BTS is really paving the way for other Asian artists in America and the West. They have single-handedly taken over the American mainstream and achieved more than anyone thought possible. But this success wasn’t an overnight feat. BTS has been working hard for years to get to where they are. Let’s go back to 2016, the start of BTS’s rise in the US.

2016 was a magical year for both BTS and ARMYs. It was the year that BTS earned their first Daesang at the Melon Music Awards. It was also the year that BTS broke the record for the highest-charting kpop album on the Billboard 200 with Wings at #26. This is even more impressive considering there were no physical copies sold of the album in the US. They sold 16,000 digital copies alone and was before BTS did ANY promotion in the US. 

2016 was also the beginning of BTS social climb on twitter. In October of 2016, BTS hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Social 50, marking the first time any kpop group had topped any non-Korean Billboard chart. 

From then, BTS would spend a total of 133 weeks on the Social 50 Chart, 124 of those weeks at #1. 

On to 2017, a year that brought BTS to the US. After achieving the highest charting Kpop album and spending months on the Social 50 Chart, BTS became the first Korean artist to be both invited and nominated for a Billboard award. Unfortunately, many in South Korea saw this nomination as merely a publicity stunt and didn’t really pay attention to it. 

No one actually expected BTS to win. But they did. And by winning an American award at a major American award show, BTS began to infiltrate the piqued interests of Americans. 

It wasn’t easy for BTS to overcome the stereotypes left by Psy and other Kpop groups who came to America before them and reinforced the idea that Kpop is manufactured bubblegum pop. Don’t misunderstand, Psy and other groups like Wonder Girls, Big Bang, and Girls' Generation had many accomplishments globally but weren’t really taken seriously by the US mainstream. To this day, many Americans still view Kpop as unoriginal manufactured music. Most Americans also can’t name a Kpop group other than BTS.

In the fall of 2017, BTS again did something that no other Kpop group ever had... they were asked to perform at the American Music Awards. The US has 3 major music awards shows and BTS had just been invited to 2 of them, won an award at one and performed on the other. 

Their performance drew even more attention to their rising fame and with it, their release of LoveYourself Her debuted on the Billboard 200 at #7, breaking the previous record, also held by BTS. BTS then graced many American talk shows including Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel. At the end of the year, BTS was asked to perform on Dick Clark’s New Years Eve Celebration- a true honor for any artist. 

By 2018, the mainstream media was beginning to pay attention to BTS. They were drawn in by their social media savvy and impressed by their writing and producing abilities- a rarity in Kpop. This alone set BTS apart. 

In May of 2018, BTS once again did something no other Kpop group ever has- they had their comeback stage on a major American award show- the Billboard Music Awards. That night they also took home their 2nd Top Social Artist trophy. But BTS was far from done.

That same month, BTS became the first Korean Artist to ever top the Billboard 200 with the release of LoveYourself Tear. They also broke into the Hot 100 top 10 with Fake Love. 

Suddenly BTS was appearing all over American media. Time magazine put BTS on their cover and called them the “Next Generation Leaders”. 

They then made history again as the only Kpop group ever to address the United Nations where RM delivered a poignant message about self-love. 

In August, BTS made history yet again with the release of LoveYourself Answer, an album that shattered preorder and sales records and gave  BTS their 2nd Billboard 200 #1. 

They then appeared on Good Morning America, Late Night with James Corden, the Tonight Show and America’s Got Talent. BTS added an American Music Award to their trophy shelf and successfully sold out a stadium concert at Citified in New York. 

By 2019, BTS was a household name in American media. They were no longer “the kpop group BTS” but simply “BTS” or “the biggest band on the planet”. By shattering sales records and topping American charts, BTS proved they could compete alongside global superstars like Drake and Ariana Grande. 

And it was no surprise that BTS not only got invited to the Grammys (America’s most prestigious music award show) but that they would also be presenting a major category award. That night, over 80 articles were written about BTS by American and Western media. This only led to more amazing feats like a sold-out stadium tour across America and Europe and becoming the first Korean Artist to perform on Saturday Night Live. 

From there BTS broke even more preorder and sales records with their latest album release Map of the Soul Persona, selling 1.6 million copies on Hanteo in 1 day. The album has now surpassed 3 million in sales, becoming the best selling album in the world in 2019. The album also earned BTS their 3rd #1 on Billboard 200, an accomplishment even massively accomplished artists have never achieved. 

BTS then became the first Korean Artist to ever win a major category music award when they won the Top Group trophy at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. 

It’s easy to say other artists paved the way for BTS, but if BTS is constantly the first Korean Artist to achieve something, how can someone else take credit for getting them there? Especially in the US, the largest and most difficult music industry in the world. BTS has achieved their success through hard work and overcoming many hurdles. No group, media or company, has made it easy for them. 

The opposite can be said for newer Kpop groups trying to make it on American soil. Because of BTS, artists like BLACKPINK, NCT, MONSTA X, and others can enjoy a much easier path to success in the US and the West. BTS has already done the hard work of not only bringing global attention to Kpop, but making it an acceptable genre of music in mainstream America. The next time your favorite Kpop groups accomplish something in the US- remember and thank BTS for making it all possible.