BTS, EXO Among Most Tweeted About Artists During The Quarantine

KEY POINTS

Twitter’s “Twitter from Home” trend report highlighted the popularity of K-pop bands in the U.S.
BTS has overtaken Kanye West and Beyoncé to become the most tweeted about music act over the past six months
EXO, NCT and ATEEZ were also among the most tweeted about musicians during quarantine

K-pop groups BTS, EXO, NCT and Ateez are among the most tweeted about music bands during the first six months of quarantine.

Last week, Twitter released its official “Twitter from Home” trend report, which shared data about what people in the U.S. have been listening to and watching to keep themselves entertained in the past six months when the COVID-19 pandemic had everyone spending more time indoors.

The report compared Twitter activity between March 1 and Sept. 1 of this year to volume in the same range in 2019.

According to the report, BTS topped Twitter’s list of “Most Tweeted-About Musicians in the United States.” NCT came in at no. 6, Ateez no. 8. and EXO landed at no. 11 on the chart.

Ths South Korean pop bands were joined by other artists such as Kanye West (no. 2), Beyoncé (no. 3), Drake (no. 4), Megan Thee Stallion (no. 5), Bad Bunny (no. 7), Cardi B (no. 9), Harry Styles (no. 10), Taylor Swift (no. 12), Lil Uzi Vert (no. 13), Nicki Minaj (no. 14) and Kehlani (no. 15).

Over the years, K-pop has steadily gained more popularity in America, partly due to the massive fan base of South Korean pop acts. For instance, BTS’ fans, collectively called the Army, have played an important role in the group's global appeal.

“With streaming, fans now have such a large voice, and that’s how BTS really became a phenomenon — because the fans made it a phenomenon, like with the underground culture of punk and hardcore,” DJ Steve Aoki told Rolling Stone. “These guys just crush it. And I think because the fans are making such a big deal, it’s not going anywhere.”

BTS recently saw success with its first all-English single, “Dynamite,” which created history last month by helping the group become the first all-South Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100.

The septet, consisting of Jin, Suga, RM, J-Hope, V, Jimin and Jungkook, is gearing up for the release of its next album.

Jimin recently revealed on “Bae Chul Soo’s Music Camp” that the songs in their new album are much better than “Dynamite.” RM, meanwhile, noted the songs all have different genres.

“There are a lot of different genres on the album,” RM said of their next release, which is set to drop later this year. “The songs’ messages are what are needed the most right now during these times.”