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BTS' Jimin found himself at the center of heated online debates after reports revealed that his solo track Who lost 175 million streams on Spotify. The sudden drop, particularly a 52 million deduction within a single day, sparked widespread discussions on social media. Many questioned the legitimacy of the song's initial success. Netizens took to online forums, speculating that the streaming numbers for Who might have been artificially inflated.
The controversy began circulating on May 3, 2025, when fans noticed the significant stream dip. Posts on popular platforms like TheQoo and X highlighted that the track had lost streams in large chunks between November 2024 and May 2025. This sharp decline led to allegations of manipulated streams.
Many questioned whether his agency, HYBE, might have engaged in boosting numbers using automated streaming methods or "bot streams."
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While some netizens quickly criticized, fans came to Jimin's defense. Fans insisted that it was unfair to drag an artist's name through controversy without proper evidence or clarification from the platform itself. An X user, @nico7_happy, wrote,
"Dragging an artist over unconfirmed Spotify data is pathetic. Stream fluctuations happen due to system updates or data cleanups — not because of your made-up scandals. Stop spreading hate and get a grip. Jimin doesn’t deserve your bitterness."
Many called out the accusations as baseless. They emphasized that Jimin's track had achieved its numbers organically through the support of fans worldwide.
"Why you guys forgot the fact that even with all the deletion the song has more than 1,5 billion stream under 1 year? Spotify aims to delete stream from songs that has high support by the artist’s fandom and not paying them enough for playlisting and autoplay," a fan commented.
"It's almost a year and h*es still obsessed with "Who". Congratulation Jimin for staying relevant while in hiatus with a song that even losers tuning in," a fan added.
"It disgusts me the people who try to belittle the achievements of others, it hurts whoever it hurts, what Jimin has, he achieved through his own merits, but there are people so envious that they want to see him fall and it will not happen," a netizen remarked.
"I see so many insecure people over here," another person wrote.
Others demanded transparency from Spotify regarding its stream-counting methods. They argued that stream drops are not unusual on platforms like Spotify. They also blamed the label and the platform for the confusion.
"Payola agencies are always obsessed with numbers, this is really the agency's fault, not the singer or idol's," a fan commented.
"Why so much hate against him," a netizen remarked.
"I have no hate towards artists, but you really have to explain what happened apart from making corrections, or else ppl won't take your data serously," an X user wrote.
Jimin's solo journey, military service, and anticipated return with BTS
Despite the ongoing controversy, Who remains one of Jimin's most successful solo projects. It was released in July 2024 as part of his second studio album, Muse. Who also became the fastest K-pop solo track to reach 1.5 billion streams, breaking several records along the way.
The Serendipity singer's journey as a soloist began amidst BTS's temporary break due to mandatory military service. He enlisted in December 2023 alongside fellow member Jungkook and is expected to complete his service by June 2025. Even during his enlistment, he managed to stay connected with fans through handwritten letters and social media updates.
As BTS's reunion looms closer, with all members' discharge dates approaching, fans eagerly await new music and live performances from the group. Despite its recent streaming controversy, Jimin's Who has only added to the anticipation for what he and the rest of BTS have in store for the future.
With FESTA 2025 approaching, j-hope hinted at surprises during his HOPE ON THE STAGE encore concerts. Many believe the surprise might be a group reunion on the stage. However, nothing is confirmed yet.
