BTS members/Courtesy of BigHit Entertainment

K-pop boy band sets record for highest first-week album sales

The seven members of K-pop superstar BTS continue to shatter records with their fourth studio album “Map of the Soul: Persona,” which was released on April 12 to establish them more firmly as the world’s biggest boy band.

According to Hanteo Chart, the seven-track album’s sales from April 12 to 18 amounted to more than 2.13 million copies to break the record for the most albums sold in one week and all time. It is the first album ever to surpass the 2 million milestone.

The mini album also jumped straight to the top of the UK’s official album chart, making the idol group become the first Korean act to achieve the feat.

The band’s music video for the album’s title track “Boy With Luv” also keeps smashing records. As of writing, the four-minute, 13-second video amassed around 170 million YouTube views and almost 3 million comments.

The video, which racked up 74.6 million views on its first day of release, set three Guinness World Records as the “most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours, “most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours,” and “most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group.”

“Other impressive accolades achieved by the group, whose international fanbase has grown rapidly in recent years spreading via social media, including becoming the first K-pop act to reach No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart and the most Twitter engagements,” Guinness said.

BTS is set to rank No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It would mark the third time in less than a year for the septet to top the Billboard 200 after their two previous albums of “Love Yourself: Tear” and “Love Yourself: Answer.”

The top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart where the new BTS album is expected to debut at No. 1 will be officially revealed on April 21.

The band was the most re-tweeted celebrities in the world for 2017 and 2018.

BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, debuted in 2013 to become a global sensation. The group is scheduled to launch a world tour, which will feature 16 shows across four continents including such famous venues as Wembley Stadium in London.

 

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