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Written by: Entertainment Desk
3 min readHyderabadFeb 8, 2026 06:06 PM IST
BTS wins a milestone with their "Global Popular Artist" win at Hanteo Music Awards 2025
BTS continues rewriting the rules of global stardom, securing two major milestones this week that underscore their unmatched position in the music industry.
The septet won the Global Popular Artist award at the Hanteo Music Awards 2025, a data-driven recognition that reflects their sustained international impact. Simultaneously, their official Instagram account crossed 78 million followers, making BTS the first and only musical group to achieve this number on the platform.
These achievements arrive at a perfect time, with the group reunited after completing military service and a comeback scheduled for March 2026.
The Hanteo Music Awards determine winners through concrete numbers, album sales, streaming data, and verified fan engagement collected via Hanteo Chart. The Global Popular Artist category specifically measures how artistes perform across international markets, not just in their home country.
BTS taking this award demonstrates the strength of their existing catalog and global fanbase. Their albums continue selling. Their songs keep streaming. The international presence they built over the past decade remained active even during their military service period.
Unlike popularity contests that rely on voting campaigns, Hanteo’s methodology tracks actual consumption. This makes the win a genuine reflection of ongoing market performance rather than nostalgic recognition.
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78 million strong
The Instagram milestone arrived within days of the Hanteo announcement, reinforcing the narrative that BTS operates on a different level. At 78 million followers, their official account stands alone, no other musical group has reached this threshold.
The number represents more than casual fans scrolling through feeds. These are people actively choosing to follow updates from the group. Every post still generates millions of likes and comments within hours, proving engagement has only intensified as the comeback approaches.
For comparison, most groups see follower counts plateau during breaks. BTS’s account continued growing steadily throughout their hiatus, adding followers even before major comeback announcements.
How BTS maintained relevance
Several factors kept BTS in the cultural conversation during their military service period. Solo projects from members left a pipeline of content. Members completing service at different times maintained visibility. Archival content and throwback posts kept the community engaged.
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ARMY, the group’s dedicated fanbase, played a crucial role. They organized streaming events for older releases, created trending hashtags for member birthdays, and maintained active communities across platforms. This grassroots activity kept BTS visible in ways traditional marketing couldn’t replicate.
The Instagram account served as a central meeting point for this activity. It’s where official updates land, where members post personal content, and where fans gather to interact. The 78 million followers aren’t passive observers, they’re active participants in keeping BTS relevant.
English (US) ·