BTS tops Billboard 200 for third week

BTS has become the first K-pop act to spend three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with its fifth studio album “Arirang.”

Billboard said April 13 that “Arirang” remains atop the Billboard 200 chart dated April 18. Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” ranked second, followed by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, with “Bully” at No. 3.

No K-pop artist had previously led the chart for three straight weeks. Last year, the soundtrack to the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” reached No. 1 for two nonconsecutive weeks.

Billboard said that before “Arirang,” the last group album to spend at least three weeks at No. 1 was “Babel” by Mumford & Sons, which topped the chart for five nonconsecutive weeks in 2012 and 2013. It is also the first album since Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” to debut and hold the top spot for three consecutive weeks.

BTS recorded 124,000 album-equivalent units for the latest tracking week, a 34 percent drop from the previous week. Billboard’s rankings combine physical album sales, streaming activity and digital downloads.

The album has also performed strongly on global platforms, holding the top spot on Spotify’s Weekly Top Albums chart for three straight weeks.

BTS drew about 134,000 fans to concerts held April 9, 11 and 12 at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as part of its “Arirang” world tour. The group plans to continue the tour through March next year, staging 85 shows across 34 cities.


사지원 기자 4g1@donga.com