Global sensation BTS achieves another milestone, securing their seventh No. 1 debut on the US Billboard 200 albums chart with their highly anticipated new album, “Arirang.”
“Arirang,” marking the group’s first collaborative project in three years and nine months, soared to the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart for the week of April 4th, Billboard announced in a chart preview released on Sunday (US time).
This achievement marks BTS’s seventh No. 1 debut on the prestigious chart, following the success of their previous albums: “Love Yourself: Tear,” “Love Yourself: Answer,” “Map of the Soul: Persona,” “Map of the Soul: 7,” “Be,” and the anthology album “Proof.”
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States based on equivalent album units, which encompass physical album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).
“Arirang” debuted with an impressive 641,000 equivalent album units earned, marking the largest week for an album by a group since the chart began using unit measurements in December 2014, according to Billboard.
Of this total, 532,000 units were attributed to physical and digital album sales, representing the biggest sales week for an album by a group in over a decade. Streaming equivalent albums (SEA) contributed 95,000 units, BTS’s best streaming week ever for an album, while TEA units accounted for the remainder.
“BTS achieves the biggest week for an album by units earned since Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ debuted at No. 1 with an historic 4.002 million units on the Oct. 18, 2025-dated chart,” Billboard reported.
The album’s lead single, “Swim,” also has a high probability of reaching No. 1 upon its debut on the Hot 100 singles chart, placing it ahead of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.” If successful, this will be the group’s seventh song to top the Hot 100.
Produced under the guidance of Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, “Arirang” delves into BTS’s identity as a group originating in Korea and the universal emotions its members have encountered throughout their journey. “Swim” is described as an upbeat alternative pop track that explores the challenges of navigating life, with lyrics co-written by RM, the band’s frontman.
The seven-member group made their highly anticipated comeback with the 14-track album on March 20th and celebrated the release with a free concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square the following day, performing in front of tens of thousands of dedicated fans.
Earlier on Friday, “Arirang” also debuted at the top of the British Official Albums Chart Top 100, while the lead track “Swim” secured the No. 2 position on the Official Singles Chart Top 100. (Yonhap)
