BTS most streamed Korean artist on Spotify this year

K-pop boy group BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit Music

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop behemoth BTS was the most streamed Korean artist on Spotify this year, the streaming giant said Wednesday.

Trailing behind were girl groups BLACKPINK and TWICE, which ranked second and third, respectively. Boy band Stray Kids grabbed the No. 4 spot, followed by TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT).

Spotify accumulated the data as part of its "Wrapped 2021" campaign, an end-of-year project that gives a glimpse of streaming trends worldwide. The Swedish company, which launched its service in Korea in February, compiled the data from 381 million users around the world.

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"K-pop continued its incredible global growth in 2021, with the top 10 K-pop acts generating 13.7 billion streams in total, up 29 percent from the previous year," Spotify said in a statement.

BTS was also the third most streamed artist across the globe, after only Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift. Canadian hip-hop artist Drake ranked fourth, edging out Justin Bieber.

Spotify added that the seven-piece group's summer banger, "Butter" (2021), which reigned atop the Billboard main singles chart earlier this year, was the most streamed K-pop track of 2021. Its 2020 smash hit "Dynamite" took second place.

When it comes to albums, BTS again dominated the chart, with its 2020 release, "BE," being the most streamed this year.

"This year's Wrapped global K-pop data continues to showcase Spotify's commitment to the global success of Korean artists and music," a Spotify spokesperson said. "We will continue to help more Korean artists connect with fans worldwide and reach a global audience of millions, hoping to help accelerate the growth of Korea's entire music streaming ecosystem, ultimately benefiting artists, listeners and fans."

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