10 Unbelievable BTS Songs Nigerians Listen To

Following an extensive research, here are the top 10 songs from the popular group BTS Nigerians listen to.

As hard as it may seem to believe the global precedence of BTS can not be undermined, this has become obvious with their appearances on charts in different countries, one of which is Nigeria in Africa.

The growth of BTS in Africa has, over time, been documented by digital streaming platforms, one of which is Spotify. Spotify, who had conducted well-documented research, revealed that fans listening to BTS had grown consistently as BTS is the most listened to Korean artist in Nigeria, South Africa and other African countries, highlighting that the K-pop genre witnessed a 93% year-on-year increase.

An end-of-the-year chart released by Spotify for K-Pop in Africa showed BTS was the most streamed K-Pop artist in sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria coming in at 3rd for the country that has heavily contributed to these streams.

Considering this, a survey was conducted to identify the BTS songs Nigerians listen to and the reason for their choice. Looking at the music of this famous group without understanding who they are and what they represent does not do that much justice to their art and creativity, which is why we would look into their history and growth to shed more light on what they represent.

Who Is BTS?

Global music sensation BTS is a Korean group consisting of seven talented individuals by the names of Kim Namjoon (RM), Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi (Suga), Jung Hoseok (J-Hope), Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung (V) and Jeon Jung Kook.

The group, which was formed in 2010 but made its official debut in 2013, is a group that has gone to defy the bias and barriers set by the music industry in the West. The septet has continued to develop and break records in the music industry and has also impacted the lives of their fans (ARMY) with the message their music passes on social issues and how the artists have also gone on to live their lives.

BTS has put out different genres of music in three distinct languages, Korean, Japanese and English. With over seven albums under their belts, they have managed to find their way into the heart of fans even in Nigeria and here are the songs that got these Nigerian fans into BTS as a group and their music as a whole.

Here are the ten spectacular BTS songs Nigerians listen to today.

Dynamite

The sensational group released a song that became a source of happiness for fans and music lovers during the pandemic in August 2020. Dynamite became BTS’ first all-English song that went ahead to break and set numerous records on the charts in different parts of the world.

The upbeat disco song, which was heavily influenced by the 1970s sound, encouraged its listeners to embrace the little things and seek comfort in enjoying them following the heavy effect of COVID-19 in many people’s lives worldwide.

Dynamite took over the charts in different countries worldwide and is currently certified Platinum in over 12 countries, with the US, UK, Japan, Korea and France all-inclusive.

The song also hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also became the first song by a Korean artist to achieve a Billboard all-kill by hitting number one on the Billboard global 200 at the same time, it also became the first song to receive a grammy nomination for the artist as well.

Dynamite has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube and has also surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify as well.

Butter

(remix featuring Megan Thee Stallion)

BTS redefined their uniqueness as the group took on a new challenge with the release of Butter in 2021. Butter became their second all-English single that rocked the music industry for days. With over 100 million views on YouTube on the first day of its release, Butter also received platinum certifications in over four countries and sold over 3 million physical copies after its release.

The hit song spent 6 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and featured Megan Thee Stallion on the remix. The hit song also bagged the group their second Grammy award nomination and saw the group shock fans worldwide with their memorable performance at the Grammys.

The hit song has over 800 million views on YouTube and surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Fire

A strong message with a catchy tune was the main idea behind BTS’ smashing hit ‘Fire’, released in May 2016. Fire which was one of the biggest tracks of the first compilation album titled ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever’ acknowledges the challenges an individual encounters in society today as well as the expectations of society as a whole; the song encourages individuals to break out of the norm and live the way they want to live. Fire has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube on the two videos available on the platform and has also surpassed 300 million streams on Spotify.

Coldplay X BTS – MY Universe

A collaboration many did not see coming, Coldplay and BTS redefined music with their 2021 grammy nominated collaboration titled ‘My Universe.’ A song that emphasizes that music transcends the borders of language and distance, and cultural differences peaked at number one on the billboard hot 100 charts.

‘My Universe’ has surpassed 800 million streams on Spotify and has also surpassed 260 million views on YouTube as well.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

With no bad songs in their vast discography, Blood, Sweat & Tears also find its way to our list. BTS adopted the storytelling of maturity and evolution into adulthood in the music video and concept of the entire song. Blood, Sweat & Tears is off the ‘Wings’ album and has surpassed 920 million views on YouTube and over 400 million streams on Spotify too.

Boy With Luv (featuring Halsey)

Boy With Luv was a message from BTS to the fans (ARMY). The song, which features a popular American singer, Halsey, was released in April 2019 and is off the extended playlist ‘Map Of The Soul: Persona.’ The translation of the Korean name ‘ 작은 것들을 위한 시’ of the song was as soothing as its lyrics and the catchy tone as it is titled ‘A Peom for small things’ made its debut and peaked on the Billboard hot 100 at number 8, it also made its debut on the billboard charts in Korea, Canada and Japan as well.

The song, which was also performed at the billboard music awards, is certified Platinum in different countries, including the US, Korea, Australia and Mexico. Boy With Luv is also certified gold in over 4 countries, namely, Canada, Italy, Colombia and France. It is also certified Silver in the UK as well.

Boy With Luv has surpassed 1.2 billion streams on YouTube and has also surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, making it the third song from the vast catalogue of BTS to achieve this milestone.

IDOL

(Remix featuring Nicki Minaj)

Released in 2018 off the Love Yourself: Answer album, IDOL by BTS saw the group on a new challenge with the introduction of the African sound and dance steps to their music. The song had a rich blend of traditional South Korean instruments, which were infused into the rich South African house music style called Gqom.

Aside from the sound, the message behind the music was clear in the lyrics; BTS had been focused on inspiring people to embrace themselves for who they are, who they have been and who they will be in the future regardless of the flaws and the mistakes one may make.

The song, whose music video has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, officially debuted on the Billboard hot 100 charts at number 11 and is certified Platinum in the US, Korea and Japan. The hit song is also certified silver in the UK and gold in Australia. The remix of the hit song went on to feature popular American rapper Nicki Minaj.

Dope

With over 750 million views on YouTube and 290 million streams on Spotify, Dope by BTS makes our list of the top 10 songs Nigerians listen to. A song that talks about how much effort the seven talented artists put into their craft and how hard they have worked to be on the level they were on before its release. The hit song was released in 2015 and has continued to be a song that challenges favouritism and glorifies the hard work every individual puts into his or her craft.

Spring Day

The soothing and comforting song ‘Spring Day’ makes the list of top songs Nigerians listen to by BTS. The reason for this is not far-fetched as ‘Spring Day’ is a song with a hidden message and of huge symbolism. Spring Day had been a nostalgic and passionate song about love, loss and yearning.

It was a song of comfort for the families that lost their children in the tragic Seoul Ferry incident, which shocked and threw South Korea into a mourning period in 2014.

Although the song was released three years after the incident, the song’s message was carried over the years, and it became the longest-charting song on the melon weekly chart after spending over 130 weeks on the chart after its release.

Jin of BTS told Esquire magazine in an exclusive interview in 2020 that the song had been about the tragic incident and also about yearning.

He said:

“It is about a sad event, as you said, but it is also about longing,”

“I like to look to the past and be lost in it.”

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