Billboard is a music magazine that owns a long-standing, renowned, and reputable charting system respected by music lovers around the world. For K-pop fans in particular, Billboard represents soмєтнing highly prestigious. Naturally, we appreciate the achievements recognized by Billboard, but that does not mean we must accept their basic errors.

Recently, Billboard became the source of a heated dispute between BTS and SEVENTEEN fans after one of its editors provided inaccurate information. ARMYs accused the leading magazine of overlooking BTS’s accomplishments, even stealing one of the group’s past records and αѕѕigning it to SEVENTEEN — an act that fans found unacceptable.

Specifically, SEVENTEEN recently appeared on Tiny Desk — a hugely popular YouTube concert series produced by NPR Music, which features artists performing live versions of their most famous songs. What makes this concert series unique is its setting: the performance takes place behind the desk of NPR host Bob Boilen at the organization’s office in Washington, D.C.

Before SEVENTEEN, BTS had also taken part in the program in 2020, performing three songs: “Dynamite,” “Save ME,” and “Spring Day.” However, because the world was in the midst of the ¢σνι∂-19 pandemic at the time, BTS could not travel to the U.S., so they created a Home version of Tiny Desk instead.

Despite this, Billboard almost completely “ignored” BTS’s appearance on Tiny Desk that year. In an article published on November 24, the magazine claimed that SEVENTEEN made history as "Tiny Desk’s First K-Pop Act".

The article, once shared on X (formerly Twitter), provoked intense backlash from ARMYs, who insisted that BTS were actually the first K-pop act to perform on the program. They argued that Billboard providing inaccurate information was unacceptable and expressed disappointment at the magazine’s lack of respect for what BTS had accomplished.

Meanwhile, some netizens countered that Billboard wasn’t technically wrong because location is crucial to the definition of “Tiny Desk.” Since BTS never physically performed at the show’s original set, Billboard referred to SEVENTEEN as the first K-pop act in history to perform there.

However, this argument did little to calm the ARMY backlash, because Billboard was referring to the “Tiny Desk format in general,” not specifically “Tiny Desk at the NPR office.” Moreover, if not for the restrictions caused by ¢σνι∂-19, BTS would almost certainly have performed at the Washington office.

Reactions from ARMYs on social media remain intense, including comments such as:

- Trying to birth a new "First Kpop Act" record by claiming that the TinyDesk concerts during the pandemic were not real TinyDesk concerts just coz BTS had to adhere to ¢σνι∂ restrictions & couldn't take a plane to the states,,,yall can keep it since yall want it so bad ijbol,,this is just sad,,

- Caption is not misleading, its straight up wrong. And being in location and doing it remotely make zero difference achievement wise. This group is always just scrambling for a record no matter how meaningless

- This is really pissing me off seriously. They are so desperate to erase history, what do u mean a grp gets the record of performing on the location when the other performed earlier without being BEHIND the desk only because of covid. Making records up jst fr what ? Mediaplay

- Terms like "The First" or "The Only" Should only he used when it is really "the first" or when it is "the only". Otherwise, its false statement. No hate on the other team but we just want facts straightened out.

- Petty but true: Only 5 members of SEVENTEEN performed so not only are they not the first k-pop act to do Tiny Desk it’s also not accurate to say the group did. When BTS did Tiny Desk way back in 2020 if a member wasn’t there you know @billboard would’ve put that in the headline

- BTS's hiatus sometimes makes people forget how big they are, wait, spring is closer than you imagine

- BTS were the first in 2020 and NPR had been trying to book them for years, CNN claimed this in their article. Taking a plane with a quarter of your group five years later is not an achievement

- The difference does not matter at all and the headline is wrong. The way you people don't realise how f*cking ridiculous you all sound with the "behind the desk" is beyond me! Start worrying about things that matter and maybe your faves will actually have real achievments.