"SNS KING V" - Fans celebrate as BTS' Taehyung secures #3 on Instagram's global music influencer list by HypeAuditor, leading as top male & Asian act

On September 1, 2025, BTS' Taehyung (Instagram handle: @thv) officially ranked #3 on HypeAuditor's global music influencer list on Instagram. The list places him only behind Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. The achievement not only cemented him as the top male artist but also the highest-ranking Asian act worldwide.

According to HypeAuditor, the ranking is based on authentic engagement, follower quality, and average interactions, rather than just raw follower numbers. The Singularity singer currently has 69.3 million followers on the social media platform.

V notably recorded an outstanding 15.9% engagement rate in August, the highest of any artist on the platform.

HypeAuditor's list of top global music influencers (Images via HypeAuditor website)

Moreover, V's posts averaged 11 million likes and 8.6 million authentic engagements, despite having comments switched off for all uploads. He also showed a steady +0.36% growth rate in the past month and earned an estimated $457K–$626K in August alone. This projected yearly earnings of up to $7.5M.

As this news reached social media platforms, fans' comments poured in, calling him "SNS KING," expressing their pride in V.

"SNS KING V. CONGRATULATIONS," one fan tweeted.

Others also joined in to celebrate how V managed to rank this high without frequent releases or heavy social media activity. Many noted that Taehyung's ability to outshine many global names with fewer posts proved the depth of his organic influence.

Fans praised Taehyung for being "unstoppable" and setting the standard for engagement.

Top 10 global music influencers on Instagram, Taehyung's activities, & more

Taehyung's strong ranking comes in the middle of a star-studded list that highlights the biggest names in global music. Alongside him, several top Western and K-pop acts also made it to the Top 10.

Here are the Top 10 music artists who made it to the list:

Taylor Swift (@taylorswift): 282.1M followers | Avg. engagement: 5.8M
Selena Gomez (@selenagomez): 417.7M followers | Avg. engagement: 1.9M
V / Kim Tae-hyung (@thv): 69.3M followers | Avg. engagement: 11M
Billie Eilish (@billieeilish): 124.9M followers | Avg. engagement: 3.5M
Lisa (@lalalalisa_m): 106.8M followers | Avg. engagement: 3.9M
Jimin (@j.m): 55.2M followers | Avg. engagement: 7.3M
Jennie (@jennierubyjane): 88.2M followers | Avg. engagement: 3.9M
Ariana Grande (@arianagrande): 374.1M followers | Avg. engagement: 762K
Jisoo (@sooyaaa__): 80M followers | Avg. engagement: 3.6M
RM (@rkive): 48.6M followers | Avg. engagement: 5M

Beyond social media, Taehyung has also been active since completing his military service in June 2025. In July, he made headlines at Paris Fashion Week as Celine's ambassador. Later, he graced the September cover of W Korea.

Just last week, he threw the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, charming fans worldwide with his interactions and symbolic connection to BTS' number seven.

Now back in South Korea with the other six BTS members after their extended stay in Los Angeles, Taehyung is working on the group's much-anticipated 2026 comeback album.

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 Mantasha Azeem