BTS has once again made history as the first Korean artist to achieve this feat.
According to a chart preview published on Billboard’s official website on April 14, BTS’s new track, ‘SWIM,’ secured the No. 5 spot on the main singles chart, the ‘Hot 100,’ for the week ending April 18.
The song has remained in the top 5 for three weeks since topping the chart on April 4, extending its long-term success in the global music market.
‘SWIM’ also simultaneously claimed the No. 1 spot on the ‘Global 200,’ ‘Global (Excluding U.S.),’ and ‘Digital Song Sales’ charts for three consecutive weeks. According to entertainment industry data firm Luminate, ‘SWIM’ led the ‘Global 200’ (tracking period: April 3-April 9) with 83.3 million streams and 44,000 download sales.
‘ARIRANG’ set a new record as the first Korean artist to maintain the No. 1 spot for three consecutive weeks on the main album chart, the ‘Billboard 200.’ This marks the first time a group album has topped this chart for three consecutive weeks since 2012.
Previously, ‘ARIRANG’ debuted at No. 1 on the ‘Billboard 200’ (for the week ending April 4) with 641,000 album units, marking the highest performance for a group album since Billboard introduced its unit count in December 2014. Its first-week pure album sales (physical and digital purchases) set the highest record among group albums released in the last decade. The album’s SEA units (sales translated from streaming counts) also broke BTS’s previous record for weekly streaming performance.
BTS also held the No. 1 position on Spotify’s latest weekly charts (tracking period: April 3-April 9) for ‘Weekly Top Albums’ and ‘Weekly Top Songs’ for three consecutive weeks. Notably, ‘SWIM’ maintained the No. 1 spot on the ‘Daily Top Song Global’ chart for 24 consecutive days (March 20-April 12), solidifying its status as a global hit.
Meanwhile, BTS kicked off their ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG” at Goyang Sports Complex on April 9, attracting over 132,000 spectators over three days. The tour continues with stops in Japan on April 17-18, followed by performances in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. They are scheduled to return to Busan Asiad Main Stadium on June 12-13 for the first time in three years and eight months.
