BTS stays No. 1
BTS’s album 'ARIRANG' held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for a third consecutive week according to social chart posts tracking the result. (Billboard’s chart post showing 'ARIRANG' at No. 1 was shared on social with engagement metrics.) The social post drew thousands of likes and reposts as the streaming conversation continued around the release. (x.com)
BTS stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a third straight week with *ARIRANG*, extending the group’s longest run atop the chart. (billboard.com) Billboard’s chart dated April 18, 2026 kept *ARIRANG* at No. 1 after the album debuted atop the list dated April 4 and held there again on April 11. Billboard 200 rankings combine album sales, track sales and streams in the United States into one weekly total. (billboard.com) *ARIRANG* opened with 641,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending March 26, including 532,000 in pure album sales and 208,000 vinyl copies. Billboard said that was the biggest week for an album by a group since the chart shifted to equivalent units in December 2014. (billboard.com) In its second week, *ARIRANG* earned 187,000 units, enough to stay at No. 1 on the April 11 chart. The third-week hold gave BTS the most weeks at No. 1 for an album by a group in more than a decade, according to Billboard. (billboard.com, billboard.com) The run also added to BTS’s standing on the Billboard 200: *ARIRANG* became the group’s seventh No. 1 album when it opened at the top. Billboard’s current list of K-pop No. 1 albums says Stray Kids have eight chart-toppers and BTS have seven. (billboard.com, billboard.com) The album arrived after BTS’s nearly four-year hiatus as a group, with Billboard describing it as the reunited act’s return project. Chairman Bang Si-hyuk told Billboard the album was built to open “a new chapter” for BTS rather than repeat the group’s earlier formula. (billboard.com) The release has also driven song-level chart action. Billboard reported that the lead focus track “SWIM” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while BTS songs filled the top nine spots on the latest Billboard Global 200 recap tied to the album’s release week. (billboard.com, billboard.com) Billboard’s chart post announcing the third week at No. 1 spread quickly on X, where the account shared the result directly as the new chart cycle landed. The post became a focal point for fan reaction as *ARIRANG* kept its place at the top for another week. (x.com, billboard.com)
