HYBE's global group &TEAM renewed its own first-week sales record with its Korean debut album, successfully establishing itself in the K-pop main scene.
According to Hanteo Chart on the 4th, &TEAM's Korean mini 1st album "Back to Life" sold a total of 1,222,022 copies during its first week after release (Oct. 28–Nov. 3). This is the highest sales among Korean-language albums released in October (according to Hanteo Chart) and ranks among the top results for the year as a whole.
"Back to Life" sold 1,139,988 copies on its first day alone, instantly joining the ranks of million sellers. With this, &TEAM achieved back-to-back million-seller status following their previous Japanese third single "Go in Blind," demonstrating explosive growth.
On the same day, Oricon's weekly album ranking (Nov. 10 issue, tally period: Oct. 27–Nov. 2) also put "Back to Life" at number one. &TEAM is the first Japanese artist to top Oricon's weekly album ranking with a Korean album.
These achievements by &TEAM can be seen as a symbol of cross-border fusion and mutual growth in the global music market beyond simple record sales. It also suggests that HYBE's "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy, which is transplanting the K-pop production system into the global music market to expand its influence, is maturing further.
"Back to Life" is an album that condenses &TEAM's strengthened unity and growth. Based on the team's identity of "wolf DNA" and HYBE's "global DNA," it conveys instinctive and challenging energy, earning praise from both music fans and critics.
The album includes six tracks in total, including the title track "Back to Life," the upbeat "Lunatic," the lovely confession song "MISMATCH," the powerful vocal showcase "Rush," the deeply resonant rock ballad "Heartbreak Time Machine," and the candid message of "Who am I." World-class hitmakers, including Bang Si-hyuk and Soma Genda, who have been with &TEAM since their formation, participated to enhance the album's completeness.
&TEAM, which debuted first in Japan in 2023, has been solidifying its presence by appearing on various Korean music shows and variety programs. With notable achievements in both Korea and Japan, fans are paying greater attention to &TEAM's future global activities.
[Photo] Provided by HYBE.
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