Soul Path Insights

By Amelie Chambord

If you’re one of those commuters who drives to work while listening to your local Top 40 radio station, chances are you expect to hear the usual American artists coming through your speakers.

So imagine the surprise and excitement of ARMY commuters across the United States when BTS, a Korean pop group, suddenly started blasting from their local radio stations on the way to and from work. Some even had to do a double take, checking the station to make sure they were actually listening to their usual Top 40 channel.

For those who may not have heard of BTS, they are a seven-member Korean pop group from South Korea. They debuted on June 13, 2013, under a then-small company called Big Hit Entertainment.

Since their debut, BTS has performed on stages around the world. Their first major American appearance came at KCON Los Angeles in 2014. Their powerful performance left such an impression on K-pop fans that they returned as one of the headliners of KCON 2015.

They went on to perform for American audiences through the Highlight Tour, The Red Bullet Tour, and most recently, The Wings Tour, which concluded in Seoul on December 3, 2017. Along the way, their worldwide fan base, known as ARMY, continued to grow.

On September 18, 2017, BTS released their album Love Yourself: Her. The album featured tracks including “DNA,” “Go Go,” and “MIC Drop.”

“DNA” debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking another major step forward for the group in the United States.

BTS later collaborated with EDM DJ Steve Aoki and American rapper Desiigner on “MIC Drop Remix,” which was released on November 24, 2017, just days after BTS made their American television awards-show debut at the American Music Awards on November 19.

“MIC Drop Remix” would go on to reach No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

For American ARMY, however, these achievements did not happen in a vacuum.

BTS had once spoken about their dream of entering the Billboard Hot 100, and American ARMY listened. Fans began studying what it would take to help BTS chart in the United States.

One important piece of that puzzle was radio airplay.

Because radio airplay contributes to Billboard Hot 100 rankings, American ARMY began requesting BTS songs from Top 40 stations across the country.

Before “DNA” or “MIC Drop Remix,” fans used “Blood Sweat & Tears” as something of a trial run.

The challenge was immediate.

The song was primarily in Korean, and many radio personalities and program directors were unfamiliar with BTS or hesitant to play a non-English-language song on mainstream American radio.

California ARMY, led by BTSxCalifornia, began requesting “Blood Sweat & Tears” from radio stations throughout the state.

Then came a breakthrough.

On August 25, 2017, a DJ from a San Francisco Top 40 station opened the airwaves to listener requests. ARMY flooded the station with requests for “Blood Sweat & Tears.”

They waited.

And waited.

Five hours later, the opening notes of “Blood Sweat & Tears” finally came through an American Top 40 radio station.

For the fans who had spent hours requesting it, that moment meant far more than simply hearing a favorite song on the radio.

It meant the door had opened.

Afterward, “Blood Sweat & Tears” began receiving airplay on additional American radio stations. When BTS released “DNA” as the lead track from Love Yourself: Her, more radio DJs were willing to give the group a chance.

Then came “MIC Drop Remix.”

With more English lyrics and collaborations with Steve Aoki and Desiigner, the song became increasingly accessible to American Top 40 radio. Soon, ARMY across the country began hearing BTS on stations they had listened to for years.

Behind those spins was an enormous amount of fan-driven work.

The ARMY behind BTSx50States spent months researching radio data, studying Billboard charts, organizing requests, and helping fans understand how American radio worked. Their goal was simple but ambitious: help make BTS’ dream of succeeding on the Billboard Hot 100 a reality.

So when you hear “MIC Drop Remix” blasting through your speakers during your morning or evening commute, it represents something bigger than one song making it onto American radio.

Behind every request, every phone call, every tweet to a DJ, and every hour spent waiting for a song to play were fans determined to make American radio take notice of seven artists from South Korea.

In its own way, the journey carried a fitting name.

It was the blood, sweat, and tears of ARMY.

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© 2026 Amelie Chambord