BTS’ “SWIM” holds

BTS’ “SWIM” stayed at No. 1 on both Billboard’s Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts for a third straight week, extending the group’s own record. (billboard.com) Billboard reported the song had debuted at No. 1 two weeks earlier, giving BTS an eighth career leader on each global chart. Those rankings track streaming and download sales from more than 200 territories, with the Excl. U.S. version removing American data. (billboard.com 1) (billboard.com 2) “SWIM” is the lead single from *ARIRANG*, the BTS album released on March 20, 2026. Billboard said *ARIRANG* opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated April 4 with 641,000 equivalent album units, including 532,000 pure sales. (billboard.com) The chart run lands in BTS’s first full group comeback after the members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. Reuters reported on April 9 that the group had started the *ARIRANG* world tour after a hiatus of more than three years. (reuters.com) The global charts matter because they measure whether a song is traveling beyond one market. “SWIM” also opened high in the United Kingdom, where Official Charts data showed it reached No. 2, BTS’s highest singles peak there. (officialcharts.com) (soompi.com) The song’s global hold does not mean it is leading every U.S. metric. ChosunBiz, citing Billboard’s April 18 chart preview, reported “SWIM” was at No. 5 on the Hot 100 in its third week even as it kept the top spot on the worldwide rankings. (biz.chosun.com) Billboard’s latest global update also showed new competition moving around it rather than past it. The same chart report noted Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” entered the Global 200 top 10 while “SWIM” remained No. 1. (billboard.com) Three weeks at the top gives BTS a comeback single that is doing what global pop hits are supposed to do: hold its lead after debut week, across markets, while the album and tour keep rolling. (billboard.com)