BTS still dominating

BTS is still sitting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with *ARIRANG* spending a third straight week atop the United States albums chart. (billboard.com) Billboard said *ARIRANG* earned 124,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 9, after opening at No. 1 on the chart dated April 4. Album sales made up 71,000 of those units, while streaming contributed 50,000 units, equal to 52.44 million on-demand official streams. (billboard.com) The group also kept six songs on the Billboard Hot 100 for a third straight week on the chart dated April 18. “SWIM” ranked No. 5, followed by “Body to Body” at No. 52, “2.0” at No. 67, “Hooligan” at No. 72, “NORMAL” at No. 82 and “FYA” at No. 90. (ajupress.com) This run started with a much bigger opening. In its first week, *ARIRANG* debuted with 641,000 equivalent album units, including 532,000 pure album sales, giving BTS its seventh No. 1 on the Billboard 200. (billboard.com) Billboard said that opening was the largest week for an album by a group since the chart began measuring by equivalent album units in December 2014. It was also the biggest pure-sales week for a group album in more than a decade. (billboard.com) The album is BTS’s first studio LP of new material since 2020 and their first full-length release in six years. Billboard reported that the 14-track project arrived March 20 with RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook reunited on the same release. (billboard.com) The first chart week showed how broad the release was. Billboard counted 13 songs from *ARIRANG* on the Hot 100 dated April 4, led by “Swim” at No. 1, “Body to Body” at No. 25 and “Hooligan” at No. 35. (billboard.com) That same week, BTS returned to No. 1 on Billboard’s Artist 100 for the first time since June 2022. Billboard said the group’s total there rose to 22 weeks at No. 1. (billboard.com) The momentum is not limited to the United States album chart. Billboard reported on April 13 that “SWIM” also held No. 1 on both the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts for a third week. (billboard.com) Billboard said *ARIRANG* is the first album by a group to spend its first three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Mumford & Sons’ *Babel* in 2012. Three weeks into the comeback, BTS is not just back on the charts; the group is still setting the pace on them. (billboard.com)