BTS once again etched their name at the top of the U.S. Billboard charts. Following the Billboard 200, they also hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, showcasing their global sensation.
According to a chart preview article posted on the official website of U.S. music outlet Billboard on the 31st, BTS's fifth full-length album Arirang (ARIRANG) title track SWIM headed straight to the top of the main song chart Hot 100 (April 4 issue). It is the group's seventh No. 1 song overall after Dynamite, Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) (BTS Remix), Life Goes On, Butter, Permission to Dance and My Universe (Coldplay X BTS). SWIM was recorded as the 1,190th Hot 100 No. 1 and the 89th song to debut at No. 1 upon entry. That is a very rare case, representing only 7% of all No. 1 songs in chart history.
Billboard said, "The group set the most No. 1s for a team in nearly half a century since the Bee Gees, who had nine No. 1s from 1971 to 1979." It added that BTS now has the fifth-most No. 1 songs among groups since the Hot 100 chart began in August 1958. The record for most group No. 1s is held by the Beatles (20 songs), followed by the Supremes (12 songs), the Bee Gees, the Rolling Stones (8 songs) and BTS.
SWIM was released on the 20th, and through the tallying period ending on the 26th it logged 15.3 million streams, 25.8 million radio audience impressions and total digital and physical single sales of 154,000. It entered Billboard's Streaming Songs chart at No. 2, marking the group's highest placement on that chart; it debuted at No. 18 on the Radio Songs chart, also the group's highest debut on that chart. On the Digital Song Sales chart it hit No. 1, becoming BTS's 13th No. 1 on that chart. They became the group with the most No. 1s on that chart.
BTS conveyed candid feelings through their agency BigHit Music. "After a long wait of three years and nine months, we released an album and gained the great honor of a Billboard No. 1. We deeply thank ARMYs who have always given us generous love and support, as well as everyone who has listened to our music and shared their hearts," they said. They added, "While preparing the new record, we worked to capture universal emotions that many people can relate to. The title track SWIM represents that, and it is a song that says to keep going even in hardship. I hope this song has crossed borders to give people a bit of courage and comfort. We are grateful for the long-standing faith and support and will repay it with sincere music going forward."
Billboard said in a chart preview article published on the 30th that Arirang topped the main album chart Billboard 200 (April 4 issue). It is about six years since BTS simultaneously topped the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100, after the 2020 mini-album BE and its title track Life Goes On. Artists who have topped both charts in the same week include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Drake. BTS once again stood shoulder to shoulder with them, emerging as musicians who move music fans around the world.
Meanwhile, Arirang is an album entirely produced by chairman Bang Si-hyuk. It blends universal emotions that many people can relate to into the music, earning widespread love. The title track SWIM sings of the will to keep swimming forward without stopping amid life's waves. RM took charge of most of the lyrics, embedding the most sincere story of the current BTS.
[Photo] BigHit Music
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