2021 SOTY 18
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Butter (8) 44%
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Celebrity (10) 56%
BTS korean listeners can be divided into three groups:
Their core fanbase - 250k listeners
Easily reachable casuals - 250k listeners as well
Fluctuating - 200-500k listeners
Since the inception of Melon's 24Hits chart the highest anyone got was IU with celebrity (832k ULs). However, I'm sensing something different about BTS status in Korea compared to even IU's. Matter of fact, this year BTS and IU went to the same show (Yoo Jae-Suk's "Your Quiz on the Block") on back to back weeks and BTS rating was a full point better than hers, also the highest the show ever got, which means BTS seem to be finally converting their fluctuating listeners (who were at their highest during BWL first day and reappeared during Dynamite's surge) into their fold.
There is a sense of rising pride and patriotism in Korea on every move BTS makes. The start of that phenomenon was the massive surge Dynamite saw in the korean charts following its topping of the Billboard Hot 100, but it has continued. Life Goes On also got it but to a lesser extent cause the first time is always more impactful. When Hybe acquired Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings, Justin Bieber's "Peaches" had a surge of its own in the korean charts simply because it was reported he was now a labelmate to BTS, to them supporting Bieber was equal to supporting BTS. On Naver, the most ordinary stuff related to Jimin gets over 5k likes every time. And then it came the McDonald's announcement, which only enhanced that feeling of patriotism.
It was presumed that her releasing in January, given the digimon she is and the amount of points Celebrity will have accumulated that IU was a slam dunk to win SOTY in 2021 as long as she attends awards, but now I'm feeling like Butter can easily erase that advantage. Dynamite might look small compared to it.