BTS achieves elite Guinness World Records "ICON" status for 2026 as member Jimin lands a new RIAA Gold certification in the U.S.
BTS Named Guinness ICON; Jimin Picks Up RIAA Gold for Fast X Track
The septet becomes the first Asian act on the Guinness ICON list as it returns to the road after a four-year break.
Highlights
- BTS joins Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Drake, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton on the Guinness World Records ICON list, the first Asian act and the only musical group on the roster.
- The group's chart history includes Love Yourself: Tear topping the Billboard 200 in 2018 and Dynamite crossing one billion Spotify streams in 2021.
- Jimin's Angel Pt. 1, recorded for the Fast X soundtrack, has been certified Gold by the RIAA for surpassing 500,000 units in the U.S.
Guinness World Records on May 17 added BTS to its ICON list for 2026, making the seven-member group—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook—the first Asian act and the only musical group included.
The list recognizes figures Guinness describes as defining their fields. Other names on it include Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Drake, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton. In its citation, Guinness said BTS "introduced K-pop to the world" and built a catalog covering themes including mental health and coming of age.
A track record built over a decade
The group's Love Yourself: Tear, released in 2018, was the first K-pop album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Dynamite, released in 2020, became the first K-pop track to cross one billion streams on Spotify, and remains a benchmark for the genre. BTS is the most-streamed group in Spotify history.
The ICON nod lands during the group's Arirang world tour, its first run as a unit since the 2021–22 Permission to Dance on Stage dates. The tour opened in Goyang, South Korea, on April 9 and is scheduled to play 79 shows across 34 markets through March 2027. The members completed their mandatory South Korean military service in June 2025.
Jimin's Fast X track turns Gold
Separately, the RIAA certified Jimin's Angel Pt. 1 Gold after the song passed 500,000 units in the U.S., according to Star News Korea. The track, recorded for the 2023 Universal release Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious franchise, features Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, JVKE and Muni Long. Jimin is the first Korean artist credited on a Fast & Furious soundtrack.
Angel Pt. 1 peaked at No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the iTunes charts in 100 countries within four days of release, and has logged more than 244 million Spotify streams.
Jimin's other U.S. certifications include Who and Like Crazy (Platinum-tier and Gold-tier sales, respectively, per the RIAA), and Gold status for the albums FACE and MUSE and the tracks Set Me Free Pt.2, Filter, Serendipity and Lie.
Taken together, the back-to-back wins suggest the group's two-year break did little to dent its commercial position in the U.S. market—where the test for any returning act is whether the catalog keeps moving units while the new material lands.
Author
Diya Mukherjee is a Content Writer at Outlook Respawn with a postgraduate background in media. She has a passion for writing content and is enthusiastic about exploring cultures, literature, global affairs, and pop culture.
