When Jimin released “Like Crazy” in March 2023, the song immediately became one of the biggest moments of his solo career.
More than three years later, it was still making history.
In September 2026, “Like Crazy” reached a major Spotify milestone, surpassing 1 billion filtered streams on the platform. The achievement was especially notable because the Korean-language version reached the milestone on its own, adding another chapter to a song that had already made Billboard history.
But the story of “Like Crazy” is bigger than a single streaming number.
From Jimin’s first solo album FACE to a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 and years of continued listening around the world, “Like Crazy” became one of the defining K-pop solo songs of the 2020s.
Here is how it happened.
“Like Crazy” Began With Jimin’s First Solo Album, FACE
Jimin released his first solo album, FACE, on March 24, 2023.
The project marked an important transition.
BTS members had already released individual music in different forms, but FACE gave Jimin the opportunity to build a complete solo project around his own experiences, emotions and musical identity.
“Like Crazy” served as the album’s main single.
The song leaned heavily into synth-pop, with an atmospheric sound that felt different from many listeners’ expectations of a traditional K-pop title track.
Its mood was dreamy but uneasy.
Rather than presenting a straightforward love story, “Like Crazy” explored escapism—the desire to remain inside a temporary emotional world instead of confronting what comes afterward.
That tension became central to both the song and the FACE era.
Why Are There Korean and English Versions of “Like Crazy”?
One unusual part of the release was that Jimin recorded both Korean-language and English-language versions of “Like Crazy.”
They share the same musical foundation, but the lyrics are not simply direct translations of each other.
That distinction matters when discussing the song’s later streaming records.
The Korean version developed its own enormous streaming total rather than relying entirely on combined listening across both versions.
Years later, that would become one of the most important details behind the song’s 1 billion milestone.
“Like Crazy” Made Billboard Hot 100 History
The song’s impact became clear almost immediately.
“Like Crazy” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2023.
That gave Jimin a historic achievement: he became the first South Korean solo artist to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.
For BTS fans, the moment was significant for another reason.
Jimin had already reached the top of the chart as a member of BTS. “Like Crazy” showed that a BTS member could also reach No. 1 in the United States under his own name.
The achievement helped establish the FACE era as more than simply a side project between BTS group activities.
It became a major chapter in Jimin’s individual career.
The Song Did Not Disappear After Its Debut
Many songs experience their largest streaming numbers immediately after release.
A major fandom can create an enormous opening week, especially for an anticipated K-pop release.
The harder test is what happens afterward.
Does the audience keep returning?
That is where “Like Crazy” became particularly interesting.
The song continued accumulating streams long after the initial FACE promotions ended.
New releases arrived. Music trends changed. Jimin later began another solo era with MUSE.
Yet “Like Crazy” continued to attract listeners.
That long-term listening pattern is what eventually turned a successful 2023 single into a 2026 billion-stream song.
Jimin’s MUSE Era Brought Even More Attention to His Solo Music
Jimin released his second solo album, MUSE, in July 2024.
Its biggest song, “Who,” became another major global streaming success.
Rather than replacing interest in FACE, however, the newer era gave listeners another reason to explore Jimin’s earlier solo catalog.
This is one reason an artist’s streaming story cannot always be understood album by album.
A new hit can introduce listeners to an older one.
Someone who first discovered Jimin through “Who” could move backward to FACE, while listeners who already loved “Like Crazy” had a new solo era to follow.
By 2026, Jimin had developed a solo catalog in which multiple songs were generating substantial international listening at the same time.
“Like Crazy” Reached 1 Billion Filtered Spotify Streams in 2026
Then came the new milestone.
In September 2026, reports announced that the Korean-language version of “Like Crazy” had surpassed 1 billion filtered streams on Spotify.
The distinction between filtered and unfiltered streams is worth understanding.
Spotify records listening activity, but chart-related or publicly reported filtered figures may exclude streams that do not meet certain platform criteria.
Because of that, filtered milestones can differ from raw or unfiltered streaming totals reported elsewhere.
The important point is that “Like Crazy” had accumulated an extraordinary amount of sustained listening over more than three years.
Reports surrounding the milestone described it as the first fully Korean-language song to reach 1 billion filtered streams on Spotify.
That made the achievement notable beyond Jimin’s own discography.
Why the 1 Billion Milestone Matters
A billion streams is impressive for any artist.
But “Like Crazy” reached that level through a combination of several different factors.
1. It had an enormous launch
The FACE era began with intense global attention, and the song’s No. 1 Hot 100 debut gave it immediate visibility outside the existing K-pop audience.
2. Listeners stayed with the song
The billion-stream milestone did not arrive in 2023.
It came years later.
That means long-term listening was essential.
3. Jimin continued building his solo catalog
MUSE and “Who” kept Jimin highly visible as a solo artist after the FACE era.
New music could lead newer listeners back to “Like Crazy.”
4. The song crossed language boundaries
The Korean version’s long-term international performance is particularly important.
It demonstrated that a predominantly Korean-language solo track could continue attracting a massive global audience years after its original promotional cycle.
“Like Crazy” and the Growth of BTS Solo Careers
The milestone also fits into a much larger story.
During BTS’s chapter of individual projects, each member began developing a distinct solo identity.
Those identities did not simply reproduce BTS’s group sound.
Jimin’s FACE explored darker and more introspective territory, while MUSE expanded into a different emotional and musical direction.
“Like Crazy” became one of the clearest examples of how a BTS member could create a song strongly associated with his own individual artistic identity while still benefiting from the enormous global audience built during BTS’s career.
That balance—between an established group legacy and an independent solo identity—is one of the most important stories in modern K-pop.
How “Like Crazy” Compares With “Who”
It is tempting to treat Jimin’s biggest songs as competitors, but they represent different stages of his solo development.
“Like Crazy” belongs to FACE, an album centered on confrontation, isolation and emotional instability.
“Who,” released during the MUSE era, came from a different project and reached audiences under different circumstances.
The success of both songs is therefore more useful when viewed as evidence of continuity.
“Like Crazy” proved Jimin could create a major solo hit.
“Who” showed that the success was not limited to one album cycle.
Together, they helped establish Jimin’s solo catalog as something listeners continued following beyond the initial excitement surrounding BTS members beginning their individual releases.
From a 2023 No. 1 to a 2026 Streaming Milestone
The timeline explains why “Like Crazy” has become historically important.
March 24, 2023: Jimin releases FACE and “Like Crazy.”
April 2023: “Like Crazy” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Jimin the first South Korean solo artist to top the chart.
2023–2024: The song continues accumulating global streams after its original promotional period.
July 2024: Jimin releases MUSE, beginning another major solo era.
2024–2026: Continued interest in Jimin’s solo catalog helps keep both older and newer songs in global listening rotation.
September 2026: The Korean version of “Like Crazy” surpasses 1 billion filtered Spotify streams.
Seen together, these moments show that the song’s story was not built around one explosive week.
It unfolded over several years.
What “Like Crazy” Says About K-Pop’s Global Audience
For years, one recurring question around K-pop’s international growth was whether Korean-language music could build lasting mainstream audiences outside Korea.
Songs such as “Like Crazy” make that question increasingly outdated.
International listeners do not necessarily require English-language lyrics to continue listening to a song.
Production, performance, emotion, fandom, discovery algorithms and an artist’s broader catalog can all contribute to long-term success.
The billion-stream milestone does not mean language no longer matters in the music industry.
It does show, however, how much larger the potential global audience for Korean-language music has become.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Jimin’s “Like Crazy” released?
“Like Crazy” was released on March 24, 2023 as the main single from Jimin’s first solo album, FACE.
Did “Like Crazy” reach No. 1 on Billboard?
Yes. “Like Crazy” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2023. The achievement made Jimin the first South Korean solo artist to top the chart.
Did “Like Crazy” reach 1 billion Spotify streams?
Yes. In September 2026, the Korean-language version was reported to have surpassed 1 billion filtered Spotify streams.
Why is the Spotify record significant?
Reports surrounding the milestone identified “Like Crazy” as the first fully Korean-language song to surpass 1 billion filtered streams on Spotify.
Is “Like Crazy” from FACE or MUSE?
“Like Crazy” is from Jimin’s first solo album, FACE. His second solo album, MUSE, was released in 2024 and includes the hit “Who.”
Are the Korean and English versions of “Like Crazy” identical?
They share the same core music, but their lyrics are not simply identical translations. The two versions present somewhat different lyrical approaches.
Final Thoughts
“Like Crazy” was already historic when it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023.
Its 2026 Spotify milestone added something different to that story: longevity.
Reaching a huge chart peak demonstrates how much attention a song can command at one moment. Reaching a billion-stream milestone years later demonstrates that people kept listening after that moment passed.
That is why “Like Crazy” has become such an important part of Jimin’s solo history.
It began as the centerpiece of FACE, became a Billboard record-breaker, survived beyond its original promotional era and eventually crossed another global milestone more than three years after release.
For a song built around the desire to remain inside a fleeting moment, “Like Crazy” has shown remarkable staying power.
