BTS V's "Friends" Surpasses 500 Million Views

BTS member V's solo song "FRI(END)S" is gaining popularity, surpassing 580 million streams on Spotify. Released as a digital single on March 15 last year, the song features a sweet melody and witty lyrics in the pop soul R&B genre. V showcased a diverse vocal range, moving between his low register and falsetto.

Despite V's current military service, "FRI(END)S" achieved significant success, debuting at No. 65 on the US Billboard Main Singles Chart 'Hot 100', No. 3 on 'Billboard Global (excluding US)', and No. 5 on 'Global 200'. It also entered the UK Official Singles Chart at No. 13, remaining on the chart for two consecutive weeks, and debuted at No. 3 on the UK's largest chart, 'Official Big Top 40', in just two days.

"FRI(END)S" topped the iTunes charts in 100 countries worldwide, becoming the first song released in 2024 to achieve this feat, and also reached No. 1 on the European iTunes charts. Furthermore, it was recognized in the first half of 2024 Spotify rankings as the K-pop solo song with the most streams and the K-pop solo song with the longest chart run in the Global Spotify charts' Top 10, solidifying his position as a solo artist in the global music market. The song was also selected for 'Best K-Pop of 2024' by Amazon Music and Apple Music.

In addition to the music, the music video also received immense love. Filmed in the UK, the music video topped YouTube's World Trend Music category upon its release and maintained the No. 1 spot for 14 consecutive days. It also became the first K-pop artist to top the US 'Tidal Top Video' chart. The music video was nominated for 'Best Pop International' at the 'UK Music Video Awards (UKMVA) 2024', acknowledging its high quality. V received praise for his acting, portraying contrasting characters – one alone and one with a lover – in a multidimensional way.