David Farnor | On 18, Apr 2019

K-pop superstars BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan – or “bulletproof boy scouts”, or “Beyond the Scene”) just keep going from strength to strength, breaking YouTube records this week with their latest video, Boy with Luv.

The superstars – who comprise RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook – were founded back in 2013. In February, they became the first K-pop group to present an award at the Grammys, cementing their position as the most popular boy band in the world right now, with their new album, Map of the Soul: Persona released this month. Along with that came their single, featuring American pop star Halsey. Within 24 hours, the video released on YouTube shattered the site’s records, racking up over 74 million views – surpassing the 56.7 million record set just a week earlier by K-pop girl group Blackpink, whose Kill This Love beat the record previously set by Ariana Grande’s thank u, next.

Boy with Luv is also the fastest video to reach 100 million views, doing so in under two days, and also received 2 million comments in the first 24 hours – last weekend, it was trending on YouTube behind only the new trailer for Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker. At the time of writing, it has a whopping 157.4 million views.

The video arrived to coincide with BTS’ guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, providing fans with not only a new banger from the group, but also a reference back to the band’s 2014 song Boy in Luv. In the USA, all seven tracks from Map of the Soul: Persona have also been in Apple’s iTunes top 10 music chart this week, notes