K-Pop First: BTS ‘Arirang’ Tops Billboard Albums Chart for Second Consecutive Week

Global K-pop sensation BTS has made history, becoming the first K-pop act to secure the No. 1 spot on the prestigious US Billboard 200 albums chart for an impressive two consecutive weeks, Billboard confirmed Sunday (local time).

Their highly anticipated fifth studio album, “Arirang,” firmly held its reign at the pinnacle of the chart for a second consecutive week, surpassing releases like “Bully” by Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Melanie Martinez’s “Hades.”

This significant achievement marks a new milestone in K-pop history, as no other K-pop act has ever maintained the top position on the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks. While the soundtrack for the animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” previously hit No. 1, its reign was not continuous.

The Billboard 200 chart serves as the definitive ranking of the most popular albums in the United States each week. Its comprehensive methodology calculates equivalent album units, which include vital components such as traditional physical and digital album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

This week, “Arirang” impressively dominated the chart by accumulating 187,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week concluding April 2. Although this figure represents a 71 percent decrease from its massive opening week of 641,000 units – which remains the biggest weekly total of 2026 to date – it still secured the top spot.

Delving into the breakdown of these units, 114,000 units were directly attributed to physical and digital album sales. Streaming Equivalent Albums (SEA) contributed a significant 65,000 units, with Track Equivalent Albums (TEA) comprising the remaining portion of the total.

The critically acclaimed album “Arirang,” officially released on March 20, offers a profound exploration of BTS’s unique identity. It delves into their journey as a group originating from Korea and resonates with the universal emotions and experiences its members have navigated throughout their lives.

This impressive 14-track album further solidified BTS’s chart dominance, becoming the group’s seventh album to debut straight at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last week. It joins a prestigious list of their previous chart-topping albums, including “Love Yourself: Tear,” “Love Yourself: Answer,” “Map of the Soul: Persona,” “Map of the Soul: 7,” “Be,” and the career-spanning anthology album “Proof.”

Adding to their extraordinary success, “Swim,” the powerful lead track from “Arirang,” also made a spectacular debut at the summit of the highly competitive Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during the same remarkable week. (Source: Yonhap)