NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: K-Pop band, BTS is seen in Times Square on December 31, 2019 in New York ... [+]
For a long time, top 40 radio remained the last frontier that musicians from South Korea had yet to conquer in a number of Western countries. To this day, very few tunes from artists from that part of the world have come close to becoming real hits on Billboard charts that rank the most-played cuts on the biggest stations in places like the U.S. and Canada.
As of this week, a major glass ceiling has finally been shattered in one of the biggest music markets in the world by the most successful act from South Korea.
This time around, BTS’s “Dynamite” lifts from No. 13 to No. 9 on Billboard’s Canada CHR/Top 40 radio chart (CHR stands for contemporary hit radio), which lists the most-played tracks on what are usually some of the most popular radio stations in the northern nation. The tune isn’t just the first top 10 placement for the septet, it’s the first appearance inside the highest tier for any band from South Korea.
Before this week, only one hit from a musician based in South Korea had ever reached the top 10 on the Canada CHR/Top 40 radio chart, and it’s a smash that stands as one of the most beloved tunes created by any act from the country. Years ago, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” nearly conquered the ranking, as it stalled at No. 2. That cut still stands as the highest-charting release by a South Korean act, and until now it was the only title to find its way into the loftiest tier.
At the rate “Dynamite” is climbing up the Canada CHR/Top 40 radio chart, it could improve its standing in the coming weeks, perhaps even reaching the top five. At the moment, it’s hard to say if BTS’s all-English release has a shot at the No. 1 spot, but it is bound to hold as one of the biggest successes among South Korean artists for a long time when looking not just at Canadian radio stations, but seemingly every Billboard chart there is.
