[!] BTS was chosen by TIME as one of the 25 most influential people on the Internet
Overtaking Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez to spend 27 consecutive weeks atop Billboard’s “Social 50” chart, which tracks popularity across different platforms, would be an impressive feat for any artist. It’s especially so for BTS, a Korean boy band — the full name, Bangtan Sonyeondan, loosely translates to “bulletproof boy scouts” in English — whose seven members have managed to cultivate a virtual fanbase that could give the Beyhive a run for its money. In 2016, the so-called BTS Army propelled Wings to No. 26 on the Billboard 200 — the highest-ever debut for a K-pop album — and earlier this year, they helped BTS win Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards. During their acceptance speech, band member Rap Monster (real name: Kim Nam-joon) gave credit where credit was due: “This award belongs to [everybody] around the world who shines the love and light on us,” he said. —Raisa Bruner
