BTS tops Billboard again
BTS’s album ARIRANG held No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a third consecutive week—the first group album to do that since 2013—sparking celebrations across fans and labels (x.com). Rolling Stone’s big May cover features BTS talking about their reunion and roots, with members like Jimin and V highlighting solo work and future directions ( ).
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 in the United States. (billboard.com) Billboard reported that *ARIRANG* earned 124,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 9, including 71,000 album sales and 52.44 million on-demand official streams of its songs. The chart is dated April 18, and the album first debuted at No. 1 on the April 4 list. (billboard.com) Billboard said it is the first album by a group to spend its first three weeks at No. 1 since Mumford and Sons’ *Babel* did so in 2012, later adding two more weeks in 2013. Variety reported that BTS had never previously spent more than one week at No. 1 with an album in the United States. (billboard.com, variety.com) The chart run lands as Rolling Stone put BTS on the cover of its May 2026 issue and published a new group interview on April 13. Rolling Stone said the package includes eight print covers in all: one group cover and seven solo covers released over the following week. (rollingstone.com, rollingstone.com) In that interview, BTS said the reunion album came after the members finished mandatory military service and returned to working together in 2025. Rolling Stone reported that the group had announced in June 2025 that it would release a new studio album in spring 2026 and mount a world tour. (rollingstone.com, rollingstone.com) Rolling Stone’s interview framed *ARIRANG* as a return to “identity and roots,” while the members also described how solo careers changed the group dynamic before the comeback. In the magazine’s coverage, V said he expected “much stronger opinions” when the seven returned to work together after building separate careers. (rollingstone.com, rollingstone.com) The comeback is also moving beyond charts and magazines into live shows. Rolling Stone reported that BTS kicked off the *Arirang* tour at Goyang Stadium near Seoul last week, with tens of thousands attending despite heavy rain. (rollingstone.com) For BTS, the immediate picture is unusually simple: a three-week No. 1 album, a global magazine rollout, and a reunion campaign that is now unfolding across charts, interviews, and stadium dates at the same time. (billboard.com, rollingstone.com)
