BTS’s new video makes YouTube history

In case anyone still doubted the sheer fandom driving the force that is the K-pop group BTS, the guys’ latest single “Dynamite” just smashed a record by becoming the biggest music video premiere in YouTube's history.When the anticipated song dropped at midnight on August 21, it immediately attracted more than three million simultaneous viewers, although some publications are reporting that it was actually closer to four million. While the exact numbers are still rolling in, those figures are more than enough to obliterate the next closest record holder, Blackpink. Earlier this year the K-pop girl-group’s release of “How You Like That” drew 1.65 million simultaneous viewers, beating the previous record, which BTS also held. Their February 21 release of “On” drew 1.54 million concurrent viewers, proving that the fandom (a.k.a. the BTS Army) is real. And now that “Dynamite” has essentially doubled or maybe even tripled the previous record, other fandoms are going to have their work cut out for them in order to topple it.

the more the views are freezing, the more people are helping us to stream harder. dont panic, stay calm, and keep on streaming. DO IT FOR BTS.

— cassie⁷ ☆ (@minhobalie) August 21, 2020

35M more views needed to break the current 24h record..... let’s keep going!!!! https://t.co/yRrMTYDpzn

— hami⁷ (@relijoon) August 21, 2020

Got my eyes on them ?? #BTS_Dynamite pic.twitter.com/LIYZqpn9dN

— ??????? // Dynamite (@Meowzuz93) August 21, 2020

Speaking of toppling records, at time of press “Dynamite” was already at more than 53 million overall views, which puts it on track to beat another Blackpink record. Right now “How You Like That” has the largest 24-hour YouTube music video debut with 86.3 million overall views. With more than half a day to go, however, no one should be surprised if “Dynamite” almost doubles that number too.“Dynamite” marks BTS’s first English-only-language single, and insiders are already anticipating that it could become the first song from the group to hit Billboard’s Top 100. The group wanted the song to spark hope and bring energy to fans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. They worked with Jessica Agombar—one of the people behind the Jonas Brothers’ “What a Man Gotta Do” and Hailee Steinfeld’s “I Love Yous—for the song. The release comes six months after the group's fourth studio album, Map of the Soul: 7, was released.It definitely seems like BTS is going to close out 2020 on a roll, at any rate. In addition to the successful launch of “Dynamite” the seven-member group is also planning on releasing their film, Break the Silence: The Movie, in theatres around the globe this September. Meanwhile, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook will come together to share “Dynamite” during their first performance at the upcoming 2020 MTV Video Music Awards on August 30.The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards will air live on Sunday, August 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV2, MUCH, MTV and streaming platforms.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: This man may have captured a ghost on camera while filming his dog[/video_embed]