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Research Paper | Music Education | Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026 | Pages: 2010 - 2015 | India
BTS: Group-Focused and Solo-Focused Eras (2019-2024): A Comparative Analysis of Search Interest, Album Sales, and Global Chart Performance
Abstract: This study compares BTS's group-focused and solo-focused activities between 2019 and 2024 using worldwide Google Trends search-interest data, selected first-week physical album sales reported by Hanteo Chart, and selected global chart achievements. The study defines the group-focused period as January 2019-June 2022 and the solo-focused period as July 2022-December 2024, reflecting the group's transition into a new chapter while continuing to remain connected as a group. Google Trends is used as a relative measure of search attention rather than absolute search volume. For group-level analysis, yearly mean search-interest scores and monthly extremes are examined; for solo releases, each member's post-debut series is re-indexed so that the solo-debut month equals 100, allowing the direction and persistence of post-debut interest to be compared within each member. The results show strong group-level search interest in the displayed 2019-2021 series and substantial short-term attention around several solo debuts. Selected group releases recorded higher first-week physical sales than the solo releases included in the tables, although solo releases also achieved substantial sales and major global chart results. Overall, the evidence does not establish that solo activity caused a decline in BTS's group-level public interest or commercial visibility. Because the study is descriptive and uses relative search-interest data alongside selected sales and chart indicators, the findings should be interpreted as observed patterns rather than causal effects.
Keywords: BTS, Google Trends, search interest, K-pop, album sales, solo careers, music industry
How to Cite?: Rimjhim Kumari, "BTS: Group-Focused and Solo-Focused Eras (2019-2024): A Comparative Analysis of Search Interest, Album Sales, and Global Chart Performance", Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2010-2015, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26829032124, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26829032124