BTS’ Arirang tops US Billboard 200 chart for second consecutive week, a K-pop first
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BTS performed their first show in nearly four years on March 21, in front of enormous crowds in Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza live-streamed to millions worldwide.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – BTS’ fifth album has topped the US Billboard 200 albums chart for the second consecutive week, becoming the first K-pop album to achieve the feat.
According to a chart preview released by Billboard on April 5, Arirang remained at No. 1 on the main albums chart, surpassing new releases including American rap star Ye’s Bully, which debuted at No. 2, and American singer Melanie Martinez’s Hades at No. 3.
BTS’ latest achievement marks the K-pop boy band’s seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, which ranks albums based on a combination of physical album sales, streaming equivalent albums and track equivalent albums.
During the latest tracking week, Arirang recorded 187,000 album equivalent units, down 71 per cent from the previous week. Of the total, 114,000 came from physical album sales, allowing the album to retain the top spot on the Billboard 200 for a second week. Streaming activity accounted for 65,000 units, while digital track sales contributed to 8,000 units.
Released on March 20, Arirang posted 641,000 album equivalent units in its debut week. According to Billboard, this was the highest figure recorded for any group since it began calculating chart performance using album units in December 2014, and the biggest weekly total for any artiste in 2026.
The album features 14 tracks, including the lead track Swim, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last week and is projected to remain within the top 10 on the upcoming chart.
Arirang ended BTS’ three-year hiatus from full-group activities. It explores their identity as a group that began their musical journey in South Korea, and the universal emotions the seven members have experienced throughout the years.
According to industry observers, the album’s strong performance reflects a broader shift in K-pop’s global strategy. The songs combine collaboration with American producers such as Diplo and Ryan Tedder with distinctly Korean cultural elements: the melody of the Korean folk song Arirang in Body To Body, the resonant sound of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok in No. 29, and leader RM’s reference to independence activist Kim Koo in the lyrics to Aliens.
This approach appears to be part of BTS’ push towards the mainstream, reaching beyond their fandom Army to attract a wider audience. Data appears to support this transition. According to Spotify, the number of new listeners discovering BTS surged by more than 690 per cent when Arirang was released.
“The increase in new listeners can be interpreted as a model of transition from one that was more catered towards BTS’ fandom to one driven by wider cultural consumption,” said culture critic Kim Heon-sik.
“As K-pop continues to evolve, Arirang could serve as a blueprint for future releases – one that combines global collaboration, cultural authenticity and expanded audience reach.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
