The New York Times has included Korean boy band BTS in its list of 50 artists under "What Music Do Americans Love the Most?" It provided 50 fan maps that each shows states where a particular artist is popular.
"YouTube has become a dominant force in the music industry in the last few years, particularly among younger people. With the help of YouTube's geocoded streaming data, we set out to map the contours of music fandom and culture in the United States," New York Times wrote.
In coming up with the list, the publication based it on the artists on the Billboard Top 100 this spring.
Of them, "we looked at the 50 that were most watched on YouTube in the United States between January 2016 and April 2017."
"Each map shows relative popularity in different parts of the country. If one part of a map is lighter, it doesn't mean people there weren't watching the artist's videos; it just means fans were more likely to listen to a variety of other artists," it said.
BTS is listed at No. 44.
"One of K-pop's most famous boy bands, BTS is especially popular in Hawaii and parts of California, along with a curious pocket of fandom in northern Wisconsin," New York Times wrote about the boy band.
On top of the list is Future followed by Rihanna, Twenty One Pilots, Justin Bieber, Kevin Gates, The Chainsmokers, Rae Sremmurd, Beyonce, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande.
The 11th to 50th places are Eminem, Migos, Drake, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Michael Jackson, Adele, Kodak Black, Shawn Mendes, Sia, Calvin Harris, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert, Post Malone, Shakira, Panic! At the Disco, Kendrick Lamar, Gucci Mane, DJ Khaled, Justin Timberlake, Big Sean, Zayn Malik, Florida Georgia Line, Selena Gomez, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Luke Bryan, J. Cole, BTS, Lady Gaga, Jason Derulo, Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, Linkin Park and Metallica.
