BTS have broken the record for the most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours.
The K-Pop megastars – RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook – made history on Friday (21.08.20) with the release of their new single, ‘Dynamite’, as the music video for the song set the new record for the biggest 24-hour debut, amassing a whopping 101 million views in its first day on the platform.
A YouTube spokesperson confirmed to Forbes on Sunday (23.08.20): "We can confirm that [the video titled] ‘BTS (방탄소년단) ‘Dynamite’ Official MV’ set a new all-time 24hr record, surpassing 100M views with 101.1m views in the first 24 hours."
The track also set the record for biggest music video premiere when it garnered over 3 million concurrent viewers when it premiered on the platform.
‘Dynamite’s new record means it is the first, and currently the only, YouTube video in history to receive more than 100 million views within its first 24 hours.
Not content with just dominating YouTube, ‘Dynamite’ also saw BTS break the record for the biggest Spotify debut of 2020, when it garnered 7.779 million streams in its first 24 hours.
The track also set multiple iTunes records, becoming the fastest song to ever reach number one in 100 countries, with a time of just eight hours, and making BTS the only artist to ever have five songs achieve 100 number ones.
Meanwhile, BTS recently said they hope their new single – which is their first to be sung entirely in English – will bring "happiness and confidence" to their fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
SUGA said: "’Dynamite’ sends a message of happiness and confidence. It says, even though we’re going through tough times, let’s do what we can in our places, let’s find freedom and happiness through dance and music. I would say it’s a song dedicated to all the people who felt like they have fallen down whilst running a marathon."
The release of ‘Dynamite’ comes as the band are also preparing their new album, which is set to be released in the coming months.
The record will be almost entirely put together by the members themselves, including the album artwork and the overall production.
Jimin said: "We are still working on our album, it’s still a go. Our goal is to release it in the second half of this year. This new album has the highest participation rate of any other albums that we released, and we’re working really hard.
"We can’t pinpoint an exact release date just yet, but as much as [our fans] are waiting for us, we really want to see you too so we’re going to work harder."