BTS Takes over Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 Charts with Long Awaited Album Arirang

K-Pop powerhouse BTS has stormed the Billboard Charts yet again with the release of their newest album, “Arirang.” They land a number 1 spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 with lead single Swim and the Billboard 200 chart with their brand new album. 

BTS’s Sustained Chart Dominance

BTS is no stranger to the Billboard charts. They’ve been dishing out hits for years now and have a record-breaking streak of chart-topping success. BTS achieved their first No.1 on the Billboard 200 back in June 2018 with their album Love Yourself: Tear. They followed up that success with another No. 1 in September of that year with Love Yourself: Answer, Map of the Soul: Persona, Map of the Soul: 7, Be, and Proof in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

But it’s not just the Billboard 200; BTS took the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single “Dynamite” in 2020 and kept that spot for three weeks straight. “Life Goes On” appeared next in 2020, followed by “Butter” in 2021, the latter of which stood atop the chart for a mind-boggling ten weeks straight. “Permission to Dance”, “My Universe”, and now “Swim” have all placed number one, making BTS one of the most successful acts of the generation.

ARIRANG

According to Billboard, BTS’s latest venture broke the record for the largest week for an album by equivalent album units earned among duos or groups, with a staggering 641,000 units sold in the United States. The Vinyl sales also broke records with 208,000 sales, the largest sales week for an album by a duo or group since the metric began tracking in 1991, and it doesn’t stop there.

BTS has become the first act to sweep the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Charts’ entire Top 10, notching 13 songs from the 14-track album. Swim’s No.1 spot on the Digital Song Sales Chart among duos or groups marks the group’s 13th entry. The World Digital Song Sales Chart is also dominated by the band, with the song “Aliens” taking the top spot and becoming the septet’s 43rd No. 1. BTS has positively lapped the competition on this particular chart, with no other act even in double digits.

Though there have been some mixed reactions to BTS’s newest project, with some fans and music critics lamenting the lack of Korean, the overuse of foreign producers, and an overall different sound than what the group is known for, overall, ARMY has been eating this album up, and it shows on the charts. 

From Humble Beginnings

It would be easy to think BTS has always been like this, but that’s far from the truth. BTS comes from the humblest of beginnings. The group was initially brought together as a Hip-Hop group by a tiny Korean label called BigHit Entertainment. The seven members transitioned into an idol group and debuted in 2013 to almost no fanfare. 

The K-pop industry is cutthroat, and small companies often struggle to provide for their acts. BTS faced a great deal of turbulence in their early years, fighting for spots on music shows and promoting themselves through free shows on the streets of LA. Seriously, go back and watch their reality show “American Hustle Life” to get a glimpse of their fraught early years; it’ll certainly give you a new perspective on a group that now has it all. 

Part of BTS’s appeal, especially to fans who have been following them for a decade or more, is the fact that they’ve overcome great hardships. BTS was never supposed to be this big; they are the underdogs that succeeded, and that resonates with people. Take a trip down memory lane (or jump down the YouTube rabbit hole) if you’re curious about where the band came from, and maybe you’ll start to see why ARMYs are so dedicated to this boy band from Korea. Trust me, the harsh reality of their beginning makes this Billboard chart-topping success all the sweeter.