Earlier this week, Korean Pop group BTS made headlines with their
latest album, ‘Love Yourself: Tear.’ The album became the first by a K-pop band
to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. That news was followed up
with another record; being the first K-pop band to debut a single in the top 10
of the Hot 100 (Their single “Fake Love” debuted at number 10 on the chart).
International artists have always had a great impact on the
musical landscape in the United States. Artists from the UK have been just as popular
as / even more popular than their domestic counterparts. Latin music has come
in and out of style periodically over the years. With K-pop quickly becoming a
global phenomenon, the musical landscape looks to be changing once more.
Inspired by BTS’ chart reign, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s
music outlet, is taking a look at other international artists who have made
chart waves in the United States. Here are just four artists who left their indelible
marks on the charts and the U.S. music scene as a whole.
1.
Psy: BTS may have just broken multiple chart
records, but they weren’t necessarily the first Korean artist to do so. Pop singer
Psy released the hit “Gangnam Style” in 2012, becoming a viral sensation
overnight. As everyone and their dog were watching the video, buying the song and
learning the dance, the song rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100,
becoming the first Korean singer to reach the top 10. As BTS’ “Fake Love” only
reached number 10, “Gangnam Style” continues to be the highest-charting single
by a Korean artist. The video also made history, becoming the most watched
video on the YouTube platform for a good five years.
2.
Luis Fonsi: Last year, Latin music made a big
comeback in mainstream music. This was mostly due to the popularity of Puerto
Rican singer Luis Fonsi’s massive hit “Despacito.” The kind of popularity the
song saw had not been matched by any other Spanish-language song since Los Del
Rio’s 1996 smash “Macarena.” “Despacito” spent a record 16 weeks at number one
on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat shared only by Mariah Carey and Boys II Men’s
1995 single “One Sweet Day, not to mention more than a year at number one on
the Latin Songs chart. The song’s video is also the most watched video ever on
YouTube, having just surpassed five billion views.
3.
The
Beatles: Where do you begin with The Beatles? Coming to the United States
during the 1960s British Invasion, the Fab Four have set record after record,
many of which have not been broken to this day. Ranked Billboard’s number one
artist of all time, their long list of superlatives includes most number one
albums, most consecutive number one albums, most cumulative weeks at number one
and the only artist to hold the top two spots on both the Billboard 200 and the
Hot 100. If you include the solo successes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney,
the band’s impact becomes even greater.
4.
Drake:
Canadian actor and rapper Drake has been a staple of the pop music / hip-hop
scene for a little more than a decade. But over the last few years, his impact
has soared. Drake’s 2017 album ‘More Life’ saw all 22 tracks chart on the Hot
100 at the same time, which gave him records for most singles on the chart at
once, most songs to debut on the chart in one week and most entries on the
chart in one week. He made more chart history this year when his single “Nice
For What” debuted at number one on the Hot 100 chart, knocking out his previous
single “God’s Plan,” which also debuted at number one, to become the only
artist to knock his own number one debut out of number one with another number
one debut (that’s a mouthful). If that’s not enough, he also holds the record
for most number one singles on the rap, R&B/Hip-Hop and Rhythmic charts.
International artists have always been an influential part
of the United States’ musical landscape. Artists from the UK, Latin
America, Asia and even nearby in Canada all have had an impact on the melting
pot that is US music. With BTS’ historic debut on the Billboard 200 chart,
K-pop is positioning itself to become the next big, influential genre.
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Find music from some of these top-charting international
acts and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record
shop. With thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres, there is
something for almost every music lover. Browse our wide selection of new and
used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our
Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. More titles are being added to
our selection all the time, so you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay
777.
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