PETALING JAYA, March 5 — Korean band BTS has landed in the history books once again by becoming the first Asian act to be named best-selling artists of the year.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), a global organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry, crowned the K-pop group as Global Recording Artist of the Year for their achievements in 2020.

The winner is calculated according to an artist’s or group’s global performance across digital and physical music formats throughout the year and covers their entire body of work.

BTS is the first Asian act to land the accolade and the first whose discography is not predominantly sung in English, according to a press release on IFPI’s website.

The septet bested Taylor Swift and Drake, who came in second and third respectively, for the top spot.

Other artists in the top 10 included The Weeknd in fourth place, followed by Billie Eilish, Eminem, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Juice Wrld, and Justin Bieber.

IFPI chief executive Frances Moore congratulated BTS for capping off 2020 with yet another record-breaking feat.

"BTS are a global phenomenon. They have had another outstanding year, releasing three albums, and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world. 

"They truly show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people the world over.

"We would like to congratulate RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook and we are excited to see what they have in store next,” said Moore.

BTS first debuted in 2013 with the single No More Dream under the Korean company Big Hit Entertainment.

They are largely credited with bringing K-pop into the Western mainstream music scene and previously collaborated with American singers Halsey and Sia for the chart-topping tunes Boy With Luv and ON.

The Korean hit makers also command a loyal fandom known as the Army who regularly help the members to break streaming records on platforms like YouTube and Spotify.