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BTS' Jungkook set a new record in online engagement with his surprise Weverse livestream on December 18, 2024. While on military leave, the global superstar connected with fans, drawing an unprecedented 20.2 million real-time viewers.
This staggering figure eclipsed the viewership of major Western award shows, surpassing the Grammys (15.4M), Oscars (19.5M), AMAs (12.9M), BBMAs (6.7M), Golden Globes (9.3M), and VMAs (4M), as posted by Popcore on X on February 6, 2025.
Over the course of more than two and a half hours, the Golden Maknae sang multiple songs using his karaoke machine. He also shared insights about his military life, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to ARMY.
When the news and numbers were revealed, ARMYs (BTS fans) erupted with excitement, celebrating his global impact. Social media flooded with posts highlighting how a casual, impromptu livestream from the BTS member outperformed major Western and international award shows. One fan commented,
Trending
"He ended them😭he hold the power that they don't have"
"In fact watching his lives is more interesting these awards shows. Kingkook's power 🔥 HISTORY MAKER JUNGKOOK MAIN POP STAR JUNGKOOK " wrote one ARMY.
"And a caveat must also be made. It wasn't something scheduled or warned days in advance. This livestream of his was out of nowhere. And no one, not even the most hopeful person in the world expected her." said another fan.
"The way those awards live streams are of popular celebrities with huge performances and awards and jungkook's is just... him singing, talking just him. his power bro" read a comment on X.
Many highlighted how JK’s charm and connection with fans made the livestream feel more special than any televised event. The record-breaking numbers only reinforced Jungkook's impact as a global phenomenon for fans.
"The fact that this is even un announced, Jungkook’s impact is insane. Just like those trends on TikTok, majority started with a Jungkook edits and turned into a trend… 😭" posted one individual on X.
"Watching Jungkook's lives is more interesting than watching those awards shows where the VMAs literally give out awards for attendance , Billboard nominates anyone even if they're not in the eligibility period , and the Grammys where if you want to win you have to pay." shared a netizen.
"Must be suck for those events with million dollars capital to be beaten in relevamce by a single impromptu unannounced zero-budgeted appearance of THE Jeon Jungkook." commented one X user.
"jungkook is bigger than these events 🫶🏼 can’t wait for jjk2" added one person on X.
Jungkook dominates global charts and trends with record-breaking Weverse live, Billboard milestones, and Spotify feat
JK’s Weverse live became a global sensation, topping worldwide trends, including the United States and Melon. On Weibo, it ranked third, with over 40 trending keywords linked to him dominating discussions.
Jungkook's livestream caused a huge online buzz, with 10 topics related to him trending on Google and over one million posts on X. During the livestream, he gave fans a tour of his modern home, showcasing stylish black furniture, a bar, DJ station, and karaoke setup.
He also shared an update on his military service, revealing he's currently a Corporal and aiming for a Sergeant promotion by March 2025, with a daily 5-kilometer run to stay fit.
Later in the live, the Billboard-topping artist treated fans to a mini karaoke session. However, he chose not to perform BTS songs, expressing his wish to sing them together with the members after their reunion.
Instead he delighted fans with renditions of Still With You, Jin’s I’ll Be There, BLACKPINK Rose and Bruno Mars’ APT., and Crush’s Love You With All My Heart from the Queen of Tears OST, among others.
In the meantime, JK continues to make waves globally, with his solo track SEVEN setting a new record on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 Chart. The song has now spent 32 weeks on the chart, currently holding the #54 position. This achievement makes it the longest-charting song by a K-pop act in the chart’s history.
Adding to his list of milestones, the SEVEN singer has become the fastest Asian solo artist to surpass 17 million followers on Spotify. According to ChartMasters, as of February 3, 2025, he has amassed 17,007,429 followers since launching his solo career in July 2023.
Meanwhile, Madame Tussauds unveiled its HOT 100 list for 2025, featuring several K-pop artists, including Jungkook and his fellow BTS member Jimin.
The singer-songwriter is set to complete his mandatory military service in June 2025, returning alongside his BTS bandmates V, Jimin, RM, and Suga.
