Solo-only territory, until now: BTS hit 10 billion Spotify streams in a year

The numbers first

Big Hit Music said on the 16th that BTS has passed 10 billion Spotify streams so far this year, up 122% from 4.5 billion last year.

The three solo stars above got there first. BTS is the first group.

Half of it is 'ARIRANG'

The fifth studio album, released in March, has passed 5 billion streams on its own, the most for any album released this year on Spotify.

Daily plays jumped from about 23 million before release to about 130 million on release day. All 14 tracks took the top 14 spots on the Daily Top Songs Global chart, and the title track 'SWIM' drew about 14 million plays on day one, the best first day of any song released this year.

The wait: 3 years and 9 months

'ARIRANG' is the group's first full-group album in about 3 years and 9 months, after military service and solo projects. Ajunews reports it held No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for three straight weeks in April, a first for a K-pop album.

More news this week

On the 14th BTS was named Artist of the Year at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, with the ceremony set for the 29th at Tokyo Dome.

The group is currently playing three shows in Santiago, Chile, followed by three each in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Catching it in a cinema

- The Buenos Aires show airs live in cinemas worldwide on Oct. 24, and the Sao Paulo show on Oct. 30. - The 10 billion figure is the one Big Hit Music announced.