went from unknowns to world best-sellers in a handful of years. Almost everyone has at least heard of them, but not everyone knows some of the most unique and fun facts about this powerhouse group.
BTS has been nominated for a whopping 531 awards and have won most of them. The group has won 361 awards including Asia Artist Awards, American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards.
Despite their hundreds of awards, they’ve only been nominated for one Grammy Award. In 2021, they were nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, but they didn’t win.
Everyone seems to be talking about this group! From 2013 to 2020, BTS was mentioned on social media almost 2.5 billion times. That’s almost 900,000 mentions every day.
Twitter is only one social media site, but
BTS has it locked up! Their fans love social media and are savvy with their hashtag use. From 2013 to 2019, BTS-related hashtags were the most used hashtags on Twitter. The most obvious one, #bts, was used almost 125 million times in 2020 alone.
No Musical Artist Was Retweeted More in 2016
Being talked about is one thing, but having your messages retweeted is another. In 2016, BTS had the most retweets of any artist with over 5 million retweets.
Twitter Made BTS Emojis
In 2016, Twitter launched its first emoji for any K-pop group in existence with the BTS emoji: a bulletproof vest bearing the letters BTS. It was followed by several emojis that were photos of the members.
They’ve Got a Unique Name
If you’re wondering why Twitter gave them a bulletproof vest emoji, wonder no more! BTS is an acronym that stands for “BangtanSonyeondan,” which is Korean for “Bulletproof Boy Scouts.”
They’ve Had Record US Sales for a K-pop Group
In 2020, they sold 674,000 copies of a single album in the United States. The only other act to sell more than 500,000 albums in the same year was Taylor Swift.
They Break a Lot of Records
They’ve been the fastest user to 1 million followers on TikTok, sold the most albums of any musical artist in a year, and won the most Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, among their many record-setting achievements. They’ve also earned several Guinness World Records, and have even broken some of their own.
BTS Is a Korean National Treasure
BTS brings about $3.6 billion dollars into the South Korean economy each year. Over 800,000 people visit annually because of BTS, which means almost three-quarters of tourists are there because they’re fans of the group.
They Have Their Own Army
BTS fans call themselves the BTS Army, and best estimates based on unique social media accounts that mentioned the band in 2020 conservatively put this army at over 18 million strong. For comparison, China has the largest military force in the world with 2.9 million members.
BTS “Army” Is an Acronym
“
Army” stands for “Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth.” It sums up how the fans consider themselves a disciplined force for representing and supporting the group.
The Fans “Own” BTS
The company that owns the BTS name and branding went public in 2020. This allowed fans to purchase shares of the company for the equivalent of about $115 per share.
BTS Was Created by a Talent Agency
Unlike many bands that start when a few friends get together to practice in a garage, BTS was formed by Big Hit Entertainment, a talent agency and record company.
BTS (and Their Fans) Give Back
The group regularly donates to charity. In 2020, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment contributed $1 million dollars to Black Lives Matter in the United States. The BTS Army crowdfunded to match that donation in less than 24 hours.
One Member Started in Rap
RM had a solo career as a rapper before BTS. His name, RM, stands for “Rap Monster.”
They Were Going To Be a Hip-Hop Group
BTS was originally supposed to perform Hip-Hop for a young audience after rapper RM was the first artist signed. The agency changed its mind and reached out to that young audience with music that crosses several different styles instead.
One Member Is Fluent in English
RM is the lone member of BTS who speaks fluent English. He learned by watching “Friends,” the popular American sitcom from the '90s.
They Lived Together
The seven members of BTS didn’t just live in the same home, they lived in a one-bedroom apartment for years. All seven of them slept in the same room until 2016.
They Write Most of Their Own Songs
They all write songs, but Suga and RM have each written over a hundred songs, often including socially conscious messages aimed at helping listeners improve their moods and their lives.
