence against children. Merchandise for this campaign raised over $3 million for the charity.
