BTS is not only dominating the US album charts, the K-pop global phenom is also reigning over the United Kingdom's music scene - thanks to the group's record-smashing effort "Map of the Soul: Persona."
The septet's latest EP debuted atop the British album charts, making them the first Korean act to achieve the said milestone.
According to UK's Official Charts Company, the newest BTS offering has sold 26,500 copies. Of this number, 68 percent were physical sales.
Last year, they have also made history when their single "Idol" became the first track released by a Korean musician to have entered the Top 40 UK Singles chart.
In the US, the Bangtan Boys also reached the same feat, rising to the top of the Billboard 200 music charts. The rankings in the said chart are determined through an album's sales, downloads, and streams.
In the first week of its release, their album has already sold around 230,000 copies in the US alone - 196,000 of which are physical sales.
“Map of the Soul: Persona" is the third BTS effort to top the US charts, following "Love Yourself: Tear" and "Love Yourself: Answer."
Upon its April 12 global release, the seven-track EP has topped iTunes album charts in 86 countries, including US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, and Japan among others.
On Spotify, the album also smashed records as it currently holds the title of being the most streamed K-pop album on the platform in 24 hours. The lead single "Boy With Luv," which features American singer-songwriter Halsey, also landed at no. 3 on Spotify's Global Top 50 - the highest ranking that a Korean act has secured on the said music chart.
The track's music video also earned BTS three Guinness World Records, including "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." Within the said period, the music video has earned 74.6 million hits.
A representative of the company shared that they "are honored to have BTS as part of the Guinness World Records family."
Since BTS' debut in 2013, the group has evolved sonically and
“Map of the Soul: Persona" marks the peak of their musical journey. A highly personal album, the seven-track effort takes their listeners on a trip navigating their road to success as artists - and sends an important message about the consequences of fame.
BTS is RM, Jin, J-Hope, Jimin, Jungkook, V, and Suga.
