BTS And BLACKPINK Score Silver Certifications in Japan

BTS and BLACKPINK level up as the two South Korea mega groups have officially receive brand new silver certifications, courtesy the Recording Industry Association of Japan. The certifications came their way shortly after the RIAJ revamped its certification system, adding new criteria for eligibility. 

The RIAJ recently announced a change in the current evaluation process for the certification of songs streamable online. This change is an addition to their pre-existing evaluation of physical unit sales as well as digital downloads. Further, they announced that the new eligibility numbers for streamable songs will be as follows: silver at 30 million streams, gold at 50 million streams and platinum at 100 million streams. 

According to the latest numbers, both BTS and BLACKPINK, arguably the biggest names in K-Pop right now, have received new certifications. BTS achieved silver with their hit Japanese single, ‘Lights’. And, BLACKPINK received a silver certification with their 2019 hit, ‘Kill This Love’. 

In addition, BTS is also the only Korean male act to achieve an RIAJ streaming certification. ‘Lights’ is their fourth song to score silver, preceded by their Korean tracks ‘DNA’, ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Boy With Luv’, and their first Japanese song to achieve the feat. Further, ‘Lights’ is the only Japanese song by a Korean artist to be certified silver. 

‘Kill This Love’ by BLACKPINK, too, boasts many stellar achievements, including being the group’s third video to cross 900 million views on YouTube. This makes them the only Korean act to have three videos cross the 900 million mark. Further, it is the group’s first ever track to receive an RIAJ certification. 

By: Ahalya Narayanan