“Dynamite”: Are TWICE more popular than BTS now?

With BTS going on hiatus, will TWICE take over their reign as K-Pop royalty? Well, we’d be lying if we said TWICE hasn’t already been at the top for some time now. Considered one of the most popular girl groups in the Korean pop industry, TWICE has fans all over the globe. 

The nine-member ensemble has sold millions of album copies and filled up arenas during their world tours. Yet, could TWICE’s popularity ever surpass that of BTS and their hit tracks like “Dynamite”? Find out all the details about TWICE’s rising stardom and BTS’s hiatus announcement.

TWICE makes streaming records

The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) has announced its new set of official certifications and of course, TWICE topped the charts. 

TWICE’s hit single “The Feels” was officially certified platinum after exceeding 100 million streams since its release in October. This now makes it the fastest song by any female foreign artist to receive a RIAJ platinum certification for streaming.

With this latest achievement, TWICE has also become the girl group with the most RIAJ platinum certifications for streaming. “The Feels” is now their fourth track to be certified platinum after “Feel Special,” “I Can’t Stop Me,” and “Fancy”.

BTS takes an extended break after “Dynamite”

In a recent video, BTS celebrated their Festa dinner which has been an annual event to mark their debut anniversary. Festa dinners have always been a joy for fans to watch as BTS members unwind with food and plenty of alcohol as they reminisce on their friendship & career.

Except this time around, the group used this time to announce that they are going on hiatus. The band, which has been working nonstop with hit singles like “Dynamite”, is finally taking time for themselves to work on solo projects and themselves as individuals, not as BTS.

RM explained that while they’ve achieved unimagined success as a group, the members still need to grow and evolve separately as both musicians & people. “I think we should spend some time apart to learn how to be one again,” said J-Hope. “I hope you don’t see this as a negative thing, and see it as a healthy plan. I think BTS will become stronger that way.”

BTS made it clear that this decision wasn’t easy to make. Fear of disappointing ARMY was clearly a big stressor. “We can’t help but think of our fans no matter what, we want to be the kind of artists that are remembered by our fans. I think now we’re starting to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered [as],” Jimin expressed. 

Suga added, attempting to lighten the mood and comfort fans, that, “It’s not like we’re disbanding!” This is definitely what everyone needed to hear to keep the tears from falling.

TWICE’s fame continues to soar

TWICE is now the highest-selling K-pop girl group of the past decade, according to South Korea’s Gaon Chart. The fan-favorite girl group just ended their tour last month with two record-setting encore concerts in Los Angeles. TWICE is also scheduled to release a full Japanese album in late July.

The upbeat group is made up of nine talented members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. TWICE was formed under the T.V. program Sixteen (2015) and debuted on October 20th, 2015, with the EP The Story Begins.

TWICE first rose to national fame in 2016 with their single “Cheer Up”, which charted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, became the best-performing single of the year, and won “Song of the Year” at the Melon Music Awards & Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Their next single, “TT”, from their third EP Twicecoaster: Lane 1, topped the Gaon charts for four consecutive weeks. Within nineteen months of their debut, TWICE had already sold over 1.2 million units of their four EPs and special albums. As of December 2020, the group has sold over 10 million albums in South Korea & Japan, becoming the highest-selling K-Pop girl group of all time.

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Do you think TWICE could ever be more popular than BTS? Which song is better: BTS’s “Dynamite” or TWICE’s “The Feels”? Let us know in the comments below!