Chart Beat
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Jimin’s “Like Crazy” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking his first leader – and the first for a member of superstar South Korean pop group BTS. He’s also the first South Korean solo artist to lead the list.
The Hot 100 start for “Like Crazy” was largely driven by sales, with five versions available during the chart’s tracking week. The song was released March 24 on Jimin’s debut solo set FACE, which enters at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated April 8, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 4). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Here’s a look at the Hot 100 coronation for “Like Crazy,” released on BigHit Music / Geffen / Interscope Records. The song begins as the 1,148th No. 1 since the chart originated in August 1958. It’s the 66th title to premiere at the summit.
Streams, airplay & sales: “Like Crazy” sold 254,000 song downloads and CD singles combined and drew 10 million streams and 64,000 radio airplay audience impressions in its first week (March 24-30).
The song’s original version, sung in Korean, and its English version were released March 24, while its “Deep House” and “UK Garage” mixes and an instrumental version arrived March 26, with all available in BTS’ webstore and at wide retail for 69 cents each, while a CD single of the original mix was on sale in BTS’ webstore for $1.99. (All versions roll up into one listing on Billboard’s charts.)
The sales sum for “Like Crazy” is the highest in a single week since Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” sold 328,000 (Nov. 19, 2022), sparked by seven remixes released that tracking week.
“Like Crazy” debuts at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart, where its Jimin’s third leader, and No. 35 on Streaming Songs, where he makes his first appearance. (Its airplay audience is the lowest for a Hot 100 No. 1 this decade, although it’s not being actively promoted to radio; still, it has received a handful of early plays on Radio Songs reporters KIIS Los Angeles, KJYO Oklahoma City, Okla., KYLD San Francisco and WSNX Grand Rapids, Mich., all of which also contribute to the Pop Airplay chart and are owned by iHeartMedia, as well as Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart panelist KNHC Seattle.)
Jimin & BTS have each hit No. 1: Jimin achieves the first Hot 100 No. 1, and No. 1 debut, for a BTS member solo, with the group – which announced a break last June – having notched six leaders, five of which debuted at No. 1.
Here’s a rundown:
Jimin, “Like Crazy,” one week at No. 1 (to-date), April 8, 2023Coldplay & BTS, “My Universe,” one to-date, Oct. 9, 2021BTS, “Permission To Dance,” one, July 24, 2021BTS, “Butter,” 10, June 5, 2021BTS, “Life Goes On,” one, Dec. 5, 2020Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo x BTS, “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” one, Oct. 17, 2020“Dynamite,” three weeks at No. 1, beginning Sept. 5, 2020
Jimin makes history as the first soloist to score a solo Hot 100 debut breaking out of a group that has also debuted at No. 1 on the chart. (Travis Scott has begun atop the list solo and as part of the collaboratively credited The Scotts; in addition to his own “Highest in the Room,” in October 2019, and “Franchise,” featuring Young Thug and M.I.A., in October 2020, his and Kid Cudi’s “The Scotts,” billed on the chart as by The Scotts, Travis Scott and Kid Cudi [born Scott Mescudi], opened at No. 1 in May 2020.)
Jimin and BTS, thus, join the ranks of soloists and groups each with Hot 100 No. 1s, a list most recently bolstered, before this week, when Beyoncé reigned with “Break My Soul” for two weeks last August; Destiny’s Child, with her as a member, tallied four No. 1s.
First South Korean soloist to top Hot 100: After BTS became the first all-South Korean group to lead the Hot 100, with “Dynamite,” Jimin becomes the first South Korean soloist to hit No. 1. Previously among South Korean solo artists, PSY reached a No. 2 best with “Gangnam Style” for seven weeks in 2012.
The history of Asian acts atop the Hot 100 dates back to the chart’s early years, as Japanese-born Kyu Sakamoto became the first to lead, with “Sukiyaki” for three weeks in 1963. In 2010, Far*East Movement reigned with “Like a G6,” with the act’s lineup at the time including two members of Korean heritage.
BTS members solo on the Hot 100: Jimin scores not only the first Hot 100 No. 1 by a BTS member solo, but the first top 10, or even top 20, hit on the chart. Plus, of the four solo top 40 hits by the group’s members, Jimin has two.
Here’s a recap of all 15 Hot 100 entries so far by BTS members apart from the group, ranked by peak position. All seven of the act’s members have reached the chart with solo songs: J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jung Kook, RM, Suga and V.
Peak Pos., Date, Artist, Title:No. 1 (one week to-date), April 8, 2023, Jimin, “Like Crazy”No. 22, July 9, 2022, Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, “Left and Right”No. 29, Dec. 25, 2021, Juice WRLD & Suga, “Girl of My Dreams”No. 30, April 1, 2023, Jimin, “Set Me Free, Pt. 2”No. 51, Nov. 12, 2022, Jin, “The Astronaut”No. 60, March 18, 2023, J-Hope with J. Cole, “On the Street”No. 76, Jan. 28, 2023, TAEYANG feat. Jimin, “Vibe”No. 76, June 6, 2020, Agust D (Suga’s alternate billing), “Daechwita”No. 79, Jan. 8, 2022, V, “Christmas Tree”No. 80, May 14, 2022, PSY feat. Suga, “That That”No. 81; Oct. 12, 2019, J-Hope feat. Becky G, “Chicken Noodle Soup”No. 82; July 16, 2022, J-Hope, “More”No. 83; Dec. 17, 2022, RM with Youjeen, “Wild Flower”No. 95; Feb. 26, 2022, Jung Kook, “Stay Alive”No. 96; July 30, 2022, J-Hope, “Arson”
Jimin & RM atop the Hot 100 as writers: Notably, both Jimin and RM of BTS are among the seven credited co-writers of “Like Crazy.”
Jimin earns his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a writer, while RM rings ups his fourth, following credits on BTS’ “My Universe,” “Butter” and “Life Goes On.”
A lot to ‘Like’: “Like Crazy” is the 21st Hot 100 No. 1 with the word “like” in its title. “Walk Like a Man,” by The 4 Seasons, became the first, in 1963, while, until this week, “Girls Like You,” by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B, was the most recent, in 2018.
This might sound ‘Crazy’ …: “Like Crazy” is the sixth Hot 100 No. 1 with “crazy” in its title:
“Like Crazy,” Jimin, 2023“Crazy in Love,” Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z, 2003“She Drives Me Crazy,” Fine Young Cannibals, 1989“Crazy for You,” Madonna, 1985“Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince and the Revolution, 1984“Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” Queen, 1980
(Honorable mention: Crazy Town ruled the Hot 100 with “Butterfly” in 2001.)
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” drops to No. 2 on the Hot 100 after eight weeks at No. 1, starting upon its debut in January. It logs a seventh week atop the Radio Songs chart (106.9 million in audience, down 1%); rebounds 7-2 on Digital Song Sales (10,000, down 10%), which it led for five weeks; and holds at No. 4 on Streaming Songs (22.9 million, down 7%), following four frames on top.
Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” slips 2-3 on the Hot 100, three weeks after it hit No. 1, as it tops Streaming Songs for a fourth week (35.8 million, essentially even week-over-week). It leads the Hot Country Songs chart, which uses the same methodology as the Hot 100, for an eighth week, as parent album One Thing at a Time controls the Billboard 200 for a fourth week.
SZA’s “Kill Bill” descends 3-4 on the Hot 100, following seven weeks at its No. 2 high. It tops the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts for a 15th week each.
Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’” retreats 4-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3; The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” dips 5-6, four weeks after it reigned; and PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” backtracks 6-7, after hitting No. 3.
Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” holds at its No. 8 Hot 100 high. It tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 31st week, extending the longest domination since the survey began a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” falls 7-9, following a personal-best eight weeks at No. 1 in November-January, and Coi Leray’s “Players” places at No. 10, a week after entering the tier at No. 9. “Players” leads the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for a third week.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated April 8), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 4).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
BTS’s Jimin is on fire in the U.K., where “Like Crazy” (via BigHit Entertainment) blasts into the top 10, at No. 8.
Lifted from his debut LP FACE, “Like Crazy” is the highest U.K. chart appearance from a solo member of BTS, beating his own previous record, set just one week earlier with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” which reached No. 30.
“Like Crazy” impacts the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 31 and led by Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed,” which fires to No. 1 on debut.
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Prior to Jimin’s two latest singles chart appearances, the only other BTS band member to enter the U.K. top 40 with a solo number was J-Hope, whose “One The Street” collaboration with J. Cole reached No. 37.
The seven-member K-pop superstar group — comprised of J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — has four U.K. Top 10 singles to date as a group, with “Dynamite,” “Butter” and Coldplay collab “My Universe” all hitting No. 3, and “Life Goes On” peaking at No. 10.
The boyband also has two U.K. No. 1 albums as a collective: 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
As the K-pop superstars’ seven members explore their respective solo careers, he’s the fifth to snag a U.K. top 100 solo hit. Previously, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61), and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) impacted the Official U.K. Singles Chart, along with J-Hope’s “On The Street”.
Lana Del Rey hits the U.K. albums chart for six with Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (via Polydor), the new leader.
Ocean Blvd blasts to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, the fastest-selling LP of 2023 so-far, passing the opening week of Pink’s recent leader Trustfall, the Official Charts Company reports.
The U.S. alternative pop artist’s ninth studio album becomes her sixth leader, after Born to Die (from 2012), Ultraviolence (2014), Lust for Life (2017), Norman F*cking Rockwell! (2019) and Chemtrails Over the Country Club (2021).
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According to the OCC, Ocean Blvd delivers Del Rey’s strongest first week in the U.K. since 2014’s Ultraviolence.
With her latest crown, Del Rey ranks fifth all-time among female solo artists with the most U.K. No. 1s. Only Madonna (with 12), Taylor Swift (9), Kylie Minogue (8) and Barbra Streisand (7) have more.
“The achievement of Lana Del Rey in scoring six Number 1 albums in just 11 years is quite something, especially given she has done so with the biggest first week numbers of any album this year,” comments Martin Talbot, CEO of Official Charts Company. “She is a genuine superstar of our era.”
Coming in hot at No. 2 on the latest chart, published March 31, is Depeche Mode’s Memento Mori (Columbia), the legendary British synth-pop band’s first album since the 2022 death of bandmate Andy Fletcher. Memento Mori is the most downloaded album of the week, and becomes DM’s 18th U.K. top 10, and best chart position in a decade.
Reunited U.S. alternative rock outfit Fall Out Boy bags a fifth top 5 record with So Much (for) Stardust. It’s new at No. 3.
Pink Floyd’s epic 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon rockets back into the chart, thanks to a 50th anniversary reissue campaign. A vinyl pressing powers The Dark Side of the Moon – Live at Wembley 1974 (Parlophone) into fourth spot on the all-genres albums chart, while The Dark Side of the Moon – 50 Years (Rhino) reissue returns at No. 17, for its 558th week on the survey.
The album last appeared in the top 20 almost 12 years ago, back in October 2011, the OCC reports, but has never led the chart. Its peak spot is No. 2.
Finally, U.S. country star Luke Combs completes the U.K. top 5 with Gettin’ Old (Sony Music CG), his fourth studio album. Gettin’ Old bows at No. 5 for Combs’ U.K. career-best position.
Ed Sheeran dethrones Miley Cyrus on the U.K. singles chart as “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic) sprints to No. 1.
With “Eyes Closed,” the first single lifted from Sheeran’s forthcoming album Subtract, the Englishman lands his 14th best-seller on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 31, and climbs the all-time leaderboard.
In doing so, “Eyes Closed” ends the 10-week reign of “Flowers”. Cyrus’ hit is stopped one week short of equaling Tones And I’s 11-week run with “Dance Monkey,” which remains the longest-running leader by a female solo artist.
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Sheeran now equals the 14 career No. 1s accumulated by Cliff Richard and Westlife, slotting into equal third on the all-time list. Only Elvis Presley (with 21) and the Beatles (17) have more U.K. No. 1s, the Official Charts Company reports.
Also, “Eyes Closed” becomes Sheeran’s 41st Official top 10 single, good enough for fifth on the list of all-time top 10 appearances.
After two-and-a-half months, Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia) loses its crown, dipping 1-2. It continues to rack-up a marketing-leading volume of streams, the OCC reports.
Further down the list, rising Afrobeats star Libianca hits a new peak position with “People” (5K), up 5-4, while BTS member Jimin scores a new mark with “Like Crazy” (BigHit Entertainment). It’s new at No. 8, for the first top 10 appearance by a solo member of BTS. “Like Crazy” debuts just a week after Jimin bagged a solo career best by a BTS member with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,’ which arrived at No. 30.
Finally, 22-year U.K. based artist Paris Paloma bags her first appearance on the Official Chart with “Labour” (Nettwerk). The folk ballad, a viral rallying call against misogyny, starts at No. 29.
As reported April 2, 2023, Seymour Stein, Sire Records co-founder who signed Madonna, The Ramones & other legendary artists, died at age 80. Stein began his storied career in the music industry as a teenager at Billboard, where, as an intern after school, he contributed to the founding of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The following interview was conducted and originally published in 2015.
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“I look at my schooling as, in part, my early years at Billboard.”
That’s how Sire Records co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enshrinee Seymour Stein, who in January 2021 oversaw the relaunch of the Blue Horizon label in partnership with Fat Possum, recalled his industry education.
That upbringing included the unveiling of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the magazine’s Aug. 4, 1958, issue. At the time, Stein was a high school student eager to learn, and help shape, the music business, soaking up information firsthand from inside Billboard’s offices.
The Hot 100’s hot shot debut wasn’t front-page news, but it did make page two, in an editorial succinctly headlined “The Billboard Hot 100”: “On pages 36 and 37 of this issue, we are proud to present The Billboard Hot 100, the fastest, most complete and most sensitive index to the popularity of recorded music in America. This new chart feature, which each week will list the 100 most popular recorded sides, is a guide to potential, as well as the current hits.”
When the ranking premiered, ruled by Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool,” it encompassed “such factors as [radio] disc jockey plays, jukebox activity and record sales.” Today, airplay is still among the Hot 100’s data mix, with downloads continuing the form of record sales. Streaming is essentially a modern-era, digital jukebox, with clicks of a mouse having replaced the clicks of a mechanical arm selecting and dropping a 45 perfectly into place.
At the heart of the Hot 100’s launch was then-head of charts Tom Noonan, along with music-radio-TV editor Paul Ackerman and Stein. “Tom and Paul were great mentors to me,” says Stein. “It was such an honor when Tom asked me to help start the Hot 100.”
Similar to today, as Billboard wrote in its story unwrapping the first Hot 100, “Data is obtained and tabulated right up to deadline time” (with Luminate data figures having fueled the chart since 1991, and multiple streaming sources having joined in recent years). “Weighted factors in the carefully-designed formula result [in] the fastest and most complete guide to the national popularity of records.”
While the Hot 100 marks over six decades as the chronicle of American hits, Stein’s legacy has likewise become legendary. Sire’s first signee? Steven Tallarico. Then in a band called Chain Reaction, he’d change his name to Steven Tyler as frontman for Aerosmith. In 1975, Sire signed the Ramones and Talking Heads. The Pretenders followed in 1980 and Madonna in 1982. (“I realized, ‘This woman is smarter than all of us. Just get out of her way,’” Stein said of Madonna in 2012.) Other acts Sire signed in that formative era: Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths and Ice-T.
In 2005, Stein was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in its lifetime-achievement category. In 2012, he was honored as Billboard’s first Icon Award recipient, presented to him at the annual MIDEM industry gathering in Cannes, France.
Here, in Stein’s words (from an interview first published in 2015), is his recollection of how the Hot 100 originated, how it helped speed up the measurement of hits, thanks to the inclusion of radio airplay data, and the story of how the chart’s name was (possibly) chosen.
On the need for a then-new chart: “Back in the day, before the Hot 100, there were many different charts in Billboard reflecting the success of singles in the marketplace [including] Best-Selling Pop Singles in Stores, Jukebox Favorites, Most-Heard on the Radio and Sheet Music.
“Then, there was an overall chart which was called the Honor Roll of Hits. This was a [composition, not singles] chart, because back in those days, there were multiple versions of just about every song. Sometimes three or four or more were successful, like in the case of ‘Unchained Melody.’ To show the strength of the song, the Honor Roll of Hits would list the points of all versions to obtain a position.
“Back then, jukebox sales were enormous. If a hot artist, like Perry Como, Patti Page or Nat ‘King’ Cole, with a successful track record put out a new single, record stores knew how to order based on their recent sales. But, in the case of new artists, and there were a lot of them in those early days of rock & roll, stores had no way of being guided. More urgently, jukebox operators needed to know quickly to get these new records into their machines.
“It was the jukeboxes, in particular, that first instigated the need for a faster way of making the charts. Fortunately, this was around the same time as the dawn of top 40 radio, and the Hot 100 used radio playlists from across the country weighted by the size of the market to help compile this new chart.
“It wasn’t entirely error-free or 100 percent accurate; remember, this was [1958]. I was just 16, working at Billboard after school. From the time I was 9 years old, I knew I wanted to be in the music business.”
On Billboard’s editorial impact: “As important as the charts were, the Billboard review sessions that picked spotlight winners of the week were even more important. If a record was accorded a spotlight review, it could stir the sales upwards of 75,000 copies by jukebox operators alone in the first week. Before the Hot 100, the charts were so slow, the jukebox operators couldn’t wait for these records to prove themselves and had to go by the reviews in Billboard.
“Paul Ackerman invited me to attend these music review sessions on Wednesday nights and even provided me with a due-bill to stay at one of the hotels close to the Billboard offices and that way I could get up and take the subway to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. It was at these sessions that I met people like Syd Nathan of King Records, Leonard Chess, George Goldner, Lew Chudd of Imperial, Herman Lubinksy of Savoy, Don Pierce of Starday and publishers like Freddy Bienstock and Al Gallico, to name a few.”
As for the name Hot 100? “I can only imagine that what the industry was looking for was a hotter, quicker way of getting chart information. Tom [Noonan] could have come up with the name. I certainly did not. It might have been one of the reporters, or Paul Ackerman. I just don’t remember. Then we added star performers to show quick movement upward, aka, bullets.
“Reaction was, of course, positive from every corner of the music business. These were still the early days of rock & roll. Mitch Miller and Hugo Winterhalter were still the heads of A&R of Columbia and RCA Victor, the two leading majors, and rooting for rock & roll not to happen. Milt Gabler over at Decca was the first of the majors to embrace rock & roll and it was Steve Sholes at RCA who arranged to buy Elvis Presley’s contract from Sun; but not without first taking the advice of Paul Ackerman.
“Record stores certainly reacted favorably and radio stations, too.
“Through the success of the chart, more execs were drawn up to the Billboard offices, often with their artists in tow, whether it was for a story or just to say thanks for acknowledging their No. 1 position.”
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time logs a fourth straight and total week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 8). The title earned 197,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending March 30 (down 6%), according to Luminate. One Thing at a Time debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 18 and has held the top spot ever since.
Across Wallen’s two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 — One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album — he has now spent a total of 14 weeks atop the chart. That ties Bad Bunny for the second-most weeks at No. 1 this decade, trailing only Taylor Swift’s 20 weeks (across five No. 1s). Bad Bunny’s 14 total weeks at No. 1 has come from two chart-toppers: Un Verano Sin Ti (13 weeks) and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo (one week).
The last album by a male act to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 was Wallen’s own Dangerous, which spent 10 weeks in total atop the chart — all from its debut week (Jan. 23-March 27, 2021).
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, BTS’ Jimin bows at No. 2 with his debut solo album, FACE; Lana Del Rey notches her ninth top 10 with the No. 3 arrival of Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd; Luke Combs claims his fifth top 10 set with the No. 4 debut of Gettin’ Old; and Fall Out Boy achieves its seventh top 10 effort with the No. 6 launch of So Much (for) Stardust.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 8, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on April 4. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of One Thing at a Time’s 197,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 30, SEA units comprise 177,500 (down 8%, equaling 235.76 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 17,000 (up 36%) and TEA units comprise 2,500 (down 14%).
BTS’ Jimin sees his first solo album, FACE, bow at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The last artist to enter as high with a first charting effort was Olivia Rodrigo, with Sour, which debuted at No. 1 on the June 5, 2021-dated chart.
FACE was led by Jimin’s first top 40-charting song as a soloist on the Billboard Hot 100, “Set Me Free, Pt. 2,” which debuted at No. 30 on the April 1-dated chart. FACE, performed largely in the Korean language, includes six total cuts: “Face-off,” “Interlude: Drive,” “Like Crazy,” “Alone,” “Set Me Free, Pt. 2” and “Like Crazy (English Version).”
FACE starts with 164,000 equivalent album units earned — the second-largest debut week of 2023 after Wallen’s One Thing at a Time’s launch of 501,000 units. Of FACE’s opening-week sum, album sales comprise 124,000 — marking the third-biggest sales week of 2023 and the largest for a solo act this year). SEA units comprise 13,500 (equaling 19.51 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs).
TEA units comprise 26,500, the largest TEA figure for any album in four months. Most of FACE’s TEA units come from the album’s current single, “Like Crazy” — which was available in five different versions (the album version — performed in the Korean language, an English-language version, two dance remixes and an instrumental) during the tracking week. All versions of the song are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
The last time an album had a bigger TEA figure in a single week when Swift’s Midnights tallied 34,000 TEA units on the Nov. 19, 2022 chart, after she released seven new hot-selling remixes of “Anti-Hero” (joining its two previously released versions — an original version and an instrumental).
Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of FACE was issued in five collectible CD packages (including exclusives for Target and the Weverse webstore) each containing a standard set of items and randomized elements (photo cards and postcards). It was also available as a standard digital download album, plus two late-in-the-week alternative cover digital download variants that were sold exclusively through his official webstore. 79% of FACE’s first-week sales were CDs, while the remaining 21% were digital album downloads.
Jimin is the third member of seven-member South Korean pop group BTS to chart on the Billboard 200, following RM and J-Hope, who have each placed two albums on the chart. RM’s Indigo peaked at No. 3 in December 2022 and Mono. hit No. 26 in 2018. J-Hope’s Jack in the Box reached No. 17 in July 2022 and Hope World hit No. 38 in 2018.
BTS announced that it was taking a break last summer — and since then — three of its members have released solo albums (FACE, RM’s Indigo and J-Hope’s Jack in the Box). FACE is the first of the three to have CDs available the same day that the album was released to streaming services and as a digital download. J-Hope’s Jack in the Box has not been issued on CD, while RM’s Indigo got a CD release two weeks after its streaming and digital debut. (Indigo debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 15, fell off the chart the following week, and re-entered the next week at its peak of No. 3 — powered by its CD sales).
K-pop artists typically sell well with CD albums, bolstered by their collectability. In 2022, seven of the year’s top 10-selling albums on CD in the U.S. were K-pop releases, including the year’s No. 2-seller, BTS’ retrospective compilation Proof. Further, BTS was the No. 2-selling act on the CD album format in 2022, with 917,000 copies sold of its albums on CD last year. (Swift was 2022’s top-selling artist in terms of CD albums, with 923,000 sold. She also profits from the collectability of her CDs. Her most recent album, 2022’s Midnights, was issued in a range of CD iterations — including autographed editions.)
Lana Del Rey collects her ninth top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd debuts at No. 3. The set earned 115,000 equivalent album units in its opening week. Of that sum, album sales comprise 87,000, SEA units comprise 28,000 (equaling 36.14 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — Del Rey’s biggest streaming week yet) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Of the set’s first-week sales, vinyl LPs comprise 67% (58,500 — the largest sales week for a vinyl album in 2023 and Del Rey’s best sales week on vinyl ever). Did You Know was issues in six vinyl variants: a standard black vinyl, a picture disc and four color vinyl editions (pink, green, red and white) all with different covers, exclusive to Amazon, independent retailers, Target and her webstore, respectively. Did You Know was also issued in nine CD iterations (a standard edition, four with alternative covers, and four deluxe boxed sets exclusive to her webstore containing either a T-shirt and a CD or a hoodie and a CD). Del Rey even dropped the album on cassette tape — in five different color variants (black, white, pink, green and red).
Did You Know was previewed by three charting tracks on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart: the title track (peaking at No. 23 in December), “A&W” (No. 10 in March) and “The Grants” (No. 45 on the April 1 chart).
Luke Combs arrives at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with Gettin’ Old. It follows his 2022 release Growin’ Up, which debuted and peaked at No. 2. The new 18-song set is Combs’ fifth top 10, all earned consecutively, on the chart.
Gettin’ Old starts with 101,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week — surpassing the 74,000-unit bow of Growin’ Up. Of the new set’s first-week sum, SEA units comprise 66,000 (equaling 85.4 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 18 songs — Combs’ biggest streaming week ever and the third-biggest overall streaming debut of 2023), album sales comprise 32,500 and TEA units comprise 2,500.
Gettin’ Old was supported by eight physical variants of the album — two CDs (a standard version and a signed edition exclusive to his webstore), five vinyl LPs (standard black, a deluxe black edition containing a slipmat [either signed or unsigned, exclusive to his webstore], an opaque white-colored edition exclusive to Amazon and a blue-colored edition exclusive to Walmart), and a red-colored cassette tape.
Gettin’ Old is the second country album of 2023 to score a 100,000-unit-plus week, following the opening frame of Wallen’s One Thing at a Time (501,000). No country albums in 2022 posted a 100,000-plus week. In 2021, Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) and Wallen’s Dangerous all landed multiple 100,000-plus weeks.
Gettin’ Old was led by four charting tracks on the Hot Country Songs chart: “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” (No. 20), “Love You Anyway” (No. 3), “Joe” (No. 22) and “5 Leaf Clover” (No. 15) — all through the most recently published list dated April 1.
With the Nos. 1-4 albums all exceeding 100,000 units earned on the latest chart, it’s the first time since the Aug. 8, 2020-dated list that four albums have cleared 100,000 units in a single week.
SZA’s former No. 1 SOS falls 2-5 on the new Billboard 200, earning 70,000 equivalent album units (down 3%).
Fall Out Boy’s So Much (for) Stardust debuts at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with 64,000 equivalent album units earned, earning the band its seventh top 10-charting set. The new set is the group’s first new studio album since 2018’s chart-topping MANIA.
Of Stardust’s first-week units, album sales comprise 49,000, SEA units comprise 14,500 (equaling 18.65 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 500. Stardust was supported by a hefty number of physical formats — one standard CD, two cassettes, nine stand-alone vinyl LPs in assorted colors, eight deluxe vinyl boxed sets (each containing a different color vinyl LP and branded merchandise) and 11 deluxe CD boxed sets (seven containing a CD edition of the album and branded merch — and four consisting of an autographed CD along with merch).
In February, Stardust’s lead single “Love From the Other Side” became Fall Out Boy’s first-ever No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart — nearly 18 years after the band’s debut on the tally in 2005. The band had previously gone as high as No. 2 with “Dance, Dance” in 2006.
Rounding out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 are four former No. 1s: Midnights falls 3-7 (59,000 equivalent album units; down 4%), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains is a non-mover at No. 8 (45,000; up 14%), Wallen’s Dangerous dips 7-9 (43,000; up 3%) and Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito descends 6-10 (40,000; down 12%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Luke Combs, whose new LP, Gettin’ Old, was released March 24 on River House/Columbia Nashville, places six titles, all from the set, on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated April 8).
Dating to the ranking’s 1990 inception, Combs ties the record for the most titles in the tally’s top 60 by a single artist at once, excluding holiday fare. The feat has been achieved just five times – and now twice within a month, as Morgan Wallen logged six on the March 18 survey, concurrent with the chart launch of his new album, One Thing at a Time (on Big Loud/Mercury Republic).
Before that, Blake Shelton last earned the honor in 2017, following Kenny Chesney in 2008 and Garth Brooks in 1997.
Combs’ 15th Country Airplay No. 1, “Going, Going, Gone,” which led the list for two frames in March, ranks at No. 4, with 23.6 million impressions March 24-30, according to Luminate. His others (all debuts) on the current chart: “Five Leaf Clover” (No. 48); “Love You Anyway” (No. 49); “Still” (No. 57); “Growin’ Up and Getting’ Old” (No. 58) and “Hannah Ford Road” (No. 59).
Also on the newest Country Airplay chart, Wallen boasts two tracks scaling the top 20: promoted country single “One Thing at a Time” (18-13; 13.8 million, up 18%) and pop/country hit, and former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “Last Night” (22-18; 10.2 million, up 28%). (The latter concurrently pushes 24-23 on Adult Pop Airplay and 26-24 on Pop Airplay.)
For a format accustomed to acts climbing Country Airplay with one single over months, Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville executive vice president says, “Radio seems to realize the value of exposing more than just one song at a time from a superstar artist.”
“I’m excited to see radio continuing to invest in our format’s core artists,” muses Big Loud vp of promotion Ali Matkosky. “In a time where listeners are pointing out daily what they want to hear [via streaming services], it makes more and more sense to lean into that data.”
‘Country’ Hit
Elsewhere, Tyler Hubbard notches his second Country Airplay top 10 as a soloist, as “Dancin’ in the Country” twirls 12-10 (17 million, up 23%).
The song follows “5 Foot 9,” which led for a week last November.
Florida Georgia Line, comprising Hubbard and Brian Kelley, has posted 19 Country Airplay top 10s, including 16 No. 1s.
Lana Del Rey drives straight to No. 1 on the Australian chart with Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (via Interscope/Universal), her ninth studio album.
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With its fast start, Ocean Blvd becomes the U.S. alternative pop singer’s eighth top 10 LP in these parts, and fifth leader following Born To Die (from 2012), Ultraviolence (2014), Honeymoon (2015) and Lust For Life (2017).
It’s one of four new releases impacting the top 10 on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, March 31.
Coming in at No. 2 is Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old (Columbia/Sony). It’s the U.S. country star’s fourth album and fourth top 10 in Australia, following This One’s For You (No. 7 peak in 2017), What You See Is What You Get (No. 1 in 2019) and Growin’ Up (No. 2 in 2022).
Further down the list, Fall Out Boy’s So Much (For) Stardust (Atlantic/Warner) starts at No. 4, for the reunited U.S. alt-rock veterans’ sixth top 10 effort in Australia. The band’s peak performance to date came a decade ago, when 2013’s Save Rock and Roll hit No. 2.
Also, Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby blasts into the top 10 with Everything’s Fine (Island/Universal), his third album. It’s new at No. 8. Everything’s Fine is the followup to Corby’s 2018’s LP Rainbow Valley (which peaked at No. 4), and his chart-leading debut from 2016, Telluric.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary with a reissue project, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (Columbia/Sony) roars back into the chart. The 14-times platinum album vaults 220-12, to notch its 103rd week on the chart.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) flourishes for an 11th consecutive week at No. 1, while Ed Sheeran returns to the top tier with “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic/Warner), new at No. 6. Produced with Max Martin and Shellback, and lifted from his forthcoming album Subtract, “Eyes Closed” is Sheeran’s 28th top 10 appearance in Australia, a feat that includes two tracks as a featured artist, ARIA reports.
Emilia, Big One and Callejero Fino’s “En La Intimidad” extends its reign on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 song chart (dated March 25). With five weeks at at No. 1, it becomes the longest-leading song in 2023 thus far.
Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” holds steady at No. 2 for a fourth week, encompassing its entire run on the chart. TINI’s “Cupido” remains at No. 3 for a third week, BM’s “M. A. (Mejores Amigos)” keeps at No. 4 for a second week., while, Lil Cake and Migrantes’s “Mercho,” featuring Nico Valdi, adds a second week at No. 5.
This week, Lolo Og, Callejero Fino and Alejo Isakk take home the Greatest Gainer trophy with a 59-rank surge as “Azote” rallies from No. 84 to No. 25.
Plus, La Joaqui and Alan Gomez’s “Amanecemos” notches the Hot Shot Debut of the week arriving at No. 42.
Elsewhere, Arcangel and Bizarrap’s first partnership “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 54” bows at No. 53. It’s the third simultaneous music session placed by the Argentinian producer on the tally, as “Vol. 53,” with Shakira continues at No. 6, while “Vol. 52, with Quevedo” advances 22-20, both which have ruled the chart.
Further, Mexican newcomers Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma make their first visit to the ranking with “La Bebe” at No. 71. Meanwhile, Karol G collects her 31st entry as “Mientras Me Curo Del Cora” launches at No. 73.
Six other debuts arrive this week, starting with Eladio Carrión who places two tracks from his 3MEN2 KBRN album, which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart: “Coco Chanel,” with Bad Bunny, at No. 74 and “Si La Calle Llama,” featuring Myke Towers, at No. 91.
In addition, Luck Ra and Lit Killah’s “Cuéntame” joins at No. 90; Feid’s “Remix Exclusivo” is at No. 96; Alejo Isakk’s “3 en 1,” featuring Gusty Dj, is at No. 99; while David Bisbal returns with “Ajedrez” at No. 100.
Kx5, the superstar DJ pairing of Kaskade and Deadmau5, commands a No. 6 start on Billboard‘s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart (dated April 1) with its self-titled debut set.
Kx5 starts with 4,200 equivalent album units in the March 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate.
Seven of the album’s 10 cuts have hit the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, with “Bright Lights” featuring AR/CO leading the way at No. 17 with 864,000 U.S. streams. It’s Kx5’s second-highest-charting track yet, after last year’s “Escape” featuring Hayla (No. 11).
Kx5 also rises with “Sacrifice” featuring Sofi Tukker (48-27; one spot short of its No. 26 high in March) and re-enters with both “Alive” featuring The Moth & The Flame (No. 30) and “When I Talk” with Elderbrook (No. 50). Both tracks peaked at No. 26 earlier this year. Rounding out Kx5‘s charted Hot Dance/Electronic Songs hits are “Take Me High” (No. 38 in October 2022) and “Avalanche,” featuring James French (No. 48 in November).
Additionally on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Fred again.., Skrillex and Four Tet bow with “Baby again..” at No. 11. The team-up makes for Fred again..’s highest debut among 15 charted titles; Skrillex’s fourth-highest of his 56; and Four Tet’s top arrival. Skrillex is now tied with Marshmello for the third-most appearances, after only David Guetta (75) and Kygo (61).
“Baby” earned 1.5 million streams and sold 900 downloads, the latter also good for a No. 5 start on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.
On the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, Cash Cash collects its ninth top 10 with “Anyway,” featuring RuthAnne, who achieves her first (12-3). The track is drawing core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM Channel, WCPY (Dance Factory FM) Chicago and iHeartRadio’s Evolution, among other outlets.
Also on the survey, Metro Boomin notches his first top 10, The Weeknd adds his 14th and 21 Savage scores his second with “Creepin’” (11-8). The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.