Stray Kids and Jimin have made history on the Billboard 200 chart with their comeback album releases. According to Billboard, this is the first time in Billboard 200 chart history that two K-pop albums have occupied the top two positions, showing the Korean artists’ global impact.
For the uninitiated, the chart ranks are decided based on releases most popular in the United States. Billboard looks at album sales and streaming numbers and tracks equivalent albums (TEA), which Luminate Data compiles.
Stray Kids tops Billboard 200 with new album ATE
JYP Entertainment’s boy group Stray Kids significantly impacted the Billboard chart with their latest album, ATE, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. Per the official report, Stray Kids’ 2024 comeback album sold over 232,000 album units in the U.S. in its release week.
Moreover, Stray Kids’ ATE numbers have marked the “largest week” of 2024 for any K-pop album release. Along with album sales, Spotify has also shown huge success in streaming the latest Stray Kids release. The album’s title track, “Chk Chk Boom,” garnered over 26,953,854 streams on Spotify. Other B-side tracks like “Mountains” and “I Like It” crossed 7.3 and 8.9 million streams, respectively.
Additionally, ATE became the band’s fifth consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making the K-pop octet the first group in history to debut at No. 1 with its first five charting albums.
BTS’ Jimin ranks second on Billboard 200 with new album Muse
Following Stray Kids’ success, Jimin‘s 2024 comeback album has also shown its powerful influence in the United States. Muse ranked second on the Billboard 200 chart with over 96,000 equivalent album units sold. The album also saw impressive streaming numbers on Spotify.
The title track, “Who,” clocked over 92 million streams on Spotify, along with B-side tracks like “Closer Than This” and “Be Mine,” which garnered over 197 million and 14 million streams, respectively.
