"Ace of kpop"- Fans celebrate as BTS' j-hope's 'Hope on the Stage' becomes the highest-grossing K-soloist tour, earning $84.7M with 504K tickets

On September 17, 2025, @touringdata on X confirmed that BTS’ j-hope had made history with his first solo world tour, Hope on the Stage. The rapper and dancer achieved a record-breaking $84.7 million in revenue from 504,000 tickets sold across 33 shows. This makes it the highest-grossing tour ever by a Korean soloist. The achievement surpassed the previous record held by his fellow BTS member SUGA.

The concerts ran from February to June this year, and sold out every single venue with an average of over 15,000 fans per night. From stadiums in Los Angeles to arenas across Asia, Hope on the Stage became a global spectacle that highlighted j-hope as both a performer and a producer.

His hands-on approach to stage design, choreography, and visuals made the tour a deeply personal project that fans hailed as a perfect reflection of his artistry.

The numbers quickly set social media abuzz. ARMYs proudly called him the “Ace” of K-pop for his ability to excel in rap, dance, songwriting, and production.

"This is my darling, the ace of kpop for a reason. Oh the aura he has alone," an X user wrote.

Many wrote that he was "made for the stage." They pointed out how his attention to detail shines in every performance.

Fans flooded platforms with celebratory posts. They wrote that j-hope's latest accomplishment cements his position as one of the most "hardworking" artists in the industry.

More on BTS' j-hope’s record-breaking tour and sold-out shows

As reported by @touringdata, Hope on the Stage earned $49.7 million from 21 shows in Asia, selling 325,000 tickets, and $35 million from 12 North American shows, selling 178,000 tickets.

He also staged his biggest concert at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, where he broke a personal record by drawing over 35,000 fans and making $4.5 million in a single night.

Highlights of the tour also included two historic sold-out nights at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. This made him the first Korean soloist to headline a US stadium concert.

The tour concluded with an emotional encore in Goyang on June 14, 2025, where all seven BTS members reunited to support j-hope. Jin and Jungkook joined him on stage. Meanwhile, RM, SUGA, Jimin, and V cheered from the audience. Fans also enjoyed live cinema broadcasts of the Japan leg.

j-hope also surprised audiences by dropping three singles, Mona Lisa, Sweet Dreams, and Killin’ It Girl, during the tour run.

Lollapalooza Berlin 2025 - Day Two - Source: Getty

The setlist was divided into themed sections, including Ambition, Dream, Expectations, Fantasy, and Wish/Encore. Some of the songs that were included in the setlist were Arson, Pandora’s Box, More, Trivia: Just Dance, Daydream, Chicken Noodle Soup, Hope World, and encore tracks Equal Sign, Future, and Neuron.

The set encompassed all stages of his career, mixing tracks from Jack in the Box with newer singles and classics, which showed his overall versatility.

The concert sets the platform for j-hope's global impact ahead of BTS' full group reunion in 2026.

About the author

Mantasha is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda who covers K-pop and K-drama. She has recently completed her Masters in English and has a rich 3-year writing experience where she crafted engaging content for top companies such as Unacademy, Apollo Hospitals, Adani Airports, and the Economic Times. Her experience has helped her create a strong foundation that complements her passion for creating the best content related to K-pop, K-dramas and Korean movies.

Mantasha's interest in pop culture took root when her cousin introduced her to classic Hollywood and Bollywood tunes and the rest, as they say, is history. Mantasha’s connection with K-pop supergroup BTS is a special one as their song lyrics, hard work, and dedication resonate with her like no other group does.

Maintaining accuracy, relevance, and ethics in her reporting is extremely essential for Mantasha. She prioritizes thorough research, delving deep beyond just superficial sources, to ensure comprehensive and trustworthy information.

When not writing, Mantasha enjoys journaling and doodling, watching K-dramas and listening to songs.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay