BTS creates record: Dynamite becomes the first K-pop song to reach 1.9 bn streams on Spotify

Dynamite, a hit song by BTS, has become the first K-pop song to reach 1.9 billion streams on Spotify on August 3 KST, making history once again.  It became the first all-South Korean act to top the chart when it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, enjoying remarkable commercial success on a global scale.

Dynamite, a song from BTS’s album BE and their first fully English single, was released on August 21, 2020. In just three years and eleven months, it had 1.9 billion Spotify plays.

Dynamite is a song about joy and appreciating life’s small pleasures, and it was written with the intention of encouraging listeners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it led to BTS receiving their first-ever Grammy nomination for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards’ Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

The disco-pop song “Dynamite,” which has elements of bubblegum pop, funk, and soul, was inspired by the 1970s. According to the sheet music, the tempo is 114 beats per minute in E major with a 4/4 time signature.

With their single “Dynamite,” BTS also created history by being the first group from South Korea to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, since Kyu Sakamoto’s “Sukiyaki” peaked at number one in the United States in 1963, they became the first Asian act to do so. In its first week of release, the song sold 300,000 copies in both digital and physical formats, including vinyl and cassette.

Dynamite became the biggest song debut of 2020 on Spotify with 7.778 million streams on its first day worldwide, surpassing Taylor Swift’s Cardigan (7.742 million streams). The 2020 hit song Dynamite by BTS was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on May 9, 2024, in recognition of exceeding 5 million units sold.