The K-pop Songs Setting YouTube Records

After BTS announced a hiatus from group activities due to some members most likely having to start mandatory military service in South Korea, the stage seems to be well prepared for the next biggest k-pop act to increase its popularity: Blackpink, the four-piece girl group, will release Born Pink, their first album in two years, on September 16. As our chart based on data collected by Kworb.net shows, the lead single Pink Venom has already passed an important milestone.

The clip for the trap pop track managed to reach 100 million views on YouTube in 1.4 days, catapulting it to the fourth spot in the all-time ranking of music videos reaching that threshold the fastest. The outfit's videos for How You Like That and Ice Cream rank third and sixth, while the debut solo single of one of its four members, Thai rapper and singer Lalisa Manobal, sits in seventh place.

Two of the three English language singles by BTS, Butter and Dynamite, fared even better and achieved that milestone in around 24 hours. The third, Permission To Dance, ranks eighth overall with 2.1 days. Notably absent: BTS' recent cooperation with stadium rock outfit Coldplay, My Universe. The music video was released in September 2021 and only has about 231 million views in total.

The first non-South Korean entry on the list comes in at the twelfth spot: The desi pop hit Filhaal2 Mohabbat by B Praak reached 100 million views after 2.9 days, followed by Western artists like 6ix9ine, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.

K-pop, one of the three most important cultural exports of South Korea next to k-beauty and k-drama, has fast become a global phenomenon over the last couple of years. BTS alone accumulated around 29 billion streams on Spotify by September 12, and a recent survey among k-pop fans conducted by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange found that, on average, followers of South Korean music spent 27 minutes and $10.8 per month engaging with artists like BTS, Blackpink, Twice or Monsta X.

The multi-billion dollar industry is not without its faults, though. Documentaries like 9 Muses of Star Empire, internal leaks and statements from former stars show its dark underbelly. Artists suffer from immense strains on physical and mental health, financial dependency and regular waves of hateful online comments when they don't conform to the industry's standards in terms of musical quality and looks.