It is easy to see that even though K-pop has become much more popular in the U.S. over the past 5–7 years, breaking into the αмєяι¢αn market remains extremely challenging for K-pop solo idols.
As a group, K-pop idols can create a bigger “impact” thanks to mαѕѕive fandoms, large-scale album releases, and global concert tours. But for soloists, the situation is different: their fanbase is smaller, they face direct competition with US-UK superstars such as Taylor Swift, Drake, and Olivia Rodrigo...—artists backed by powerful promotional systems and enormous fanbases—and they must also deal with the barrier of U.S. radio, which rarely plays K-pop music, especially from solo artists.
Therefore, achieving high results on αмєяι¢αn charts or making a deep entry into the U.S. market is already a huge challenge—let alone reaching No. 1 or dominating the market, which seems nearly impossible. Yet, the tradition of “BTS paved the way” has never stopped!
Jin continues to prove his immense popularity and influence as an individual in the U.S. with his latest achievements. According to chart data and news reported by Pop Core, Jin was the best-selling K-pop solo artist in the United States in 2025 based on pure album sales.
Jin’s second solo album, Echo, released on May 16, also entered the Billboard World Albums chart in its latest update, solidifying his global presence. It is also the first and only K-pop solo album of 2025 to remain on this chart for 17 weeks.
Jin also set a record as the first and only K-pop soloist to have two albums—Happy and Echo—stay on the Spotify Weekly Global Albums chart for 15 consecutive weeks. Among them, Echo has remained on the chart for 19 weeks (from September 19 to 25, 2025).
Importantly, these achievements not only highlight his popularity in the U.S. market as a solo artist but also serve as undeniable recognition of his musical talent and efforts. Jin participated in writing lyrics for 4 out of the 7 tracks on the mini album Echo and has been involved in composing and writing lyrics for all of his released solo singles and albums, fully demonstrating his musical capabilities.
Not only has he achieved remarkable success in the U.S. market with his album, but the title track Don’t Say You Love Me has also accumulated a series of impressive milestones: it surpαѕѕed 400 million streams on Spotify on August 31, making history as the fastest K-pop song of 2025 to reach this milestone in just 107 days.
Don’t Say You Love Me stayed on the Spotify Global Top 50 for 111 days as of September 4 (KST), setting the record for the longest-charting K-pop song of 2025. On September 2, the song entered the Spotify Global Top 10 and has consistently remained there ever since, peaking at No. 5 (on September 25) according to the chart update released on September 27.
On May 25, Don’t Say You Love Me claimed the No. 1 spot on the Spotify Global Chart, becoming the first song by an Asian artist to reach No. 1 on Spotify Global in 2025.
Not only the title track Don’t Say You Love Me but also every song on Echo has been loved worldwide, bringing Jin prestigious recognition as a K-pop soloist. For instance, Jin recently won the International Male Artist of the Year 2025 award at the SEC Awards, organized by the вяαzιℓian media outlet Series Em Cena (SEC).
Jin also took first place in the Fan N Star Choice – Solo category at The Fact Music Awards (TMA) 2025, marking his second win since 2022. He additionally won the TMA Fan N Star Best Music – Summer Award, triumphing over powerful groups and artists.
With these crowns at the top, Jin continues to cement his status as a leading solo artist and a global pop icon. Fans cannot help but feel an immense sense of pride in what Worldwide Handsome has achieved, celebrating with festivals across the world!
