2020 was the year the world stopped, and BTS found another way to reach ARMY. This is BTS 2020 month by month: Map of the Soul: 7, the tour canceled by the pandemic, the online concerts Bang Bang Con The Live and Map of the Soul ON:E, “Dynamite”, their first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the UN speech, the album BE and “Life Goes On”, and a Grammy nomination.
Each month has the main highlights and, under “Read all”, every detail, video and link. Whenever possible, the links go to the official videos (BANGTANTV, HYBE LABELS or the TV channels).
BTS timeline
2020
The year of Dynamite, BE and online concerts
In this article
The 2020 timeline, month by month
January 2020
- Both daesangs at the Golden Disc Awards
- 01/17 “Black Swan” and the art film
- 01/26 BTS performs at the Grammys
- Map of the Soul: 7 and the tour announced
Read all of January
AWARDS
Both Golden Disc daesangs
On January 4 and 5, at the 34th Golden Disc Awards, BTS won the digital Daesang, for “Boy With Luv”, and the album Daesang, for Persona. According to the archive, they were the first artist to take both in the same year.
Gaon and Seoul Music Awards
On the 8th, three awards at the Gaon Chart Music Awards, including Artist of the Year. On the 30th, the Daesang and a Bonsang at the 29th Seoul Music Awards.
On the Grammy stage
On the 26th, in Los Angeles, BTS performed at the 62nd Grammy Awards, in “Old Town Road All-Stars”, with Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo, Mason Ramsey and Nas. A year earlier, they had attended only as presenters.
MUSIC AND STAGES
“Interlude: Shadow” trailer
On the 8th, Big Hit announced Map of the Soul: 7 for February 21. The next day (the 10th in Korea) came the “Interlude: Shadow” comeback trailer, with SUGA.
“Black Swan”
On the 17th came “Black Swan”, the first song of the new era, with an art film by MN Dance Company, from Slovenia. The song debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Winter Flower”, with RM
On the 6th came Younha’s “Winter Flower”, featuring RM.
TOUR
Map of the Soul Tour is announced
On the 22nd, BTS announced the Map of the Soul Tour, with stadiums in Asia, North America and Europe, starting on April 11 at Seoul Olympic Stadium.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
Late Late Show
On the 28th, BTS performed “Black Swan” on The Late Late Show with James Corden and even played hide-and-seek with the host.
Bon Voyage 4 – Episode 8
On the 7th, the last episode of the season filmed in New Zealand.
EVENTS AND FANS
CONNECT, BTS
On the 14th, CONNECT, BTS was launched, a global contemporary art project with artists in London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul and New York.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Run BTS! – Episodes 91 to 93
“Mini Golden Bell” (91 and 92) and the start of “BTS Marble” (93).
LIVES AND LOGS
Live after the Grammys
After the ceremony, the seven went live to tell ARMY all about it. That month, V also went live on the 21st and 28th.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: V’s surprise party
On the 16th, V’s surprise birthday party.
February 2020 – Map of the Soul: 7
- j-hope’s “Outro: Ego” trailer
- 02/21 Map of the Soul: 7 and “ON”
- 02/24 “ON” at Grand Central, on The Tonight Show
- First wins for “ON”
Read all of February
MUSIC AND STAGES
“Outro: Ego” trailer
On February 2 (the 3rd in Korea) came the “Outro: Ego” comeback trailer, with j-hope. From the 10th to the 13th came the concept photos.
Map of the Soul: 7
On the 21st came Map of the Soul: 7, with 20 tracks and a solo by each member. Pre-orders passed 4 million, and it sold 3.37 million copies in its first week. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and in the UK, and was the best-selling album in the world in 2020.
“ON” Kinetic Manifesto Film: Come Prima
That same day came the “ON” performance film, shot at the Sepulveda Dam, in Los Angeles. It got 46.5 million views in 24 hours.
“ON” official MV
On the 27th (the 28th in Korea) came the “ON” MV. The song debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position for a Korean group at the time.
The first wins for “ON”
On the 27th, the comeback on M Countdown, with “ON” and “Black Swan”. The first win came on Music Bank, on the 28th, and the second on Music Core, on the 29th.
“Black Swan” dance practice
The full “Black Swan” choreography, on the 7th.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
“ON” at Grand Central
On the 24th, BTS performed “ON” at Grand Central Terminal, in New York, on The Tonight Show, and competed in the “Subway Olympics” with Jimmy Fallon. On the 25th, it was time for Carpool Karaoke with James Corden.
TOUR
Seoul concerts canceled
At the end of the month, Big Hit canceled the four April concerts at Seoul Olympic Stadium because of COVID-19.
AWARDS
Japan Gold Disc Award
On the 27th, five awards at the Japan Gold Disc Award.
SPECIAL DATES
j-hope’s birthday
On the 18th, j-hope celebrated his birthday and went live to thank ARMY.
LIVES AND LOGS
Comeback live
On release day, the seven did a special live, the “purple radio”, to talk about the album.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Run BTS! – Episode 94
The second part of “BTS Marble”.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: Mukbang
The members eating and chatting, on the 14th.
March 2020
- “Black Swan” official MV
- 16 wins for “ON”
- V’s “Sweet Night”
- North American tour dates postponed
Read all of March
MUSIC AND STAGES
“Black Swan” official MV
On March 4 (the 5th in Korea), the official “Black Swan” MV came out without any warning.
16 wins for “ON”
By the 28th, “ON” had 16 wins on the music shows.
V’s “Sweet Night”
On the 13th, V released “Sweet Night”, from the soundtrack of the drama Itaewon Class.
“Who”, with Lauv
On the 6th came Lauv’s “Who”, featuring BTS.
“ON” dance practice (Fix ver.)
The “ON” choreography with a fixed camera, on the 14th.
TOUR
North American concerts postponed
On the 26th (the 27th in Korea), Big Hit postponed the 18 concerts of the North American leg of the tour.
EVENTS AND FANS
“Stay Strong! Stay Connected!”
On the 23rd, BTS posted a message to ARMY about COVID-19.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
James Corden’s Homefest
On the 30th, BTS sent a message and performed from home on the Late Late Show’s Homefest special.
SPECIAL DATES
SUGA’s birthday
On the 9th, SUGA celebrated his birthday. Two days earlier, the seven went live to celebrate.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
EPISODE: “ON” MV shooting
Behind the scenes of the MV, on the 2nd.
Run BTS! – Episodes 95 to 98
“Let’s play with BTS” (95 and 96) and the “Pajama Party” (97 and 98).
LIVES AND LOGS
RM talks about Map of the Soul: 7
RM told the behind the scenes of the album in a live. On the 26th, it was Jimin’s turn, with “I’m here!”.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: reacting to the “ON” MV
The seven watching the “ON” MV for the first time.
April 2020 – Bang Bang Con
- 04/18 and 04/19 Bang Bang Con
- The whole tour is postponed
- Run BTS! reaches episode 100
- Quarantine lives
Read all of April
ONLINE CONCERTS
Bang Bang Con
On April 18 and 19, BTS streamed past concerts on their YouTube channel for ARMY to watch at home. They got over 50 million views.
TOUR
The tour is postponed
On the 28th, Big Hit postponed the entire Map of the Soul Tour. That same day came the trailer for Break the Silence: Docu-Series.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Run BTS! – Episodes 99 to 102
“Florist” (99), the 100-episode special (100 and 101) and “King of Avatar Cook” (102).
EPISODE: BTS at MAMA 2019
Behind the scenes of December’s MAMA, at Nagoya Dome.
LIVES AND LOGS
Eat Jin
On the 8th, Jin came back with Eat Jin.
RM’s live with Jimin
On the 14th, RM and Jimin went live together.
DJ SUGA
On the 25th, SUGA became a DJ on Honey FM radio, in a live.
JinKiMin
On the 27th, Jin, SUGA and Jimin went live together.
RM’s, SUGA’s and j-hope’s logs
The logs by RM (17th), SUGA (24th) and j-hope (28th).
EVENTS AND FANS
BT21 Universe 3
On the 16th, the third season of the BT21 animated series premiered.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: photographer Jin
Jin with a camera in hand, on the 12th.
BANGTAN BOMB: 3J at the photo shoot
j-hope, Jimin and Jungkook at a very lively photo shoot.
May 2020 – D-2
- 05/22 D-2, SUGA’s mixtape as Agust D
- Break the Silence: Docu-Series
- IU’s “eight”, with SUGA
- The Journey and Bang Bang Con The Live announced
Read all of May
MUSIC AND STAGES
D-2, by Agust D
On May 22, SUGA released D-2, his second mixtape as Agust D, with ten tracks and the “Daechwita” MV. The mixtape reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200, the highest position for a mixtape by a Korean soloist.
IU’s “eight”
On the 6th came IU’s “eight”, produced by and featuring SUGA. The song won three times on Inkigayo.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Break the Silence: Docu-Series
Starting on the 12th, the documentary series about the Love Yourself Tour came out on Weverse, in seven episodes.
EPISODE: “Daechwita” MV shooting
Behind the scenes of the MV, on the 24th.
Run BTS! – Episode 103
The second part of “King of Avatar Cook”.
EVENTS AND FANS
The Journey and Bang Bang Con The Live announced
On the 8th, Big Hit announced the Japanese album MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 ~THE JOURNEY~. On the 14th came the announcement of Bang Bang Con The Live, the live online concert.
AWARDS
Kids’ Choice Awards
In May, BTS won Favorite Music Group at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
Interview about D-2
On the 27th, SUGA talked about the mixtape.
LIVES AND LOGS
V and Jungkook make carnations
On the 5th, V and Jungkook made paper carnations in a live.
DJ SUGA with RM and Jin
SUGA came back to Honey FM radio with RM (2nd) and with Jin (9th).
Jin and RM
On the 24th, Jin and RM did Eat Jin together.
The May logs
Jimin (1st), SUGA (6th and 8th), V, RM and j-hope (7th) and the group log “2004**” (11th).
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: art class with Jungkook
Jungkook teaching a drawing class, on the 13th.
June 2020 – FESTA and Bang Bang Con The Live
- BTS FESTA and the 7th anniversary
- 06/07 Dear Class of 2020
- 06/14 Bang Bang Con The Live
- “Stay Gold”, the Japanese single
Read all of June
EVENTS AND FANS
2020 BTS FESTA
From June 1 to 13, the anniversary schedule had “Airplane pt.2” in a summer version, family photos and “Map of the Song: 7”, on the 11th.
Dear Class of 2020
On the 7th, BTS gave a speech and performed “Boy With Luv”, “Spring Day” and “Mikrokosmos” at the National Museum of Korea, for YouTube’s virtual graduation.
Donation to Black Lives Matter
On the 6th, BTS and Big Hit donated 1 million dollars to Black Lives Matter. The next day, ARMY matched the amount.
MUSIC AND STAGES
Jungkook’s “Still With You”
On the 5th, Jungkook released “Still With You”, for FESTA.
“We are Bulletproof: the Eternal” MV
On the 12th (the 11th in the US) came the FESTA MV.
“Stay Gold”
On the 19th came “Stay Gold”, the first single from the Japanese album. The MV came out on the 26th.
The unit songs
On the 9th, videos about the unit songs from Map of the Soul: 7: “Jamais Vu”, “Respect” and “Friends”.
ONLINE CONCERTS
Bang Bang Con The Live
On the 14th, BTS’s first live online concert. It had 756,000 paying viewers in 107 regions, a Guinness record.
SPECIAL DATES
7th anniversary
On the 13th, BTS’s anniversary party, and the seven went live on Weverse.
AWARDS
UNICEF award
On the 22nd, BTS received UNICEF’s Inspire Award for the LOVE MYSELF campaign.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Run BTS! – Episodes 104 to 106
The “Photo Exhibition”, in three parts.
LIVES AND LOGS
June lives
SUGA and Jungkook (6th), Jimin and Jungkook (21st) and j-hope with V (24th).
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: impressions
BTS doing impressions, on the 18th.
July 2020 – The Journey
- 07/15 MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 ~THE JOURNEY~
- Japanese TV shows and an online showcase
- Guinness record for Bang Bang Con The Live
- In the SOOP teaser
Read all of July
MUSIC AND STAGES
MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 ~THE JOURNEY~
On July 15 came their fourth Japanese album, with 13 tracks. It sold 564,000 copies in its first week, the biggest debut for a male foreign artist in Japan. The album has “Your Eyes Tell”, composed by Jungkook for a Japanese movie.
New music on the way
At the end of the month, in a live, BTS announced a new single for August.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
Japanese TV shows
From the 13th to the 18th, BTS appeared on several Japanese TV shows, like CDTV Live! Live!, Sukkiri and NHK SONGS.
In the SOOP teaser
On the 28th came the first teaser for In the SOOP, BTS’s reality show in nature.
ONLINE CONCERTS
Online showcase in Japan
On the 19th, the album’s online showcase.
EVENTS AND FANS
Guinness record
On the 22nd, Bang Bang Con The Live entered the Guinness book as the livestreamed concert with the largest audience.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Making of The Journey
Behind the scenes of the album photos.
EPISODE: Jingle Ball 2019
Behind the scenes of December’s Jingle Ball, in Los Angeles.
Run BTS! – Episodes 107 to 110
“Game Scout” (107 and 108), “Dubbing” (109) and the “Treasure Hunt” (110).
LIVES AND LOGS
Jin’s live
On the 10th, Jin went live. The day before, j-hope’s log with RM came out.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: caretaker Jin
Jin as caretaker behind the scenes, on the 11th.
BANGTAN BOMB: a dog on set
A four-legged guest at the shoot, on the 25th.
August 2020 – Dynamite
- 08/21 “Dynamite”
- 101.1 million views in 24 hours
- 08/30 VMAs: four awards
- No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Read all of August
MUSIC AND STAGES
“Dynamite”
On August 21 came “Dynamite”, BTS’s first song recorded entirely in English. The MV got 101.1 million views in 24 hours, a Guinness record.
No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
On the 31st came the news: “Dynamite” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, BTS’s first No. 1 on the chart. It had 265,000 downloads in its first week in the US.
B-side MV and remixes
On the 24th came the B-side MV and the EDM and acoustic versions. On the 28th came two more remixes.
AWARDS
MTV VMAs
On the 30th, BTS won four awards at the VMAs: Best Group, Best K-Pop, Best Pop and Best Choreography. The “Dynamite” performance was filmed in Seoul.
Daesang at Soribada
On the 13th, the Daesang and two more awards at the Soribada Music Awards.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
In the SOOP
On the 19th, In the SOOP BTS ver. premiered, the reality show of the seven between rest and routine, surrounded by nature. It had eight episodes.
EVENTS AND FANS
“Dynamite” press conference
On the 20th, the global online press conference about the single.
ONLINE CONCERTS
Map of the Soul ON:E teaser
On the 13th, the first teaser for the October online concert.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Memories of 2019
The videos from the Memories of 2019 DVD came out, like the behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live.
EPISODE: “Dynamite” MV shooting
Behind the scenes of the MV, on the 26th.
Run BTS! – Episode 111
The second part of the “Treasure Hunt”.
LIVES AND LOGS
“Dynamite” live
On release day, the seven talked about the MV in a live.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: reacting to the “Dynamite” MV
The members watching the MV.
September 2020
- Three weeks of “Dynamite” at the top of the Hot 100
- 09/10 Break the Silence: The Movie
- 09/23 Speech at the UN
- The album BE is announced
Read all of September
MUSIC AND STAGES
“Dynamite” stays on top
On September 8, “Dynamite” spent a second straight week at No. 1 on the Hot 100. After two weeks at No. 2, it returned to the top on the 28th, its third week at No. 1.
BE is announced
On the 28th (the 27th in the US), Big Hit announced the album BE, with pre-orders starting that same day.
The “Dynamite” remixes
On the 18th came four new remixes, and on the 20th, the “’70s Remix” MV.
“Blueberry Eyes”, with SUGA
On the 15th (the 16th in Korea) came MAX’s “Blueberry Eyes”, featuring SUGA.
EVENTS AND FANS
Break the Silence: The Movie
On the 10th, the movie about the Love Yourself World Tour premiered in theaters in 70 countries.
Speech at the UN
On the 23rd, the seven gave a message of hope at the 75th UN General Assembly, talking about what it was like to live through the pandemic.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
Tiny Desk
On the 21st, BTS did an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert.
America’s Got Talent
On the 17th, BTS appeared on America’s Got Talent.
In the SOOP – Episodes 3 to 6
The reality show continued every week.
AWARDS
iHeartAwards and Korean Broadcasting Awards
On the 7th, Best Music Video and Best Fan Army at the iHeartAwards. On the 10th, the singer award at the 47th Korean Broadcasting Awards.
SPECIAL DATES
Jungkook’s and RM’s birthdays
Jungkook’s birthday was on the 1st and RM’s on the 12th, and RM went live.
LIVES AND LOGS
Jungkook’s logs
On the 20th, Jungkook posted two logs.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: V’s recital
The “V-anist recital”, with V at the piano.
October 2020 – Map of the Soul ON:E
- BTS Week on The Tonight Show
- 10/10 and 10/11 Map of the Soul ON:E
- “Savage Love” and “Dynamite” at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Hot 100
- Billboard Music Awards
Read all of October
ONLINE CONCERTS
Map of the Soul ON:E
On October 10 and 11, BTS did the online concert straight from KSPO Dome, in Seoul, with augmented reality and each member’s solo. It had 993,000 viewers from 191 countries and territories.
MUSIC AND STAGES
“Savage Love” with BTS
On the 2nd came the “Savage Love” remix, by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo, with BTS. On the 12th came the news: the song reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, with “Dynamite” at No. 2.
“Your Eyes Tell” in theaters
On the 23rd, the movie Your Eyes Tell premiered in Japan, with the song composed by Jungkook.
AWARDS
Billboard Music Awards
On the 14th, BTS won Top Social Artist and performed “Dynamite”, in a performance filmed in Seoul.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
BTS Week on The Tonight Show
From the end of September into October, The Tonight Show had a week dedicated to BTS, with “IDOL”, “HOME”, “Black Swan”, “Mikrokosmos” and “Dynamite”.
In the SOOP – Episode 8
On the 7th, the last episode of the reality show.
EVENTS AND FANS
Big Hit goes public
On the 15th, Big Hit Entertainment debuted on the Korean stock exchange.
Van Fleet Award
On the 7th, BTS gave a speech when receiving the James A. Van Fleet Award, from the Korea Society. On the 23rd came the Game Changer Award, from the Asia Society.
SPECIAL DATES
Jimin’s birthday
On the 13th, Jimin celebrated his birthday. On the 20th, he went live to see ARMY.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Run BTS! – Episodes 112 and 113
“Dalbang School”, filmed in 2019.
LIVES AND LOGS
SUGA’s and Jungkook’s lives
On the 21st, SUGA and Jungkook went live.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: on the phone with Bang PD
A phone call to Bang PD, on the 5th.
November 2020 – BE
- 11/20 BE and “Life Goes On”
- “Life Goes On” debuts at No. 1 on the Hot 100
- 11/24 Grammy nomination for “Dynamite”
- MTV EMA, People’s Choice and AMAs
Read all of November
MUSIC AND STAGES
BE
On November 20 came BE, an eight-track album in which the members took part in the production, the lyrics and the visuals. BE reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, BTS’s fifth album at the top.
“Life Goes On” MV
The MV was directed by Jungkook and shows the seven together at home during the pandemic. Then came the “on my pillow”, “in the forest” and “like an arrow” versions.
“Life Goes On” at No. 1 on the Hot 100
On the 30th came the news: “Life Goes On” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first song not sung in English to debut at the top.
AWARDS
Grammy nomination
On the 24th, “Dynamite” was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd Grammy Awards, the first nomination for a K-pop group in the category.
MTV EMA and People’s Choice
On the 8th, four awards at the MTV EMA, including Best Group and Biggest Fans. On the 15th, four more at the People’s Choice Awards: Group, Album, Song and Music Video of the year.
American Music Awards
On the 22nd, Favorite Duo or Group (Pop/Rock) and Favorite Social Artist at the AMAs. BTS performed “Dynamite” and “Life Goes On”, filmed at Seoul Olympic Stadium.
Daesang at the Asia Artist Awards
On the 28th, the Song of the Year Daesang and two more awards.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
Immortal Songs
On the 14th, KBS’s Immortal Songs aired its episode with BTS.
EVENTS AND FANS
SUGA’s surgery
On the 6th, Big Hit announced that SUGA had undergone shoulder surgery.
LIVES AND LOGS
Comeback lives
On release day, the special “Life Goes On” live. On the 25th, the seven came back with “We love you, ARMY”.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
EPISODE: “Life Goes On” MV shooting
Behind the scenes of the MV directed by Jungkook.
Run BTS! – Episodes 114 to 117
“League of Number Ones” (114 and 115) and the “Teamwork Special” (116 and 117).
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: SUGA opens BE
The album unboxing, on the 27th.
December 2020
- 12/05 All 3 Melon daesangs
- 12/06 The top awards at MAMA
- TIME: Entertainer of the Year
- 12/31 New Year’s Eve Live
Read all of December
AWARDS
All 3 Melon daesangs
On December 5, at the Melon Music Awards, held online, BTS won all three daesangs: Artist, Album (Map of the Soul: 7) and Song (“Dynamite”).
MAMA 2020
On the 6th, BTS won Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Worldwide Icon of the Year at MAMA, plus Best Male Group and Best Music Video.
The Fact and NRJ
On the 6th, International Group of the Year at France’s NRJ Music Awards. On the 12th, the Daesang at The Fact Music Awards.
TV AND INTERVIEWS
TIME’s Entertainer of the Year
On the 10th, TIME magazine named BTS its 2020 Entertainer of the Year.
MUSIC AND STAGES
Jin’s “Abyss”
On the 4th, his birthday, Jin released “Abyss”, a song about what he was feeling, on SoundCloud and YouTube.
“Christmas Love” and “Snow Flower”
On the 24th, Jimin released “Christmas Love”. On the 25th, V released “Snow Flower”, with Peakboy.
Year-end festivals
The KBS Song Festival (18th), the SBS Gayo Daejeon (25th) and a special award at the Japan Record Awards (30th). On the 11th came the holiday remix of “Dynamite”.
SPECIAL DATES
Jin’s birthday
Jin’s birthday live, on the 4th.
V’s birthday
On the 30th, V celebrated his birthday and did the live “VDay!”.
ONLINE CONCERTS
2021 New Year’s Eve Live
On the 31st, the New Year’s online concert, with “Dynamite”, “Best of Me”, “MIC Drop”, “Make It Right”, “Boy With Luv” and “Life Goes On”.
EVENTS AND FANS
Break the Silence on Weverse
On the 16th, the movie arrived on Weverse, with a version in which the seven comment on the documentary.
RUN BTS! AND EPISODE
Run BTS! – Episodes 118 to 122
“Photo Story” and “BTS Village”, among others.
BANGTAN BOMBS
BANGTAN BOMB: Grammy nomination night
The moment the seven found out about the Grammy nomination.
BTS’s 2020 releases
With “ON”, “Black Swan” and a solo by each member. No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the best-selling album in the world in 2020.
Discography
With “Daechwita”. No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
Discography
With “Stay Gold” and “Your Eyes Tell”. 564,000 copies in its first week in Japan.
Discography
BTS’s first song entirely in English and their first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Discography
It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, with “Dynamite” at No. 2.
Discography
With “Life Goes On”, the first song not sung in English to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
DiscographyThe seven also released their own songs in 2020: V’s “Sweet Night” (March 13), Jungkook’s “Still With You” (June 5), Jin’s “Abyss” (December 4), Jimin’s “Christmas Love” (December 24) and V’s “Snow Flower”, with Peakboy (December 25). There were also features by RM on Younha’s “Winter Flower” and by SUGA on IU’s “eight” and MAX’s “Blueberry Eyes”, plus Lauv’s “Who”, with BTS.
BTS’s 2020 awards and records
2020 brought their first No. 1 on the Hot 100, which soon became three, and a Grammy nomination. Here are the main ones (the full list is on our BTS awards page):
- 01/04 and 01/05 Both daesangs at the 34th Golden Disc Awards: digital (“Boy With Luv”) and album (Persona)
- 01/30 Daesang at the 29th Seoul Music Awards
- Map of the Soul: 7 at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and in the UK, with 3.37 million copies in its first week and the title of best-selling album in the world in 2020
- Music show wins: 16 for “ON” and 32 for “Dynamite”
- 06/14 Bang Bang Con The Live in the Guinness book as the livestreamed concert with the largest audience
- 08/21 “Dynamite” MV with 101.1 million views in 24 hours, a Guinness record
- 08/30 Four awards at the MTV VMAs: Best Group, Best K-Pop, Best Pop and Best Choreography
- “Dynamite” at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, three weeks at the top in 2020
- “Savage Love” (BTS Remix) and “Dynamite” at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Hot 100 at the same time
- 10/14 Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards and, on 11/22, two awards at the American Music Awards
- 11/24 Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, for “Dynamite”
- “Life Goes On”, the first song not sung in English to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and BE, their fifth album at the top of the Billboard 200
- 12/05 All three daesangs at the Melon Music Awards
- 12/06 Artist, Song, Album and Worldwide Icon of the Year at MAMA
- 12/10 TIME magazine’s Entertainer of the Year
The 7 in 2020
RM“Respect”, with SUGA, “Ugh!”, with SUGA and j-hope, and his feature on Younha’s “Winter Flower”.
Profile
JinHis solo “Moon”, “00:00 (Zero O’Clock)”, with Jimin, V and Jungkook, and “Abyss”, released on his birthday.
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SUGAHis solo “Interlude: Shadow”, “Respect”, with RM, and the mixtape D-2, as Agust D, with “Daechwita”.
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j-hopeHis solo “Outro: Ego”, which got a comeback trailer, and “Ugh!”, by the rap line, with RM and SUGA.
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JiminHis solo “Filter”, “Friends”, with V, and “Christmas Love”, which he released on Christmas Eve.
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VHis solo “Inner Child”, “Friends”, with Jimin, and “Sweet Night”, from the soundtrack of the drama Itaewon Class.
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JungkookHis solo “My Time”, “Still With You”, for FESTA, and “Your Eyes Tell”, composed for a Japanese movie.
ProfileEssential videos from 2020
BTS’s 2020 concerts: from the canceled tour to online concerts
The Map of the Soul Tour was announced in January, with stadiums in Asia, North America and Europe, starting on April 11 at Seoul Olympic Stadium. Because of the pandemic, the Seoul concerts were canceled at the end of February, the North American dates were postponed in March and, on April 28, the whole tour was postponed. It was finally canceled for good in 2021.
So BTS took their concerts online. In April, Bang Bang Con streamed past concerts on YouTube, with over 50 million views. On June 14 came Bang Bang Con The Live, their first live online concert, with 756,000 paying viewers and a Guinness record. On October 10 and 11, Map of the Soul ON:E, at KSPO Dome, drew 993,000 viewers from 191 countries and territories. At the end of the year came the Melon Music Awards and MAMA, both without an audience, the Korean TV festivals and the New Year’s Eve Live, on December 31.
Performances, shows and behind the scenes of 2020
Even without a tour, 2020 was packed with content: In the SOOP, the seven’s reality show surrounded by nature, the Break the Silence series and movie, Run BTS! from episode 91 to 122, the 7th anniversary FESTA, Dear Class of 2020, the UN speech, the American TV shows (Fallon, Corden, Good Morning America, America’s Got Talent and Tiny Desk) and the lives and logs that kept ARMY company during quarantine.
Wrapping up BTS 2020
2020 was supposed to be the year of BTS’s biggest tour, and it became the year they stayed home like everyone else. Even so, it was one of the most remarkable years of their career: Map of the Soul: 7 was the best-selling album in the world, “Dynamite” took the group to the top of the Hot 100, the online concerts broke records and BE arrived as a message of hope, written by the seven in the middle of the pandemic.
And the story didn’t stop there: 2021 brought “Butter” and “Permission to Dance”, and BTS kept writing their story together with ARMY. What’s your favorite 2020 moment? Tell us in the comments! 💜
Frequently asked questions about BTS 2020
When was “Dynamite” released?
On August 21, 2020. It was BTS’s first song recorded entirely in English, and the MV got 101.1 million views in 24 hours, a Guinness record.
Did “Dynamite” reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?
Yes. It debuted at No. 1 (the news came out on August 31, 2020) and spent three weeks at the top that year. Later, “Savage Love” (BTS Remix) and “Life Goes On” also reached No. 1.
Why didn’t BTS tour in 2020?
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Map of the Soul Tour was set to start in April, in Seoul, but the concerts were canceled and postponed. Instead, BTS did online concerts, like Bang Bang Con The Live (June) and Map of the Soul ON:E (October).
When was the album BE released?
On November 20, 2020, with the title track “Life Goes On”, whose MV was directed by Jungkook. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Was BTS nominated for a Grammy in 2020?
Yes. On November 24, 2020, “Dynamite” was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 63rd Grammy Awards. BTS also performed at the Grammys in January 2020, in “Old Town Road All-Stars”.
