Photo: Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment


Thanks to a year full of incredible success with multiple hit albums and singles, BTS has just been awarded the '2020 IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award' - an annual honor that recognizes an act's worldwide popularity across streaming and sales, including vinyl, downloads, and CDs!

The popular boy band set another benchmark by becoming the first act to perform primarily in a language other than English. And, of course, they become the first South Korean and first Asian act to take the title!

Up until now, recipients of this award have hailed from North America (Taylor Swift in 2014 and 2019, Drake in 2016 and 2018) or the United Kingdom (One Direction in 2013, Adele in 2015, Ed Sheeran in 2017). BTS came close to winning the trade body's top award in 2018, when they finished #2, and again in 2019, coming in at #7.

'Map of the Soul: 7' is one of the most pre-ordered albums of all time and the album ruled the charts in more than 20 countries - including South Korea. “BTS are a global phenomenon,” comments IFPI CEO Frances Moore. “They have had another outstanding year, releasing three albums, and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world. They truly show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people the world over.”


Congratulations on that impressive feat, BTS 👑

About the IFPI

IFPI, short for International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, is the organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide. The unique award is calculated according to an artist’s or group’s worldwide performance across digital and physical music formats during the year, from streams to vinyl, and covers their entire body of work. The award was announced at the culmination of the IFPI Global Artist Chart, which counted down the top 10 best-selling artists of the year globally.

____________________

Sources: [1] [2]