BTS Tops Social 50: K-pop Band Breaks Record With 22 Weeks Atop Billboard Chart

South Korean band BTS, or the Bangtan Boys, is putting K-pop (Korean pop) on the global map and the band’s latest achievement is retaining the top spot on Billboard’s Social 50 chart for the May 6 tally.

Its 22nd week at the first position in the chart places the band in third place for the most number of weeks on top of the Social 50, a position it initially held with international sensations Miley Cyrus and Rihanna.

Read: BTS At BBMA 2017? K-Pop Group Makes History With Billboard Music Awards Nomination

After the release of the latest chart, only two other artists are ahead of the Bangtan Boys — Taylor Swift with 28 weeks and Justin Bieber with 161 weeks — Billboard reported Thursday.

When it comes to groups, BTS beat all others to the record with its closest competition in the category, One Direction, registering only eight weeks. The wide margin commanded by the K-pop band is significant as it stressed the wide sphere of influence that BTS has in the world.

Since it hit the Social 50 chart on Oct. 29, 2016, BTS has not left the top two spots even once. It also made history by becoming the first K-pop group to be nominated in the top social artist category at the Billboard Music Awards this year. The show is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on May 21.

The Social 50 was launched in 2010, Billboard reported, and uses data maintained by music analytics company Next Big Sound, ranking the popularity of musicians on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Wikipedia, Instagram and Tumblr.

The methodology used by Billboard puts together the artists’ user engagement and page views, along with the “friends/fans/followers” added by them over the week, to provide them with a global ranking.

The seven-member group – made up of Jin, Suga, Rap Monster, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jimin and V – proved that its social media game was one of the best in the world and won an award for social media influence during the ninth “Shorty Awards” held in New York last weekend.

“We want to share this honor with fans all around the world,” the band members said in their acceptance video for the award, which was given in the field of music. BTS beat names like Ariana Grande, Drake and Britney Spears to win the honor.

“Besides their catchy tunes and boyish good looks, BTS has got a strong Instagram presence with their concept photo sessions,” the Shorty’s website said. “But their Twitter game is even stronger, being named by Forbes as the most retweeted artist on the platform.”

The band embarked on a world tour, titled “2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour” earlier this year with the first performance at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome. BTS then moved on to performances in Chile and Brazil, along with an appearance at the KCON Mexico.

After packed performances at three venues in the U.S. – Newark, New Jersey; Anaheim, California; and Chicago – the band is currently in the midst of its Asia leg, with performances in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Hong Kong, followed by stops in Australia and Japan.