MTV VMA: BTS wins group of the year

South Korean pop band BTS won the group of the year award at the MTV Video Music Awards 2021 on Sunday.

BTS has had an incredible 2021 so far with their single ‘Butter’ reigning on top of the Billboard Top 100 for 10 straight weeks. The song’s reign on top of the chart was the longest of the year, surpassing the eight-week rule of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver License”. It was also the longest streak achieved by a group since 1995, when ‘One Sweet Day’ – a song by Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men – ruled the chart for 16 straight weeks.

When BTS’ ‘Permission to Dance’ replaced ‘Butter’ at the summit of the July 24-dated chart, Billboard said that “BTS is the first act to displace itself at No. 1 with a new leader and then send the previous No. 1 back to the summit with no other acts holding the top spot in between”.

The group also earned 15 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 records, including three with ‘Dynamite’ and one each with ‘Life Goes On’ and ‘Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)’.

According to Billboard, the band has now become the quickest to reach five No.1s in three decades since Michael Jackson. The ‘King of Pop’ earned his five No. 1s in nine months and two weeks in 1987-88, while BTS took 10 months and two weeks to get there

The MTV Video Music Awards kicked off late on Sunday night and is all set to be a star-studded event with celebrities like Justin Bieber, Camila Cabelo, and The Kid Laroi taking the stage.

The telecast of awards began at 8 pm ET on September 12. The presenters at the MTV Video Music Awards will include Rita Ora, 50 cent, Megan Fox, Billy Porter, Travis Barker, Conor McGregor and Fat Joe, Associated Press reported.