BTS become first group ever to hit 10 billion Spotify streams in a single year
BTS hit 10 billion Spotify plays in 2026 as of Dec. 16—a 122% surge from 2025's 4.5 billion, powered by their album ARIRANG.
First group. Ever.
BTS crossed 10 billion cumulative Spotify streams in a single calendar year as of December 16. No group had ever done it. Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Bad Bunny all hit the mark before—but they're solo acts.
2025 closed at 4.5 billion plays. 2026 landed at 10 billion-plus. That's a 122% increase.
ARIRANG did the heavy lifting
The fifth studio album ARIRANG, released in March, carried the weight. By December 14, it had racked up 5 billion cumulative plays on Spotify—the most-streamed 2026 release on the platform. March 20 saw daily streams hit 130 million on release day. All 14 tracks occupied positions 1 through 14 on Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart at once.
Title track SWIM pulled roughly 14 million streams on its first day alone. No other 2026 release on the platform matched that single-day debut count.
MTV VMAJ adds hardware to the numbers
December 14 brought Artist of the Year at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ). They'd already won Best Group Video/International in September for the SWIM music video. Two wins at VMAJ in one year while also breaking a global streaming record—the era is not subtle.
The full MTV VMAJ awards ceremony is scheduled for December 29 at Tokyo Dome in Japan.
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