BTS’ ‘Swim’ Becomes First 2026 Release to Reach 1 Billion Spotify Streams
The lead single from BTS’ fifth studio album, ‘Arirang,’ has crossed 1 billion Spotify streams, setting a new speed record for the group and extending the album’s global commercial momentum.
BTS’ single “Swim” has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, becoming the first song released in 2026 to reach the milestone and adding another global streaming achievement to the K-pop group’s record.
Big Hit Music said the track crossed the threshold as of Saturday. Released on March 20 as the lead single from BTS’ fifth studio album, “Arirang,” the song reached 1 billion streams faster than any previous BTS release. It is now the group’s seventh track to join Spotify’s billion-stream club, alongside hits including “Dynamite,” “Butter” and “Boy With Luv,” featuring Halsey.
The streaming milestone builds on a strong chart run for “Swim.” The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1 on the chart dated April 4 and remained on the ranking for 20 consecutive weeks. In Britain, it reached No. 2 on the Official Singles Chart for the March 27-April 2 tracking period, marking the highest position of BTS’ career on that chart.
“Swim” also opened with significant momentum on Spotify. It topped the platform’s Daily Top Songs Global chart on its release day after recording approximately 14 million streams, the largest single-day total for a song released this year. The track later won song of the summer at the American Music Awards and song of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The song centers on perseverance in the face of hardship, using the act of moving through waves rather than fighting them as its main metaphor. RM took the lead in writing the lyrics, framing persistence as an affirmation of life.
The success has extended beyond the single. “Arirang,” BTS’ first album in three years and nine months, passed 5 billion cumulative Spotify streams on Oct. 14. That made it the most-streamed album released worldwide in 2026 at that point. All 14 tracks on the record have individually exceeded 200 million streams, including “No. 29,” an interlude that incorporates the sound of the historic Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok.
Together, the figures show the scale of the group’s audience after its extended break between albums. The billion-stream mark for “Swim” also reinforces BTS’ ability to turn a comeback release into sustained listening across major markets rather than relying only on a large first-week debut.