BTS wins 2020’s IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award

Seoul — Top Korean boy band BTS has received another recognition for their work. BTS has been awarded the 2020 IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award due to their success with multiple hit albums and singles. The award is an annual honour that recognises an artiste’s global popularity across streaming and sales which includes vinyl, downloads and CDs.

The septet set another standard by becoming the first act to perform primarily in a language other than English. BTS became the first Asian act to receive the title, reported Allkpop on March 5.

Till now, recipients of this award have hailed from North America (Taylor Swift in 2014 and 2019, Drake in 2016 and 2018) or the United Kingdom (One Direction in 2013, Adele in 2015, Ed Sheeran in 2017). BTS came close to winning the trade body’s top award in 2018, when they finished #2, and again in 2019, coming in at #7.

BTS’ Map of the Soul: 7 is one of the most pre-ordered albums of all time. The album topped the charts in more than 20 countries including South Korea. According to IFPT CEO Frances Moore, BTS are a global phenomenon.

“They have had another outstanding year, releasing three albums, and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world. They truly show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people the world over.”

IFPI, short for International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, is the organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide. The unique award is calculated according to an artist’s or group’s worldwide performance across digital and physical music formats during the year, from streams to vinyl, and covers their entire body of work. The award was announced at the culmination of the IFPI Global Artist Chart, which counted down the top 10 best-selling artists of the year globally.

BTS, also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan (Bangtan Boys) consists of seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Their ages range from 23 to 28.

The boyband debuted under Big Hit Entertainment in Seoul in 2013. BTS is also a backronym for Beyond the Scene in July 2017. Each BTS member co-writes and co-produces their own music and their music style includes a wide range of genres./TISG