When you hear of ‘K-pop‘, it is undeniable that the name ‘BTS’ and ‘Blackpink’ naturally comes to mind. Although Korean music began as far back as 1992, these bands have considerably increased the influence of K-pop music in the 21st century, as one of those leading in the global music industry.
For BTS and Blackpink, the most obvious information about them is that they are single-sex bands, BTS for the Bangtan boys and Blackpink for the Blink girls. In addition to that, the other most common knowledge about both bands is two of the most popular bands in South Korea, and the whole world. That’s no hidden fact.
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But, have you ever thought about which of these groups is more popular? If you’re a fan of either band, you most likely believe that your favorite band is the most popular. However, you need to check this out. Today, we will be pitting the girls with the boys as we try to find out which of them is more popular than the other. While we do not have an outright answer to that, you should scroll up and see these figures and stats do the work.
Social Media Popularity
Apart from being at the top in the sales game, a very good way to measure the level of popularity that both bands have is through their social media popularity. This is because both BTS and Blackpink are very active on social media and have large fan bases and followers.
Let’s get at it with Instagram first. On the ‘gram, BTS takes the lead with over 50 million followers while Blackpink follows with about 42 million followers. On the other hand, the Blinks came through for the girls in YouTube Music as they lead the BTS boys with more than 7 million subscribers almost 70 million while BTS has over 60 million.
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Record Sales
The K-pop boy and girl bands, BTS and Blackpink are not only popular but also rich in record sales and career achievements. On Forbes Top 10 Korea Power Celebrity, both BTS and Blackpink occupy the first two positions in the top 10 ranking for 2023. Let’s check out their record sales.
BTS
For a band that has only been around for a little over a decade, since 2010, the Bangtan boys have done incredibly well. With over 20 million album copies sold, the 7-boy band holds the record of the best-selling Korean act, not of 2023 alone, but of all time. Beat that! While the band has been named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, it is still the same BTS that has the best-selling album presently in South Korea which is the band’s fourth studio album, Map of the Soul: Persona.
BLACKPINK
The girls are definitely not here to play around either. In only five years since they arrived in K-pop in 2016, Jennie, Jisoo, Rose, and Lisa have proved that their girl power is the deal. Coupled with the group’s top position as No. 1 on YouTube music’s most subscribed artists, Blackpink holds the record of the first female K-pop group to top the Billboard charts at No. 1 position on Billboard’s 2018 Emerging Artists chart. This feat was recorded only two years after they arrived. Apparently, the girls have made 17 million sales from their albums.
Check: Top 20 Most Popular K-POP Female Singers 2023
Accolades
BTS
Among other outstanding records that BTS holds, some of the most notable include 23 Guinness World records, 6 American Music Awards, 10 Asia Artists Awards, 24 Golden disk Awards, 9 Billboard Music Awards.
BLACKPINK
The Blackpink ladies have had a great career, breaking records along the way. The 4-girl band has had 78 wins from a total of 25 nominations. These include 8 Mnet Asian Awards, 9 Gaon Chart Music Awards, 2 Asian Pop Music Awards, and 6 Golden Disk Awards among others.
Who is more popular?
While both bands have done well in the polls, one has to lead. In this case, the BTS boys take the lead as they clearly have more records than the Blackpink ladies. However, neither of the two bands hold a Grammy yet, that’s something we can look out for, and may the best band win!
