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BTS’ Jimin is at the center of a growing controversy after Spotify removed over 15 million streams from his solo song Who in July alone, bringing the total number of deleted streams since the track’s July 2024 release to over 200 million. This significant drop has triggered online debates, accusations of streaming manipulation, and renewed scrutiny of Spotify’s anti-fraud policies. The platform regularly purges what it identifies as “artificial streams”—plays generated by bots, scripts, or bulk activity that doesn’t reflect real listener intent.
While stream adjustments aren’t uncommon, the scale of deletion for Who stands out. Other K-pop artists like BLACKPINK’s Rosé and Jennie, along with BTS’ Jungkook, V, and Jin, also saw notable drops. Jungkook’s Seven and 3D lost millions, V’s Winter Ahead was cut by nearly 13 million, and Jin’s Don’t Say You Love Me lost 15 million. Still, no one has faced purges on the level Jimin has, raising questions from both fans and critics.
Some speculate that HYBE, BTS’ parent company, may be involved in inflating stream counts. The theory suggests that internal efforts to maintain BTS members’ solo success could involve artificial boosting—a claim HYBE has not addressed publicly. Critics argue that a loss this large suggests intentional stream manipulation, not just organic fan activity.
On the other side, ARMYs are defending Jimin, arguing that Who remains globally popular and consistently charts high even after purges. They believe Spotify may be unfairly labeling genuine fan streaming activity as suspicious due to the sheer scale of support Jimin receives. Many fans also highlight that Spotify’s detection systems aren’t transparent, leading to inconsistencies in what gets flagged and removed.
The incident has reignited broader conversations about digital metrics in K-pop and whether intense fan streaming efforts should be penalized or praised. For now, Who continues to perform well despite the purge, but the debate over stream legitimacy in the K-pop world is far from over.