After dominating the Hot 100 in many different ways as a member of the biggest musical group in the world, BTS’s Jung Kook is celebrating scoring his first major hit in the U.S. without his bandmates this week. The superstar is slated to debut his single “Stay Alive” on the upcoming Hot 100 chart (which will be published in full tomorrow, February 23) at No. 95. Simply by landing on the tally at all, the South Korean powerhouse will make history and join a very small, but ever growing, club.
Jung Kook is about to become just the fifth solo male K-pop musician to reach the Hot 100, Billboard’s weekly ranking of the most-consumed tunes in the U.S. As time goes by, more and more names that are extremely well known in the South Korean music industry are finding space on the competitive list in America. While the numbers are going up, it still remains incredibly difficult for even some of the most popular artists from that part of the world to carve out space on the Hot 100, so Jung Kook’s accomplishment is really something worth noting.
So far, four of the five solo male K-pop musicians that have managed to hit the Hot 100 at least once are members of BTS. The band has become so popular in the U.S. that even its individual singers now stand a very good chance of appearing on the weekly ranking when they have something of their own to deliver.
The first BTS member to hit the Hot 100 was J-Hope, whose multi-lingual collaboration with Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup,” once peaked at No. 81 back in 2019. The following year, Suga nearly repeated that exact success, as his single "Daechwita,” which was released under his Agust D alter ego, rose as high as No. 76. Last year, Suga returned to the Hot 100, this time alongside late rapper Juice WRLD on the tune “Girl of My Dreams,” which helped the K-pop talent reach the top 40 for the first time, as it opened at No. 29. Notably, that track was credited to Suga, not Agust D. Just a short time later, fellow BTS performer V pushed his song “Christmas Tree” to No. 79.
Aside from BTS members, only one other solo male musician known largely for his K-pop output has reached the Hot 100. Psy became the first artist that fits that description to appear on the list way back in 2012, when his single “Gangnam Style” almost conquered the roster, stalling at No. 2. After that success, he returned with “Gentleman” (No. 5), “Hangover” with Snoop Dogg (No. 26) and finally “Daddy” with CL (No. 97).
