Biggest streaming debuts in global Spotify chart history:
#1 The Fate of Ophelia 30.98M
#2 Fortnight 25.2M
#3 Elizabeth Taylor 23.97M
#4 Opalite 23.71M
#5 Father Figure 21.8M
#6 Eldest Daughter 19.96M
#7 Actually Romantic 19.39M
#8 The Tortured Poets Department 19.1M
#9 Wood 19M
#10 CANCELLED! 18.83M
#11 Wi$h Li$t 18.8M
#12 Ruin The Friendship 18.76M
#13 The Life of a Showgirl 18.73M
#14 Down Bad 17.4M
#15 Anti-Hero 17.4M
#16 So Long London 17.2M
#17 My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 17.1M
#18 Lavender Haze 16.4M
#19 Honey 15.9955M
#20 Seven 15.9954M
#21 But Daddy I Love Him 15.5M
#22 Snow On the Beach 15M
#23 SWIM 14.6M
#24 Florida!!! 14.5M
#25 Maroon 14.4M
#26 Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 14.4M
#27 I Had Some Help 13.95M
#28 I Can Do It With A Broken Heart 13.7M
#29 Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? 13M
#30 You’re On Your Own, Kid 12.8M
#31 Fresh Out the Slammer 12.75M
#32 Guilty As Sin? 12.7M
#33 Midnight Rain 12.6M
#34 Aperture 12.48M
#35 MONACO 12.45M
#36 Girls Want Girls 12.4M
#37 loml 12.08M
#38 Vigilante Shit 11.88M
#39 Moscow Mule 11.75M
#40 Champagne Poetry 11.7M
#41 Style (Taylor’s Version) 11.67M
#42 Fair Trade 11.64M
#43 Question…? 11.56M
#44 Slut! 11.31M
#45 yes, and? 11.2M
#46 Body To Body 11.19M
#47 I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) 11.1M
#48 Butter 11.04M
#49 I Don’t Care 10.98M
#50 The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived 10.82M
My social media friends and family, I want to share a pop culture story with you that is deeply personal to me about my daughter, Jewel, and the rise of the sensational K-Pop grout BTS. As BTS prepares for their comeback performance tomorrow from their military service, some stories deserve to be told the right way. (If it’s available to you, I encourage you to watch the live stream performance Saturday morning at 1 AM EST.)
Years ago, my daughter, Jewel, met a group of young men from South Korea who were in Los Angeles working, learning, and pursuing something they believed in. The world didn’t know them yet. They weren’t global icons. They were just young artists trying to find their way.
That group was BTS.
Jewel’s meeting them happened in a way that still feels serendipitous—and very much like her. While out to dinner in Los Angeles, exuding that natural warmth and vivaciousness she carried everywhere, she was approached by a band member and asked if she would be part of their reality TV show. She said yes, the way she always did to new experiences and new people. That moment led to her participation in their reality series "American Hustle Life," and from there, she was also invited to be part of their “Boy in Luv” LA music video. What began as a simple, genuine interaction—just Jewel being Jewel—quietly became something much bigger.
When Jewel first arrived on set she saw something in them immediately. Not just talent—she saw who they were. Their kindness. Their humility. Their work ethic. Their respect for others. She told them they were going to go far. And she came home and told me the same thing… “Dad, they’re going to be stars.”
She didn’t say it casually. She meant it. And she was right.
Today, the world knows BTS for what they have accomplished—historic musical firsts in the United States, breaking barriers, filling stadiums, speaking at the United Nations, addressing anti-Asian hate crimes at the White House, and bringing people together across cultures and languages. But what makes me proud isn’t just their success. It’s that Jewel recognized their character before the world recognized their fame.
After Jewel passed, something profound happened that I will never forget.
The group reached out to me and then their fanbase—ARMY—showed up.
Not in a small way. Not for a moment. But in a global, unified, compassionate movement. They helped tell Jewel’s story. They helped raise awareness about the defective Takata airbag that took her life. Together, we reached people across every continent. millions of engagements. Conversations that mattered. Lives saved.
They didn’t have to do that. But they did. And that told me everything about who they are. Thank you.
To the members of BTS—congratulations on completing your military service. That commitment to your country and your fellow citizens speaks volumes about your character. It reflects the same values Jewel saw in you from the very beginning.
I am proud of everything you have accomplished. I am proud that your paths crossed with my daughter. And I am grateful that she had the chance to know you—not as the world sees you now, but as the young men you were, and still are at your core.
Her belief in you came true. And I know that she is smiling down on you from heaven.
—Alexander
RM of BTS is a master of wordplay and one of the best lyricists of this generation. It’s genuinely tragic how most people will never understand how insane his pen game is.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
“Edit better next time”?
BLINKs just got exposed in their own group chats admitting to editing videos and spreading lies about Jimin’s VMAs votes. All because they’re scared of losing to him.
TWICE's Tzuyu mentions BTS for their role in expanding K-pop globally:
"There are so many kpop artists who worked so hard so that kpop can take the center stage. Many artists worked hard to contribute, and BTS played a big role in that."