‘Milestones’ are meant to be celebrated. They mark a significant accomplishment in our life’s journey and allow us to see just how far we’ve come. BTS is no exception to these experiences. Whether it’s the group as a whole or an individual achievement by members, for a brief moment, milestones signal success.
Since debuting as an Idol group in 2013 with Big Hit Entertainment, BTS has amassed an incredible list of accomplishments and awards, both collectively and individually. This year alone has seen BTS chart “five No. 1 hits on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales” and rewrite history as “21st Century Beatles” by securing three #1 ranked albums on the Billboard 200 within a 12-month period. This month will also see BTS perform at Olympic Stadium in South Korea as the grand finale to their “BTS World Tour: Love Yourself, Speak Yourself” series. A tour that resulted in 20 sold-out stadium concerts across four continents: Asia, Europe, South, and North America.
Just as we recognize BTS’ multiple achievements as a group, the members also have their own milestones to acknowledge and celebrate. Achievements that include J-Hope’s swagger-filled rendition of Chicken Noodle Soup - a trilingual hip-hop collaboration with Latino artist Becky G. Not only did Chicken Noodle Soup debut on Billboard’s ‘Hot 100,' making J-Hope the first BTS member to secure a solo spot, it also resulted in BTS launching themselves on the TikTok platform with their #CNSChallenge.
Surpassing expectations, Chicken Noodle Soup landed Top 10 spots on an additional four Billboard Charts: World Digital Song Sales (#1), Rap Digital Song Sales (#3), Pop Digital Song Sales (#6) and finally, Digital Song Sales (#9). All of these achievements are a testament to J-Hope’s sincerity, talent, and vision as both an artist and a musician.
For three years running, BTS has reigned supreme as the Billboard Music Awards’ Top Social Artist (2017-2019). During this time, Twitter has become a powerful communication platform for BTS and their loyal following of 22 million and climbing. More recently, the world has experienced a side of Twitter that can only be described as ‘phenomenal’. Within the space of two months, Jungkook and Jimin celebrated their most personal milestones (birthdays) and in the process became record-breakers and worldwide trend-setters.
In Jungkook’s case ARMY effectively ‘crashed’ twitter on September 1st, maxing out its capacity with a plethora of well wishes and birthday tweets. The impact was so noticeable that renowned actor William Shatner (aka Captain Kirk of Star Trek) weighed in on the discussion. In response, ARMY was only too happy to introduce him to the finer details of BTS’ golden maknae.
A previous video tweet of Jungkook playfully dancing to Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy now holds the record for the most-liked tweet of 2019 and the third most-liked tweet OF ALL-TIME, falling in behind Ariana Grande and Barack Obama.
Which brings us to the month of October and Jimin. A well-executed birthday surprise by ARMYs worldwide resulted in the trending of multiple hashtags in both Korean and English, dedicated to celebrating Jimin’s 25th birthday (Korean age). In grand "Twitter-All-Kill" style, the ability to occupy the Top 20 worldwide trending positions at the same time is a feat no other individual or group has achieved since Twitter was first launched in 2006. With hashtags like #HappyBirthdayJimin, #LovelyJiminDay and #지민생일ㅈㅋ (Jimin’s birthday) it is easy to see just how much Jimin is loved by ARMY and his BTS members.
For every milestone that BTS achieves, ARMYs worldwide celebrate and congratulate. There is no doubt that BTS is scaling heights that few artists will ever get to experience. Yet, BTS remains humble and hopeful. Today we remembered and celebrated just a few of BTS’ milestones. With the prospect of more to come it's not surprising that BTS has become acclaimed worldwide trend-setters.
No matter how great or small the achievements are, how often or sparse the celebrations, RM’s words are both a reminder and a comfort:
"ARMY, this is only possible because of the little things we shared together. The BTS and ARMY power, right? And we’re still the same boys from six years ago. We still have the same dreams. We still have the same feelings; we still have the same thoughts. So let’s keep dreaming the best dreams together. Thank you. I love you all." (Billboard Music Awards Top Duo/Group acceptance speech, May 2019)
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Written By: Mama Shelley
Edit By: Mheer
Lovely article! It is a great reference for new & old ARMY when someone asks “who is BTS/ARMY?” It is a refreshing factual, non-biased article written with an ARMY heart. It remained very objective even when listing all of their accomplishments —- that is what happens when one knows/uses researched facts. The facts tell the story. The mention of Jungkook & Jimin’s birthdays made this article very relevant/timely & even more fun to read. Also, who can resist anything that ends with a Namjoon quote from earlier this year. This looks like a great place to come to for articles that are relevant & show BTS/ARMY in their true light. Thank you for sharing!