Jimin's Historic Solivagant Journey To The Top

Jimin’s solo single, Who, made history this week on the Billboard charts in America. The singer, currently inactive as he fulfills South Korea’s mandatory military service, claims his 33rd week on the Billboard Hot 100. This makes Jimin’s Who the longest-charting song by a Korean and Asian native soloist.

The record was previously held by his own group, BTS, with Dynamite, which remained on the chart for four and a half years. Before that, Psy reigned for over a decade with his novelty hit, Gangnam Style.

Jimin achieved this without the usual strategies that foreign singers—especially those from South Korea or the K-pop industry—typically use to break into the charts.

This means Jimin will likely hold on to the more significant record for a foreign act on the chart: the longest-charting solo song, also known as the longest-charting unaccompanied song.

Collaboration with Chart-Toppers Is the Way to Go… Except for Jimin

A popular way to break into the American charts is through collaborations.

BLACKPINK’s Rosé has so far secured 21 weeks inside the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 thanks to her collaboration with Bruno Mars with APT. Mars himself has amassed 20 Top 10 hits, nine No. 1s, and a cumulative 742 weeks on the chart. The only other song from Rosé’s album to chart was Toxic Till the End, which peaked at #90 for a single week.

Her bandmate, Jennie, also collaborated with The Weeknd & Lily Rose Depp on One of the Girls, which kept her on the chart for 20 weeks. Jennie currently holds the record for a Korean female soloist with the most Billboard Hot 100 entries—six in total, four of which are collaborations.

Jimin passed on that strategy. Both of his historic charting singles were solo efforts. His first, Like Crazy, was a foreign-language track that made history as the first foreign-language song by a soloist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also ended a 22-year drought for an Asian-language solo song atop the chart—the last being Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto in 1963.

Jimin stayed true to his artistry with Who, from his second album Muse, as he continued his solivagant journey.

Beyond Jimin, BTS has also secured five Top 10 hits without collaborations. His bandmate Jungkook also reached #5 with an unaccompanied song.

The Music Execs’ Arsenal – Radio

According to the latest Pew Research Center study, radio remains a widely used medium in the U.S. While that may be true, the bigger issue has always been the rebranded, redesigned, and legalized payola.

A station’s rotation is primarily controlled by radio station managers, who, in turn, are influenced by music executives. Payola is technically illegal in the U.S., but as long as no direct payment is exchanged, it remains difficult to prove.

The gatekeeping is so strong that, in most cases, the only way an artist can secure radio airplay is through the backing of a major label. In fact, Columbia executive Ron Perry allegedly had to personally meet with station managers to push BTS’s first No. 1 hit, Dynamite, onto radio rotation.

Since then, BTS and their label, Big Hit Entertainment, have forged a new distribution partnership with Universal Music Group.

Who received radio support for about two weeks but has since remained buoyant through streaming alone.

More Records

Jimin’s Who has also made an impact on other charts worldwide:

• It is the longest-charting song (28 weeks) by an Asian native act on the UK Official Singles Chart since chart reform.

• The single has spent 34 weeks inside Billboard Global 200, Billboard Global Excl. U.S., and Billboard Streaming Songs.

• Jimin is the first Asian native soloist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart.

• His album Muse has remained on the Billboard 200 and World Albums charts for 34 weeks.

Beyond The Records

By the time Who dropped, Jimin was already deep into his military service. With nothing but a single pre-recorded performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he had zero opportunities to promote his album.

His only "strategy"? Remixes—a move so common among Korean acts it barely qualifies as a tactic. And yet, he rewrote history. No radio push, no Western megastar co-signs, just the unwavering force of his fans.

Jimin's record-breaking run is a reality check for the global music industry, especially the U.S. market: the power dynamics have shifted. It’s not legacy institutions, corporate playlists, or label payola deciding who dominates—it’s the listeners. The fans. The people who actually consume the music.

Jimin, BTS, and its members have shattered the old industry playbook. They don’t need establishment backing to reach their audience. They have a direct line to their fans, who show up—on the charts, at the box office, in sold-out stadiums. Meanwhile, plenty of chart darlings struggle to sell out a theater, let alone an arena. And in an era where touring and brand deals are where the real money is, that’s a financial death sentence for labels clinging to outdated methods.

Manufactured hype doesn’t build icons. Industry manipulation might land an artist a fleeting hit, but it won’t translate to longevity, economic power, or cultural impact. Jimin’s success is proof of that. He doesn’t just chart; he sells. And when his time comes, he will fill stadiums. Because his success was never an illusion—it was earned.

Until music executives start recognizing actual talent instead of engineering short-lived chart placements, they’ll keep backing artists who can’t generate real revenue. And eventually, that blindspot won’t just cost them money—it’ll cost them the very industry they’ve fought generation after generation to gatekeep.