BTS’s 2016 cut “21st Century Girl” climbs to No. 3 on iTunes in America, giving the group a surprise top 10 digital bestseller years after its release. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 21: (L-R) Jimin, Jungkook, RM, J-Hope, V, Jin, and SUGA of the K-pop boy band BTS visit the “Today” Show at Rockefeller Plaza on February 21, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/WireImage)
WireImage
BTS fans are waiting patiently for new music from the boy band, as the group will reportedly start a new chapter at some point in 2026. All seven members have completed their mandatory military enlistment and are able to work together again, but the musicians need some time before they can release new tunes to write and record.
As BTS’s ARMY holds on, fans of the South Korean septet once again turn a years-old cut into a sales smash simply to celebrate the globe-dominating group’s talent.
“21st Century Girl” Lives Inside the Top 10
BTS currently claims a top 10 bestseller on the iTunes Top Songs chart in America. The boy band’s “21st Century Girl” sits at No. 3 on the list of the bestselling tracks on the hugely important platform, as of the time of writing.
“21st Century Girl” is Almost a Decade Old
“21st Century Girl” is not a new BTS song, and it doesn’t even celebrate a major milestone. The tune was originally shared in the fall of 2016, and it’s featured on the South Korean outfit’s album Wings. “21st Century Girl” was never even pushed as a single, but clearly fans have remembered it fondly for nearly a decade now, as they’ve collectively turned it into a top performer in the U.S.
“Golden” and “Ordinary” Lead
At the moment, “21st Century Girl” is only kept from ruling the iTunes Top Songs chart in America by two tracks: “Golden,” which is credited to both Hunter/x and the KPop Demon Hunters cast as well as individual singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, and “Ordinary” by Alex Warren. The latter rises one space to No. 2, trading places with “21st Century Girl,” which sat in the runner-up space recently.
BTS Joins KPop Demon Hunters
Half a dozen slots inside the top 10 on the iTunes Top Songs chart in the United States are filled by K-pop cuts. BTS joins five tunes from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, including “What It Sounds Like,” “Soda Pop,” “How It’s Done,” and “Your Idol,” which all gain from where they sat just a short time ago.
Permission to Dance on Stage (Live) Dropped a Month Ago
BTS is only a little more than a month removed from its last album drop. The group shared Permission to Dance on Stage (Live), its first live set, in mid-July to celebrate the seven members serving their country and reuniting. That project debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and, when paired with the sudden success of “21st Century Girl,” it shows that there is intense interest in buying all things related to BTS as anticipation for the next era continues to grow.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/08/25/bts-almost-hits-no-1-with-a-years-old-song/