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BTS tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd consecutive week with 'Arirang,' a first in K-pop

Published: 06 Apr. 2026, 08:51 Updated: 06 Apr. 2026, 17:24

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Boy band BTS [BIGHIT MUSIC]

BTS became the first K-pop act to top the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart for two consecutive weeks, Billboard said Sunday.

The group's fifth studio album, "Arirang," stayed at No. 1 for a second week, ahead of "Bully" from Ye, formerly Kanye West, and Melanie Martinez's "Hades."

No other K-pop act had previously led the chart for two weeks in a row. The original soundtrack of the animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" (2025) earlier reached the top spot on a nonconsecutive basis.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

“Arirang” ruled the chart this week, earning 187,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 2, down 71 percent from the album's opening week of 641,000 units, the biggest week of 2026 thus far.

Of that sum, 114,000 came from physical and digital album sales, while SEA units accounted for 65,000 and TEA units made up the remainder.

"Arirang" explores the identity of BTS as a group that began in Korea and the universal emotions its members have encountered throughout their lives. It dropped on March 20 as BTS's first release since the band went on hiatus for each member to finish their mandatory military service.

The 14-track album became the group's seventh album to debut at No. 1 last week, following "Love Yourself: Tear" (2018), "Love Yourself: Answer" (2018), "Map of the Soul: Persona" (2019), "Map of the Soul: 7" (2020), "Be" (2020) and the anthology album "Proof" (2022).

“Swim,” the lead track from "Arirang," also debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the same week.

The band is set to embark on a world tour, also named "Arirang," to promote the album, starting with three concerts on Thursday and over the weekend at Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi.

BY KIM JU-YEON, YONHAP [[email protected]]