BTS have had a huge following ever since their debut in 2013, with their profile growing by the year.
But 2018 will be remembered as the year they took over the world.
RM, Jimin, Jin, V, Suga, J-Hope and Jungkook have been snapping up awards and breaking records in Korea throughout their career, but in late 2017, mainstream western music sat up and took notice with BTS performing DNA at the American Music Awards and appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for the first time.
As well as dropping their hit DNA, they worked with Steve Aoki and Desiigner on the Mic Drop remix.
But this year has seen BTSs achievements skyrocket, with entire music world – not just the dedicated fanbase, the ARMY – watching their every move.
In March, the band gave fans old and new an insight into their busy lives and the effort they put into their performances with the documentary Burn The Stage – joining stars like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry who have completed similar projects.
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The following month, BTS came first in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list, beating fellow artists including Wanna One, TWICE and Exo to the top spot.
In May, the wins just kept coming, as BTS won the Top Social Artist award for the second time at the Billboard Music Awards. The awards show also saw the band give their first performance of Fake Love – the song that would cement their global fame.
On 18 May, the boys dropped Fake Love and its video, with the MV breaking their own record to become the most watched K-pop video in 24 hours.
The song, which has mixed Korean and English lyrics, broke another record by reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 42 on the UK official charts.
BTSs third Korean studio album Love Yourself: Tear was released on the same day, and marked a huge achievement for the idols as it rocketed to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart – the first album by a Korean artist to do so.
Still, just one number one album in a calendar year wasnt enough.
BTS repackaged their Love Yourself era for Love Yourself: Answer in August, combining songs from Her and Tear with seven new tracks. This album also shot to number one in the US, and spawned the global hit IDOL.
The digital release of IDOL featured a verse from Nicki Minaj, showing that the bands clout is growing ever stronger. At the time, IDOL broke the record for most viewed video in 24 hours, beating the record set by Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do; and the song reached number 21 in the UK charts – the highest entry by a K-pop band ever.
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The same month, BTS embarked on their Love Yourself world tour, having sold out every date in June. Tickets for their London dates – their first gig in Europe – were so in demand that tickets immediately popped up on resale dates for thousands of pounds.
Following their dates in Seoul and North America, BTS hysteria truly hit the UK, with fans camping outside the O2 Arena in October from 5am the morning of their shows to get as close to the stage as possible. Even Jungkook injuring his foot and being forced to sit for both concerts didnt stop the party. BTS were then beamed into millions of households across the UK, as they made their debut appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
Throw in solo releases from J-Hope (Hope World) and RM (Mono), and BTSs music was everywhere; artists including Charlie Puth and MNEK have worked with the group this year while collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Jorja Smith, Halsey and Shawn Mendes are rumoured.
This all culminated in BTS being named Artist Of The Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, as well as picking up Album Of The Year for Love Yourself: Tear, Best Music Video for IDOL, Best Asian Style and Global Choice.
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But it wasnt just a huge year for their music. BTS were invited to speak at the United Nations due to their work with UNICEF, and RMs speech during the General Assembly in September quickly went viral.
And a month later, BTS became the youngest ever recipients of the Hwagwan Orders of Cultural Merit for their services to the promotion of Korean pop culture and Hangul, the Korean alphabet.
We dont really know how BTS can top their 2018 – but with the boys having signed a seven-year contract with Big Hit Entertainment, we look forward to seeing and hearing what they do next.
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