Global phenoms BTS, no strangers to breaking records, have entered the record books yet again – this time with the release of their new album BE and its lead single “Life Goes On.” On Monday, November 20, 2020, Billboard announced the Hot 100 dated December 5th and coming in at number one on the chart is “Life Goes On” by BTS. The group can now claim three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in a span of three months. Their smash hit “Dynamite” was the group’s first number one on the chart, followed by Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo, and BTS’ Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat).
BTS earned the fasted accumulation of three number one hits on the Hot 100 chart of the past 42 years, going back all the way to The Bee Gees. “Life Goes On” is also the first Hot 100 number one in the chart’s 62-year history to be performed predominantly in Korean.
Not content to stop there with chart-topping achievements, their album BE (Deluxe Edition) was number one this week on the Billboard 200 album chart. According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, their album earned 242,00 equivalent album units, snagging the group its fifth number one album in a span of two and a half years. That makes them the fastest group to do so since The Beatles did it in 1968.
Billboard released two new charts back in September – Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200. BTS has the number one spot on both those charts as well.
To top off the impressive success of both the new album and single, BTS became the first group in history to simultaneously hit number one on the Artist 100, Hot 100, and Billboard 200 charts. Lastly, seven of the tracks from the album BE are currently charting on the Hot 100. The only track that did not chart is the “skit.”
The album BE shares the honest emotions and thoughts the band has experienced during the pandemic. The record, created in the midst of COVID-19, carries the hopeful message that life goes on.
And, the good news for the popular K-pop group hasn’t slowed down. BTS was named the Music Innovator of 2020 by WSJ Magazine and most recently the group was nominated for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance at the 63rd Grammy Awards. Winners will be announced on January 31, 2021. A video of four out of seven members – RM, Jungkook, V, and Jimin – watching the Grammy announcement live was posted via Twitter and showed them celebrating their Grammy nomination.
