'Stray Kids' tops Billboard 200 for seventh time

K-pop boy group Stray Kids has claimed the top spot on the U.S. Billboard 200, marking their seventh No. 1 album on the chart. This is the most by any global music group in the 21st century.

According to a chart preview released by Billboard on Aug. 31, the group’s fourth full-length album, Karma, released on Aug. 22, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Previously, Stray Kids shared the record for six No. 1 albums with BTS, Linkin Park, and the Dave Matthews Band.

Stray Kids, composed of members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N, first topped the Billboard 200 with their 2022 mini-album Oddinary. Since then, all seven of their albums have reached No. 1 on the chart. They are the only act in Billboard history whose every charting album has consecutively achieved the top spot.

This week, Stray Kids recorded 313,000 album units on the chart. The Billboard 200 converts physical album sales, streaming activity, and digital track downloads into units to determine chart rankings.

Karma, Stray Kids’ first full-length album in more than two years, includes 11 tracks, featuring the title song Ceremony. “The members convey a narrative of growth in the album, showing how they forged their own path without being swayed by internal or external pressures,” their agency said.


사지원 4g1@donga.com