With Just One Hit Single On Canadian Radio, BTS Are Doing What No South Korean Artists Have Before

On the current edition of Billboard’s Canada CHR/Top 40 Airplay chart, which ranks the most-played songs on CHR stations (otherwise known as contemporary hit radio), BTS’s “Dynamite” doesn’t just advance once again, it makes a very special and very important forward movement. The disco-pop cut steps up from No. 13 to No. 9, reaching the highest tier on that specific tally for the first time.

By landing inside that field, BTS have made history on the Canada CHR/Top 40 Airplay chart in several ways, and they have shown that they can’t just get fans to buy and stream one of their latest releases, but also request it at radio in nearly any country. 

First Top 10 Hit By A South Korean Group

Now up to No. 9, “Dynamite” is the first-ever top 10 hit by a band from South Korea. Only a very small number of tunes produced by groups from the Asian nation have placed anywhere on the Canada CHR/Top 40 Airplay chart, and until now, none of them had come close to the loftiest tier.

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Second Top 10 Hit By A South Korean Artist

While “Dynamite” may be the first top 10 hit on the Canada CHR/Top 40 Airplay chart by a group that originated in South Korea, it isn’t the first track to appear somewhere between Nos. 1 and 10 by any musical act from the territory. That honor went to Psy, whose global smash “Gangnam Style” lifted all the way to No. 2 nearly a decade ago.

First South Korean Artist To Chart More Than One Top 40 Hit

Impressively, “Dynamite” is actually not BTS’s first real hit on the Canada CHR/Top 40 Airplay chart, though it is far and away their biggest win (at least so far). The septet first broke into the top 40 on the ranking last year with “Boy With Luv,” a collaboration with American pop singer Halsey. That tune managed to climb to No. 30 before stalling and turning around.

Fourth-Ever Top 40 Hit By A South Korean Musician

Shockingly, only four songs promoted by South Korean artists have ever reached the top 40 on the Canada CHR/Top 40 Airplay chart, certifying them as actual radio hits. In addition to BTS’s “Boy With Luv” and “Dynamite” and Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” Blackpink’s recent success “Ice Cream” also entered the area. That cut, which benefited from a feature by pop superstar Selena Gomez, ascended to No. 24 earlier this month, breaking records as it did.

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