Jimin from BTS has achieved remarkable success with his digital single “Closer Than This.” Released on December 22, 2023, the song quickly gained traction, achieving 213,757 streams on its first day. It didn’t stop there—it surpassed 1 million streams on Pandora four days later, a record-breaking achievement for a K-pop soloist. (For the uninitiated, Pandora is a music streaming service that’s only available to US-based users.)
The song also debuted at number 20 on Pandora’s Top Thumb Hundred Chart, which ranks songs based on the number of “thumbs up” they receive over 30 days. In its first week, “Closer Than This” accumulated a total of 1,431,048 streams, marking the highest debut week for a K-pop soloist. As of December 26, 2023, Jimin recorded 329,505 monthly listeners on Pandora, maintaining the highest number of listeners among K-pop soloists. He also surpassed 65 million cumulative streams on Pandora, the most among BTS members.
지민 (Jimin) ‘Closer Than This’ Official MV
“Closer Than This” also ranked first for eight consecutive days in four categories (Digital Music New Releases, Digital Music Bestsellers, International New Releases, International Bestsellers) on Amazon US. Finally, on January 3, Billboard US announced that the song debuted atop its Digital Song Sales chart, making it Jimin‘s fifth leader, tying him with his bandmate Jungkook as the Korean soloist with the most No. 1 songs on that chart.
The song’s impressive performance in the US underscores Jimin’s immense popularity in the US. He has so many fans there that Korean media outlets now call the country “Jimmerica,” a portmanteau of “Jimin” and “America.”
His impressive trajectory
Meanwhile, in Japan, Jimin‘s “Closer Than This” topped the Billboard Japan Download Songs chart just three days after its release. This feat made him the only foreign artist to lead this chart with two Korean-language songs in a single year. In 2023, Jimin charted 13 songs on this chart, including five from his album FACE, and notable singles and collaborations like “VIBE” with Taeyang. “Closer Than This” also debuted at No. 84 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, marking his sixth entry on that chart.
The song also performed well on Japan’s Oricon charts. “Closer Than This” ranked first on the daily singles chart on December 22 and 23. On the weekly chart dated January 1, it recorded 1,366 downloads in two days. It went to No. 2, beating out songs by top Japanese artists. This achievement brought his total to 14 solo songs charted on Oricon.
FACE also performed well in Japan. It ranked third on the Oricon daily albums chart on December 14, and 17th on Oricon’s annual album ranking. Jimin eventually received his very first Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). This was for a K-pop solo artist for a Korean-language album, a continuation of his impressive trajectory.
Jimin’s new gift for ARMY 💜’Closer than this’
Only Jimin can break records with a fan song
Jimin released “Closer Than This” to assure his fans that he’ll always be there for them. The song holds special significance as he dropped it before enlisting in the South Korean military. Its lyrics contain references to BTS’s career and their connection with ARMYs worldwide.
“Whenever it rains, I’ll remember the times I sang in the rain/Whenever it snows, I’ll cherish how you smiled for me in the snow/On the spring day we meet again, I’ll tell you everything I couldn’t before/My love, my babe, forever by your side/Seven equals one, right, our hearts still beat as one,” Jimin sings. (Did you catch the reference to one of BTS’s biggest hits in those lines?)
Media outlets worldwide heaped praise on “Closer Than This.” One writer noted that only Jimin can break records with a fan song. Its success is a win for BTS, Jimin, their fans, and the entire K-pop industry as a whole. – K-Pop News Writer
Featured Image: The success of ‘Closer Than This’ allows Jimin to maintain a public presence while he’s serving in the South Korean military. Source: X/@bts_bighit.
