BTS loses global dominance to rising K-pop stars who just beat Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish in album sales

Indian Express

04-06-2025

BTS is just days away from their big June reunion, with a full-group music comeback likely dropping next year. While the legendary K-pop force that once ruled the global charts may be on track to snatch back their spotlight, part of which dimmed during their military enlistment, for now, The Hollywood Reporter has crowned SEVENTEEN as the 'the world's most successful K-pop band.' The 13-member boy band, formed in 2015, just cracked the global top 3 in album sales alongside pop stars like Taylor Swift, and beating Grammy history maker Kendrick Lamar.
In their recent piece, The Edge of Seventeen, the outlet heaped praises on the group's rising cultural dominance, and how these artists are reinventing themselves, doing stadium tours bigger than Bruce Springsteen's and selling as many albums as Taylor Swift. The HYBE label boy band—also home to BTS—is managed by its subsidiary, Pledis Entertainment. SEVENTEEN consists of members S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The 8, Mingyu, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino. From giant posters and birthday banners to subway train ads and snack packs with their faces on, Seoul's drowning in SEVENTEEN mania as the group marks 10 years and drops their new album, Happy Burstday. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, in 2024, they were officially the biggest music group in the world in terms of album sales, only Taylor Swift and Drake ranked higher. SEVENTEEN beat out names like The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and Kendrick Lamar. Big names, some with Academy Awards, others with straight-up Grammy hauls and cult-like followings. Their Asia tour (2023–2024) pulled in a jaw-dropping $98.4 million from just 24 shows, making it the highest-grossing K-pop tour of the year.
Also read: Seventeen's Joshua says Jeonghan has 'a lot of worries like him', S Coups is 'straightforward'
The HYBE building, currently laser-focused on plotting BTS's post-military comeback, is also soaking in the success of the Shohikigen singers, with a bold message flashing across the HQ: SEVENTEEN will challenge eternity. But that momentum might be heading for a breather, with more members gearing up for enlistment. South Korea requires all men to serve before they hit 30. Jeonghan and Wonwoo have already reported for duty, and others are next in line. Happy Burstday came in swinging, over 2.2 million copies sold on day one. Wild to think back to 2015, when they debuted with 17 Carat and barely moved 1,400 units in the first week. 'We are standing at a new starting line, preparing for a new path ahead and ready to blaze a new trail,' S Coups said during the interview with the HR. 'Most of the members are going to enlist in the military soon. Up until now, we've mostly focused on our group promotions,' Hoshi, the leader of the band, added. 'We would like to show more of our individualities, each of the members' personalities and capabilities, so that when the time comes and we get back together again as a group, we'll be able to showcase ourselves as a better Seventeen.'
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BTS, on the other hand, dropped their anthology album Proof in 2022. It went on to become the second-highest first-week sales for a BTS album, right behind their 2020 release Map of the Soul: 7. According to The Korea Times, it sold over 2.75 million copies in the first week. Right now, every member of the group is focused on solo projects, with J-Hope on a world tour and Jin simultaneously holding concerts across South Korea. The group is set for a full comeback in June this year, with a possible musical return lined up for 2026.