Stray Kids and BTS's Jimin have both made history by claiming the top two spots on the Billboard 200 chart.
On July 28th, Billboard announced that Stray Kids' new album 'ATE' will debut at number one on the Billboard 200 for the week of August 3, 2024. The album earned 232,000 album unit points, the highest for a K-pop album this year and the sixth highest overall.
Billboard noted that 'ATE' is the 25th non-English album to top the Billboard 200 and the second album to do so this year, after TWICE's 'With YOU-th.'
This is Stray Kids' fifth time reaching number one on the Billboard 200, following albums like 'ODDINARY,' 'MAXIDENT,' 'Five Star,' and 'Rock Star.' BTS has achieved six consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200.
'ATE' is Stray Kids' first album in about eight months since 'Rock Star' and aims to show their ambition to dominate both domestic and international music markets this summer. The title track 'Chk Chk Boom' has a confident style, encouraging listeners to pursue their goals boldly.
Jimin's second solo album 'MUSE' also made waves by reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart on the same day. The album sold 74,000 units, with 15,000 SEA (streaming equivalent album sales) and 7,000 TEA (track equivalent album sales).
This marks Jimin's second appearance on the Billboard 200 with his solo work, following his debut solo album 'FACE,' which also hit number two. 'FACE' had set a record for the highest chart position by a K-pop solo artist. BTS members have since achieved chart milestones with solo albums, including Suga's 'D-DAY,' V's 'Layover,' and Jungkook's 'GOLDEN.'
Jimin's success continues globally. On July 28th, Spotify announced that his song topped the 'Daily Top Songs Global' chart for the 27th time, marking five consecutive days at number one (from the 23rd to the 27th). The song also reached number four on the UK Official Singles Chart, setting a new peak for Jimin's solo tracks.
Released on July 19th, 'MUSE' reflects Jimin's journey to find inspiration around him. He helped compose and write six of the seven tracks, sharing his personal stories. The title track 'Who' is a hip-hop R&B song that expresses nostalgic longing and mixed emotions for someone never met before.
Source: [1]
