--- title: BTS: TIME’s Entertainer of the Year 2020 description: In 2020, the K-pop sensation ascended to the zenith of pop stardom—and did it in a year defined by setbacks. canonical: https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-12-10T03:52:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-13T12:12:08.148Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: BTS Is TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year og:description: In 2020, the K-pop sensation ascended to the zenith of pop stardom—and did it in a year defined by setbacks og:url: https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: BTS Is TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year twitter:description: In 2020, the K-pop sensation ascended to the zenith of pop stardom—and did it in a year defined by setbacks twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # BTS Is TIME’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: BTS Is TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year [Watch (HLS stream): BTS Is TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7d36X1gV.m3u8) (3:22)  _Published 2020-12-10. TIME has selected BTS as the 2020 Entertainer of the Year._ Dec 10, 2020 3:52 AM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 10, 2020 3:52 AM UTC It’s late October, and Suga is sitting on a couch strumming a guitar. His feet are bare, his long hair falling over his eyes. He noodles around, testing out chords and muttering softly to himself, silver hoop earrings glinting in the light. “I just started learning a few months ago,” he says. It’s an intimate moment, the kind you’d spend with a new crush in a college dorm room while they confess rock-star ambitions. But Suga is one-seventh of the [Korean pop band BTS](https://time.com/5911481/bts-music-legacy/), which means I’m just one of millions of fans watching, savoring the moment. BTS isn’t just the biggest [K-pop act](https://time.com/collection-post/5414052/bts-next-generation-leaders/) on the charts. They’ve become the [biggest band](https://time.com/collection-post/5567876/bts/) in the world—full stop. Between releasing multiple albums, breaking every type of record and appearing in these extemporaneous livestreams in 2020, BTS ascended to the zenith of pop stardom. And they did it in a year defined by setbacks, one in which the world hit pause and everyone struggled to maintain their connections. Other celebrities tried to leverage this year’s challenges; most failed. (Remember that star-studded “Imagine” video?) But BTS’s bonds to their international fan base, [called ARMY](https://time.com/5912998/bts-army/), deepened amid the pandemic, a global racial reckoning and worldwide shutdowns. “There are times when I’m still taken aback by all the unimaginable things that are happening,” [Suga](https://time.com/5839715/bts-suga-d2-mixtape/) tells TIME later. “But I ask myself, Who’s going to do this, if not us?” Mok Jung Wook for TIME Today, K-pop is a multibillion-dollar business, but for decades the gatekeepers of the music world—the Western radio moguls, media outlets and number-crunchers—treated it as a novelty. BTS hits the expected high notes of traditional K-pop: sharp outfits, crisp choreography and dazzling videos. But they’ve matched that superstar shine with a surprising level of honesty about the hard work that goes into it. BTS meets the demands of Top 40’s authenticity era without sacrificing any of the gloss that’s made K-pop a cultural force. It doesn’t hurt that their songs are irresistible: polished confections that are dense with hooks and sit comfortably on any mainstream playlist. BTS is not the first Korean act to establish a secure foothold in the West, yet their outsize success today is indicative of a sea change in the inner workings of fandom and how music is consumed. From propelling their label to a $7.5 billion IPO valuation to inspiring fans to match their $1 million donation to [Black Lives Matter](https://time.com/collection-post/5888228/black-lives-matter-founders/), BTS is a case study in music-industry dominance through human connection. Once Suga masters the guitar, there won’t be much left for them to conquer. --- In an alternate universe where [COVID-19](https://time.com/5917792/covid-19-vaccine-rollouts-begin/) didn’t exist, BTS’s 2020 would likely have looked much like the years that came before. The group got its start in 2010, after K-pop mastermind and Big Hit Entertainment founder [Bang Si-hyuk](https://time.com/5681494/bts-bang-si-hyuk-interview/) recruited [RM](https://time.com/4833807/rap-monster-bts-interview/), 26, from Seoul’s underground rap scene. He was soon joined by Jin, 28; Suga, 27; [J-Hope](https://time.com/5181183/j-hope-bts-hope-world-interview/), 26; Jimin, 25; V, 24; and Jung Kook, 23, selected for their dancing, rapping and singing talents. But unlike their peers, BTS had an antiestablishment streak, both in their activism and in the way they contributed to their songwriting and production—which was then rare in K-pop, although that’s started to change. In BTS’s debut 2013 single, [“No More Dream,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBG5L7UsUxA) they critiqued Korean social pressures, like the high expectations placed on schoolkids. They have been open about their own challenges with mental health and spoken publicly about their support for LGBTQ+ rights. (Same-sex marriage is still not legally recognized in South Korea.) And they’ve modeled a form of gentler, more neutral masculinity, whether dyeing their hair pastel shades or draping their arms lovingly over one another. All this has made them unique not just in K-pop but also in the global pop marketplace. In March, BTS was prepping for a global tour. Instead, they stayed in Seoul to wait out the pandemic. For the group, life didn’t feel too different: “We always spend 30 days a month together, 10 hours a day,” Jin says. But with their plans upended, they had to pivot. In August, BTS dropped an English-language single, [“Dynamite,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdZLi9oWNZg) that topped the charts in the U.S.—a first for an all-Korean act. With their [latest album](https://time.com/5914352/bts-be-analysis/) this year, _Be,_ they’ve become the first band in history to debut a song and album at No. 1 on _Billboard_’s charts in the same week. “We never expected that we would release another album,” says RM. “Life is a trade-off.” Big Hit Their triumphs this year weren’t just about the music. In October, they put on perhaps the biggest virtual ticketed show of all time, selling nearly a million tickets to the two-night event. Their management company [went public](https://time.com/5899791/bts-bighit-ipo/) in Korea, turning Bang into a billionaire and each of the members into millionaires, a rarity in an industry where the spoils often go to the distributors, not the creators. And they were finally rewarded with a Grammy nomination. On YouTube, where their Big Hit Labels is one of the top 10 most subscribed music accounts (with over 13 billion views by this year), their only real competition is themselves, says YouTube’s music-trends manager Kevin Meenan. The “Dynamite” video racked up 101 million views in under 24 hours, a first for the platform. “They’ve beaten all their own records,” he says. Not that the glory comes without drawbacks: namely, lack of free time. It’s nearing midnight in Seoul in late November, and BTS, sans Suga, who’s recovering from shoulder surgery, are fitting in another interview—this time, just with me. V, Jimin and J-Hope spontaneously burst into song as they discuss Jin’s upcoming birthday. “Love, love, love,” they harmonize, making good use of the Beatles’ chorus, turning to their bandmate and crossing their fingers in the Korean version of the heart symbol. Comparisons to that epoch-defining group are inevitable. “What’s different is that we’re seven, and we also dance,” says V. “It’s kind of like a cliché when big boy bands are coming up: ‘Oh, there’s another Beatles!’” says RM. I’ve interviewed BTS five times, and in every interaction, they are polite to a fault. But by now they must be weary of revisiting these comparisons, just as they must be tired of explaining their success. RM says it’s a mix of luck, timing and mood. “I’m not 100% sure,” he says. They’ve matured into smart celebrities: focused and cautious, they’re both more ready for the questions and more hesitant to make big statements. When you ask BTS about their landmark year, for once they’re not exactly chipper; J-Hope wryly calls it a “roller coaster.” “Sh-t happens,” says RM. “It was a year that we struggled a lot,” says Jimin. Usually a showman, on this point he seems more introspective than usual. “We might look like we’re doing well on the outside with the numbers, but we do go through a hard time ourselves,” he says. For a group whose purpose is truly defined by their fans, the lack of human interaction has been stifling. Still, they’ve made it a point to represent optimism. “I always wanted to become an artist that can provide comfort, relief and positive energy to people,” says J-Hope. “That intent harmonized with the sincerity of our group and led us to who we are today.” --- In an era marked by so much anguish and cynicism, BTS has stayed true to their message of kindness, connection and self-acceptance. That’s the foundation of their relationship with their fans. South Korean philosopher and author [Dr. Jiyoung Lee](https://twitter.com/JeeLee06767883) describes the passion of BTS’s fandom as a phenomenon called “horizontality,” a mutual exchange between artists and their fans. As opposed to top-down instruction from an icon to their followers, BTS has built a true community. “Us and our fans are a great influence on each other,” says J-Hope. “We learn through the process of making music and receiving feedback.” The BTS fandom isn’t just about ensuring the band’s primacy—it’s also about extending the band’s message of positivity into the world. “BTS and ARMY are a symbol of change in zeitgeist, not just of generational change,” says Lee. BTS photographed in Seoul on Oct. 29: from left, RM, Suga, V, Jung Kook, J-Hope, Jimin and Jin Mok Jung Wook for TIME And in June, BTS became a symbol of youth activism worldwide after they donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement amid major protests in the U.S. (They have a long track record of supporting initiatives [like UNICEF](https://time.com/5405422/bts-k-pop-united-nations-address/) and school programs.) BTS says now it was simply in support of human rights. “That was not politics. It was related to racism,” Jin says. “We believe everyone deserves to be respected. That’s why we made that decision.” That proved meaningful for fans like [Yassin Adam](https://twitter.com/BTSBEINGBTSYT), 20, an ARMY from Georgia who runs popular BTS social media accounts sharing news and updates, and who is Black. “It will bring more awareness to this issue people like me face in this country,” he says. “I see myself in them, or at least a version of myself.” In May and June, a [broad coalition](https://time.com/5866955/k-pop-political/) of K-pop fans made headlines for interfering with a police app and buying out tickets for a Trump campaign rally, depleting the in-person attendance. Later that summer, ARMY’s grassroots fundraising effort matched BTS’s $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter within 24 hours. For 28-year-old [Nicole Santero](https://twitter.com/ResearchBTS), who is Asian American, their success in the U.S. is also a triumph of representation: “I never really saw people like myself on such a mainstream stage,” Santero says. She’s writing her doctoral dissertation on the culture of BTS fandom, and she runs a popular Twitter account that analyzes and shares BTS data. “Anytime I’m awake, I’m doing something related to BTS,” she says. “This is a deeper kind of love.” Devotion like that is a point of pride for BTS, particularly in a year when so much has felt uncertain. “We’re not sure if we’ve actually earned respect,” RM says. “But one thing for sure is that \[people\] feel like, O.K., this is not just some kind of a syndrome, a phenomenon.” He searches for the right words. “These little boys from Korea are doing this.” _—With reporting by_ Aria Chen/Hong Kong; Mariah Espada/Washington;Sangsuk Sylvia Kang _and_ Kat Moon/New York _FASHION CREDITS_ _RM: Jacket, shirt, pants and shoes HERMES; SUGA: Jacket, shirt and necklace CELINE. Pants GIVENCHY. Shoes LOUIS VUITTON; Jung Kook: Jacket, shirt, pants and shoes FENDI; J-Hope: Jacket, shirt, pants and shoes LOUIS VUITTON. Necklace HERMES; Jin: Suit, knit top and shoes BALENCIAGA; Jimin: Jacket, silk shirt, pants and shoes CELINE; V: Suit, shirt and shoes ALEXANDER McQUEEN. Tie THOM BROWNE._ [Buy a print of TIME’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year BTS cover](https://timecoverstore.com/featured/2020-entertainer-of-the-year-bts-photograph-by-mok-jung-wook-for-time.html) _This article is part of TIME’s_ [2020 Person of the Year](https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2020-joe-biden-kamala-harris-choice) _issue._ [Read more](https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2020-joe-biden-kamala-harris) _and sign up for the_ [Inside TIME newsletter](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletters?newsletter%5Fname=INSIDE%5FTIME&source=poy-article) _to be among the first to see our cover every week._ **Write to** Raisa Bruner at [raisa.bruner@time.com](mailto:raisa.bruner@time.com?subject=%28READER%20FEEDBACK%29%20BTS%20Is%20TIME%27s%202020%20Entertainer%20of%20the%20Year&body=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2Fentertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts%2F). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/"},"headline":"BTS Is TIME’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year","datePublished":"2020-12-10T03:52:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-13T12:12:08.148Z","description":"In 2020, the K-pop sensation ascended to the zenith of pop stardom—and did it in a year defined by setbacks.","url":"https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/","keywords":["Person of the Year","Person of the Year 2020"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/","name":"BTS Is TIME’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"BTS Is TIME's 2020 Entertainer of the Year","description":"TIME has selected BTS as the 2020 Entertainer of the Year.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/7d36X1gV/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-12-10T14:02:19.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7d36X1gV.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/","duration":"PT3M22S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/article/2020/12/10/entertainer-of-the-year-2020-bts/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```