BTS Continues Their Domination With ‘Dynamite’ and Lands at No. 1 on the Hot 100 a Second Week in a Row
The members of BTS are currently unstoppable with their new single “Dynamite.” For the second week in a row, “Dynamite” landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With this new ranking, BTS show their staying power in the U.S. music industry. “Dynamite” has not only captured fans’ attention, but also the attention of casual listeners and U.S. radio.
BTS made history debuting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with ‘Dynamite’
Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook released their song “Dynamite” on Aug. 21. The disco-pop track is their first single to be sung entirely in English. On Aug. 31, the song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
According to Billboard, the song debuted “with 33.9 million U.S. streams and 300,000 sold in its the week ending Aug. 27 (according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data). It also drew 11.6 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending Aug. 30.”
With this accomplishment, BTS became the first all-South Korean group to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. In its first week, the single had over 265,000 digital downloads. This beat a record for the biggest digital sales week that Taylor Swift previously set in 2017 with her song “Look What You Made Me Do.”
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Prior to the release of “Dynamite,” BTS’ highest ranking on the Hot 100 was with “ON,” which reached No. 4 on the chart in March 2020. A key difference between “ON” and “Dynamite” is that “ON” is in Korean and received little help from U.S. radio due to xenophobic gatekeeping. Meanwhile, “Dynamite” rose from No. 30 to No. 20 on the mainstream top 40-based Pop Songs radio airplay chart in its first week.
BTS reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 again with ‘Dynamite’
On Sept. 8, Billboard announced that “Dynamite” stayed at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a second week. Of the 43 songs that have debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, “Dynamite” is one of 20 that has managed to stay at No. 1 the following week.
The song “continues atop the Hot 100 on the strength of 17.5 million U.S. streams (down 49%) and 182,000 downloads sold (down 31%) in the week ending Sept. 3, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It also drew 16 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 38%) in the week ending Sept. 6,” said Billboard.
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Why the song has made such an impact
On Sept. 2, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment held a press conference after “Dynamite” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The members of BTS were asked why they thought “Dynamite” managed to capture the general public in the U.S.
“When you do something, when someone does something with sincerity, it doesn’t always resonate with other people. Sometimes we do something and that’s not acknowledged or rewarded,” RM said. “I think it’s the power of music and the power of performance.”
He continued, “I think ‘Dynamite’ was more familiar because of the language as well as other elements. The language and the disco-pop were familiar to the American public. Something that’s easy to sing and hum along with. It doesn’t have an overarching macro-level message. Sometimes, simpler messages really get across. I dare say that all these factors came together to create this achievement.”
What is next for BTS?
While BTS has reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the first time with “Dynamite,” this song is clearly not their career peak. The Korean band has their eyes set on the Grammy Awards, and they will release a Korean-language album later this year.
“We really like our song this time, but we really like our next songs too,” Jimin said at the press conference. “I hope you look forward to it.”
“Dynamite” is a turning point for BTS, and the U.S. is finally starting to pay attention to them in the way they deserve. The group has been making stellar music for years, and their future work will hopefully be given the same respect and hype as “Dynamite” even if it is not released in English. “Dynamite” is a milestone that deserves to be celebrated, but it has only scratched the surface of what BTS has in store.
