SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – K-pop artists have taken the Billboard main album chart by storm, with Stray Kids achieving their fifth No 1 on the Billboard 200 and BTS’ Jimin landing at No 2. This marks a historic moment as it’s the first time K-pop albums have claimed both the top spots on the Billboard 200.
Stray Kids topped the Billboard 200 for the chart dated 3 August with their ninth EP, “Ate,” which garnered 232,000 equivalent album units in the US, according to Billboard.
The Billboard 200 chart, compiled by Luminate, ranks the best-performing albums in the US based on multi-metric consumption measured in equivalent album units. This achievement marks the highest first-week sales for a K-pop album released this year.
“Ate” is the fifth consecutive album from Stray Kids to reach No 1 on the Billboard 200. Their previous chart-toppers include the sixth EP “Oddinary” (March 2022), seventh EP “Maxident” (October 2022), third LP “5-Star” (June 2023), and eighth EP “Rock-Star” (November 2023). The only other artist to match this record is US rapper DMX.
Jimin of BTS followed closely behind Stray Kids with his second solo album, “Muse,” securing the No 2 spot on the Billboard 200 for the same chart date, earning 96,000 equivalent album units. Jimin’s first solo album, “Face,” also reached No 2 on the Billboard 200 upon its release last year.
Additionally, the lead track from “Face,” titled “Who,” is projected to debut at No 13 on Billboard’s main singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100, according to Billboard.
