BTS ruled music conversations on Twitter India; Jimin and Jungkook’s photos were the most retweeted and liked tweets in 2021

By Monica Yadav -

December 15, 2021 - 5:22 PM IST

In 2021, many striking #OnlyOnTwitter musical moments struck a chord with people. They turned to the service to keep entertained, connect with artists and discuss all things music. From K-pop stans who celebrated bands like BTS and BLACKPINK, to lovers of Indian music who tuned into Spaces by Armaan Malik, A.R. Rahman, among many others. Musicians on Twitter also serenaded fans through live concerts on Spaces. In fact, singer Chinmayi Sripaada hosted several Spaces concerts to actively engage and connect with her fans. The methodology was used based on the total number of retweets/likes by Twitter accounts in India between January 1 to November 15, 2021.

BTS ruled music conversations on Twitter India; Jimin and Jungkook’s photos were the most retweeted and liked tweets in 2021

Most Retweeted Tweet in music: BTS’ tweet about Jimin’s new haircut
BTS has been leading the K-pop wave in India, and their fans - who proudly call themselves #ARMY - love to talk about them. Every Tweet from the band inspires a new wave of fan-frenzy on the service - whether it is a dance performance, a professional update or just a ‘hello’ from the members of this much-loved band. This year, a Tweet about band member Jimin getting a new haircut had fans going gaga, making it the most Retweeted Tweet in music conversations in India.

나는 지금 감은 머리 히#JIMIN pic.twitter.com/gXzJULyL2M
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) August 2, 2021

Most Liked Tweet in music: BTS’ tweet sharing Jimin and Jungkook’s airport looks
Another Tweet by BTS, a picture of band members Jimin and Jungkook became the Most Liked Tweet in music conversations in India. The boys’ airport looks as they headed to New York for United Nations General Assembly were definitely a hit with their fans.

다녀오겠습니다????#JIMIN #꾸기 pic.twitter.com/OdyQ0qllb2
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) September 18, 2021

In addition to BTS, music lovers, especially those who ardently follow and enjoy K-pop, had a lot more to talk about this year. These were the most Tweeted hashtags that kept fans engaged.

Most Tweeted hashtags in music in 2021

1. #BTS: BTS’ popularity in India is common knowledge, and the band’s fans choose Twitter to stay connected to them. This unstoppable K-pop group crossed several career milestones this year, produced record-breaking music, and continued to inspire their #ARMY. From the release of the upbeat song #Butter, the band’s collaboration with the iconic Coldplay for #MyUniverse, to performing #PermissionToDance at the United Nations’ General Assembly and winning numerous awards including three MTV VMAs - it was an exciting year for the band’s fandom.

2. #BBMAsTopSocial: The Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) are one of the most celebrated awards in the international music industry. This year, the Awards opened up digital voting on Twitter and the Top Social Artist category gained volumes of conversations among fans on the service. The conversations revolved around BLACKPINK, Ariana Grande, Seventeen, among others, but it was BTS that swept away the award.

3. #iHeartAwards: The eighth edition of the #iheartawards was a star-studded event that celebrated the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app in 2020. Since the commencement of the voting process, the Awards had music fans engaging to vote for their favourite artists, making it one of the top music conversations of the year.

4. #BLACKPINK: Korean girl band BLACKPINK also enjoys immense popularity among K-pop fans in India. This year, the group marked its five-year anniversary, and the band’s fandom - BLINK had its own celebratory party on Twitter. To commemorate the milestone, the band also released their debut movie titled BLACKPINK: THE MOVIE, taking fans down memory lane to revisit the best of the band's journey & performances. Moreover, band members including Lisa, Rose, Jisoo, and Jennie were also in conversations for their respective solo projects and accomplishments this year.

5. #ENHYPEN: Since its debut in late 2020, Enhypen has been on the road to becoming another global K-pop phenomenon, and another group for Indian K-pop fans to obsess over. The band’s second EP, BORDER: CARNIVAL, released earlier this year. Moreover, the news about all of the band’s members contracting COVID-19 mid-year inspired conversations from concerned fans on Twitter, as did the news of their recovery and comeback in October.

Another testimony to K-pop’s unparalleled dominance is this year’s list of the most Tweeted-about songs.

1. #BTS_Butter: BTS had fans grooving to their second English song 'Butter' this year. The song made a smooth entry into fans’ playlists, as well as, onto music charts across the globe. From a nine-week run at the Billboard Hot 100 charts to a Grammy nomination, #Butter won hearts and acclaim across the music industry and volumes of conversation from fans on Twitter.

2. #PermissionToDance: Marking another career touchstone, BTS performed their single #PermissionToDance at the United Nations General Assembly, making fans beam with pride and awe for their favourite boy band.

3. #Dynamite: Having released in 2020, BTS (@BTS_twt) #Dynamite was one of the most successful songs of the year. Fans also made sure to mark the song’s one-year anniversary by making it another occasion to converse with each other on Twitter.

4. #MyUniverse: This year, BTS (@BTS_twt) collaborated with the iconic rock band Coldplay (@coldplay) for the single #MyUniverse. While the collaboration itself was a historic milestone in more ways than one, the music video - a space-themed visual masterpiece shot separately for Coldplay (in Barcelona) and BTS (in Seoul, South Korea) - received acclaim for the technological foresight it was executed with.

5. #Dont_fight_the_feeling: Another K-pop band that delighted fans this year was EXO (@weareoneEXO) with their album #DontFightTheFeeling. With four of the band’s nine members being away on military enlistment, EXO had been on a break for a year and a half. However, when the band announced their comeback with #DontFightTheFeeling in May this year, fans were overjoyed and took to Twitter to exhibit their excitement and love for the boy band. The music video for the album’s lead single by the same name #DontFightTheFeeling, also received massive appreciation from fans on the service.