“Arirang,” BTS’s seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, had the best sales week for a group’s album in more than ten years.
On April 4, BTS’s ARIRANG makes its debut at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, giving the reunited pop group its seventh leader. With 641,000 equivalent album units gained, the set debuts with the highest week for an album by a group since the chart started tracking units in December 2014. With 532,000 of that amount coming from pure album sales (purchases of both physical and digital albums), BTS had its highest album sales week in over a decade.
With 641,000 equivalent album units, 532,000 of which are pure album sales, “Arirang” debuts on the chart. Since Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” debuted at No. 1 with nearly four million units last year, this album’s first week has been the largest in terms of units.
“Arirang” has the best sales week for any album since “Showgirl,” which sold 3.48 million copies, based only on album sales. One Direction’s 2013 album “Midnight Memories,” which sold 547,000 copies, was the final group to have a higher sales week. With 208,000 copies sold over 17 vinyl variations, “Arirang” saw a significant increase in sales. With Swift in the top five, this makes it the sixth-largest vinyl sales week for an album in the modern era.
BTS’s prior No. 1s Proof (2022), BE (2020), MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 (2020), MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA (2019), Love Yourself ‘Answer’ (2018) and Love Yourself ‘Tear’ (2018) are followed by ARIRANG.
Luke Combs scores his seventh top 10 set in the most recent Billboard 200 chart, but The Way I Am drops to No. 2.
“Love Yourself ‘Tear'” (2018), “Love Yourself ‘Answer'” (2018), “Map of the Soul: Persona” (2019), “Map of the Soul: 7” (2020), “Be” (2020), and “Proof” (2022) are some of BTS’s prior number one hits. The group—Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook—completed their required military service following their most recent chart victory.
BTS conducted a concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square to commemorate the release of “Arirang,” which was broadcast on Netflix. The group also debuted a feature-length documentary on the streaming platform.
Don Toliver’s “Octane,” Harry Styles’ “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” and Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” trail Combs at No. 3, while Luke Combs scored his seventh top 10 on the albums chart with “The Way I Am” at No. 2. Olivia Dean’s “The Art of Loving,” Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Bruno Mars’ “The Romantic,” Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” and the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack occupy Nos. 6 through 10.