3 Reasons Comeback of the 'World-Class' BTS Is All the More Anticipated

Photo from Youtube Screenshot

On August 24, 6 p.m.(KST), BTS will release LOVE YOURSELF: Answer, the finale of their LOVE YOURSELF series. Even before their comeback, all eyes are on what kind of unprecedented sensation they will create this time.

So excited to see what they'll achieve this time!

1. Triple Million-Seller
Since BTS started receiving pre-orders for their new album on July 18, they recorded over 1.5 million copies in just one week. This was a number going beyond their previous record of 1.4 million copies for their previous album, LOVE YOURSELF: Tear.
Even in the US, they topped the Amazon bestseller rankings in just one day since pre-orders became available. This made them the first ever Korean artist to officially distribute albums through Amazon, and achieve No.1 on bestseller list for three times in a row. This was a true indicator that showed BTS' worldwide popularity.

2. World Tours on Another Level

Photo from BigHit Entertainment

With such huge popularity, BTS expanded their LOVE YOURSELF world tour. Starting from Seoul's concert at Jamsil Olympic Stadium on August 25~26, they're holding tours in locations all over North America, Europe, and Japan. Except for Japan dome tours' tickets which are yet to open, all 320,000 seats for 33 shows in 16 cities have been completely sold out. What was especially amazing was that all 40,000 tickets for the show held in New York City's Citi Field sold out in just 20 minutes after the ticketing opened. London's O2 Arena, which is a venue that's difficult to book at first place, was also blown away by BTS' selling power after opening tickets for two dates. With this tour being held, BTS proved that they're a 'global group' that can draw over 40,000 audiences in major cities around the world.

3. Support from One Million ARMYs
Even when BTS is in their sixth year since debut, their fanclub is still growing rapidly. Even though application for the fifth official ARMY has terminated, new fans are continuously flowing into the fandom. As of 7 a.m. of August 24, 1.07 million members are registered on BTS' official fan cafe. Their followers on Naver V Live channel has exceeded 10 million.

Photo from Twitter @BTS_twt

K-pop channels with most growth in first half of 2018. Photo from YouTube.

Regarding YouTube, they recently received the 'diamond play button' which are only granted to channels that gain over 10 million subscribers. BTS members uploaded a proof shot of the button along with comments, "We received YouTube's diamond button for exceeding 10 million subscribers on 'BANGTANTV'. We're truly grateful." 'BANGTANTV' channel has been placed at No.3 on the 'Most Grown K-pop Channel' rankings counted by YouTube. The agency's channel 'ibighit' on which their official music videos are uploaded, took the top place, garnering the biggest amount of new subscribers during the first half year. While title songs of the LOVE YOURSELF series, DNA and Fake Love, are recording 400 million and 300 million views respectively, their new release, IDOL is also expected to reach 100 million views in no time.

By Gothesun and Soohyoun Nam voomvoomk@gmail.com