BTS Song 'SWIM' Passes 1 Billion Spotify Streams: First 2026 Release Worldwide to Reach the Mark, and the Group's Fastest Ever
BTS's song "SWIM" surpassed 1 billion cumulative streams on Spotify as of October 24, according to the group's agency, BIGHIT MUSIC. It is the first song released anywhere in the world in 2026 to reach the milestone, arriving just over seven months after its March 20 release, and it is also the fastest BTS song ever to reach 1 billion streams.
"SWIM" is the title track of BTS's fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," co-written by member RM; its lyrics compare life's challenges to powerful waves and convey a determination to keep moving forward at one's own pace. The song topped Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart on its release day with about 14.64 million streams, the biggest single-day total for any 2026 release. It went on to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated April 4) and remained on the chart for 20 consecutive weeks, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart — the group's best showing there — and won Song of the Year at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
With "SWIM," BTS now has seven songs in Spotify's billion-streams club, joining "Dynamite," "Butter," "Boy With Luv," "FAKE LOVE," "Life Goes On" and the Coldplay collaboration "My Universe." By comparison, "Dynamite," released in 2020, took about 11 months to reach the mark.
The album's momentum has continued as well: "ARIRANG" passed 5 billion cumulative Spotify streams on October 14, making it the most-streamed album released in 2026, and all 14 of its tracks have exceeded 200 million streams. BTS is currently on its ARIRANG world tour.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：BTS在「ARIRANG」世界巡回演唱会 Paris 站演唱《SWIM》（2026年7月17日资料图）。照片：Chiyako92 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: BTS performing 'SWIM' on the ARIRANG World Tour in Paris (file photo, July 17, 2026). Photo by Chiyako92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
