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2020 was a monumental year for BTS. The South Korean septet released blockbuster albums, and superhit songs, and broke several world records. Despite their Map of the Soul: 7 world tour getting canceled and people reeling from the force of a global pandemic, the group continued working and provided much-needed comfort to their fans.
Apart from music, the Dynamite group also released a lot of content for the fans to consume, like Run BTS! as well as BTS in the SOOP. If that wasn't enough, the group also put up an online paid concert, Map of the Soul ON:E, that was attended by 993,000 concurrent viewers, a record that was later broken by their concert in 2021.
5 BTS moments from 2020 that fans would love to relive
Whether it was releasing their first-ever English single or performing at the Grammy Awards for the first time, 2020 was a remarkable year for the world's biggest South Korean act.
Here are the 5 best BTS moments from 2020 that will stay in fans' minds for a long time.
1) The inimitable performance of Seoul Town Road with Lil Nas X at the Grammys in January
After RM's collaboration with Lil Nas X on a remix of Old Town Road, BTS was invited to perform with the American rapper for their first-ever performance on the Grammy stage. The septet looked wonderful in their outfits, grooving to the beat of Seoul Town Road as RM rapped his verse from the song.
The Grammy Awards in 2020 allowed the group to set a precedent for their performances in 2021 and 2022, announcing loud and clear to the Western music industry that they are here to stay.
2) Record-breaking Online Concerts namely BANG BANG CON: The Live and Map of the Soul ON:E
The pandemic forced BTS to cancel their much-anticipated world tour in 2020, disappointing fans from across the globe. The group did their best to make up for it by screening past concerts on YouTube for free and eventually putting up two mind-blowing paid online concerts.
The first, Bang Bang Con: The Live, was held on June 14, 2020. It boasted a whopping 756,000 paid viewers across 107 different regions. The concert included a good mix of fan favorites from their previous albums as well as unit songs that the group had previously been unable to perform.
Just One Day, Go Go, and Black Swan were among the songs they performed. The online concert had a comments section so that fans could post their live reactions to the band.
The second set of paid online concerts took place over the course of two days, October 10 and 11, 2020. This time, the ON group attempted to bring the songs that they had planned for the Map of the Soul: 7 tour to online audiences. This time, however, the septet was also able to see viewers from around the world, bridging the gap created by the pandemic.
Apart from the group's performances together, their solo performances grabbed attention. Jung Kook's sensual interpretation of My Time and Jimin's sultry voice and unbelievable on-stage change of clothes in Filter served as highlights.
The Map of the Soul ON:E concerts attracted a total of 993,000 paid viewers from 191 regions, which broke the record for the most paid viewers of an online concert that was set by Bang Bang Con: The Live earlier in the year.
3) First No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their first English single Dynamite (and later with Life Goes On)
By 2020, the South Korean septet had had several run-ins with the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The likes of Fake Love, Boy with Luv, and ON had even managed to reach the top ten, but that illustrious number-one position seemed to elude the band. However, as BTS created history by releasing their first record-breaking English-language single, they also managed to secure that evasive number one on the chart on August 31, 2020.
Dynamite came as a respite for a world reeling from lockdowns, economic downfalls, and irreparable losses. The light-hearted, colorful pop song seemed to say that despite all the horrible things happening, it was okay to dance, listen to music, and let loose.
In December of the same year, BTS released an album chronicling their experiences with the pandemic, with members actively participating in various capacities, including songwriting, production, costume, and even music video direction.
The lead single, Life Goes On, also reached Number One on the Hot 100 chart, becoming the first non-English single to debut at that position. This achievement remains close to the members' hearts as they could scarcely imagine a song in their native language would appeal to a Western audience.
4) Dynamite giving BTS their first-ever GRAMMY nomination
The Grammy is a coveted award for musicians around the world. BTS received their first nomination for Dynamite on November 14, 2020, and posted a video of four of the members reacting to the announcement with squeals of excitement.
The nomination was an important breakthrough for the band, and although they did not win the award, their blockbuster performance at the ceremony that year established that their music transcends any perceived boundaries.
5) Spellbinding performances by the group at the year-end award shows
Known for their eye-catching and memorable performances at award shows, BTS set new standards in 2020. From renting out an entire stadium to investing in AR technology so that SUGA could perform despite being injured, the group spared no expense for their performances.
The Butter group proved why they are at the top of their game with these performances, answering their naysayers without saying a word. BTS also won several top awards (Daesang) during the ceremonies, achieving what is commonly called a Daesang sweep in K-pop. This means they won all the top awards of that award show.
The group's achievements in 2020 also sparked discussion about K-pop and Korean music, and how BTS is making it more accessible to audiences all over the world. The same year, BTS also set standards by supporting important causes around the world, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, urging their formidable fanbase to do the same.
Currently, the band has decided to focus on solo projects, with j-hope already having released his album Jack in the Box to an incredible response from around the world. BTS' leader RM, who celebrated his birthday on September 12, said that he intended to release his solo album by the end of this year, giving fans something to look forward to (along with awaiting confirmation about the release of the other members' albums).
