BTS beats Kanye West and stays No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second straight week

A symbol of South Korean popular music, “BTS”, has made history with its fifth studio album, “Arirang”, achieving a feat never seen before in K-pop: holding the “Billboard 200” No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks. It completely shut down the onslaught from top pop stars, including hip-hop heavyweight “Kanye West”’s “Bully” and “Melanie Martinez”’s “Hades”. Proving its status as a global powerhouse with an overwhelming figure of 187,000 units, it’s also highly likely that the title track “SWIM” will remain firmly in the upper ranks of “Hot 100”.

“Billboard 200” Two-Week No. 1 Detailed Record Analysis

• “Total album units”: 187,000 units (even with a 71% drop from the previous week, it stays at No. 1)

• “Physical album sales”: 114,000 units (No. 1 in the Top Album Sales category for two weeks in a row)

• “Streaming equivalent units” (SEA): 65,000 units

• “Digital song downloads equivalent units” (TEA): 8,000 units

A new chapter in K-pop: “BTS” keeps charging forward

This fifth studio album, “Arirang”, is widely regarded as a masterpiece that deeply captures the group’s unique identity. In its first week, it achieved 641,000 album units, setting a record for the highest-ever debut by a group since Billboard introduced album unit tracking in December 2014, and surpassing the top mark among all artists this year. With the title track “SWIM,” currently recording a global mega hit, the album includes a total of 14 tracks, captivating music fans around the world.