On Thursday, Apr. 22, Gaon Music Chart released their post-corona first-quarter analysis of the K-pop market for 2021. Want to know which album by female K-pop artists was the most popular? Then keep on reading!
BLACKPINK Rosé's Sold The Most Albums For The First Quarter of 2021
Based on the top 100 album sales for the first quarter, Rosé ranked at the top for the female category. According to the Gaon Chart, Rosé sold 446,314 physical copies of "-R-," amounting to 29.1% of the total shares among female singers. It is the best-selling single album by a Korean female solo artist.
Previously, Rosé made headlines after it was revealed that within the first four days of pre-order, "-R-' garnered 400,000 sales. By Mar. 15, "-R-" surprised half a million pre-orders, with 400,000 of them coming from physical CDs, 48,000 coming from the kits, and 52,000 coming from vinyl sales.
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"-R-" broke the record for the highest first-week sales by a Korean female soloist, selling 448,089 copies sold. The physical version of "-R-" debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart, while the kit version of the single album entered the chart at number seven. On Apr. 23, YG Entertainment revealed that "-R=" had sold 502,447 albums, making Rosé the first female soloist to reach over half a million album sales in 19 years.
ALSO READ: BLACKPINK Rosé Smashes Records on Hanteo with 500K Album Copies Sold + 'GONE' Music Video Surpasses 50 Million Views
IU Ranks at Second Place in Physical Album Sales Among Female K-Pop Singers
Coming in at second place is "The Nation's Little Sister," IU. For Mar. 2021, IU reportedly sold 344,018 physical copies of her albums, amounting to 22.4% of the total shares among female singers. Her most recent release, "LILAC," is the second highest-selling album by a South Korean female solo artist in its first week.
ALSO READ: IU Relationship Status 2021: Here's Why Songstress Was Linked to BTS Suga Years After Shocking Jang Kiha Split
Within the first week of the release of "LILAC," the album sold 267,754 copies. The album debuted at the top of the weekly Gaon Album Chart, making it IU's fifth release to do so. All the songs from "LILAC" charted within the top 30 of the Gaon Digital Chart. The release of the album also led to several older IU songs to chart in the Gaon Digital Chart.
ALSO READ: IU, Red Velvet Seulgi, and More: People Select Female K-Pop Stars Born to be Idols
These are the Female Idols Who Had the Best Physical Album Sales for the First Quarter of 2021, According to Gaon Chart
1. BLACKPINK Rosé - 446.314 or 29.1%
2. IU - 344,018 or 22.4%
3. (G)I-DLE - 207,927 or 13.6%
4. BLACKPINK - 154,344 or 10.1%
5. Dreamcatcher - 154,344 or 8.3%
6. WJSN - 72,214 or 4.7%
7. Chungha - 31,800 or 2.1%
8. Red Velvet - 29,998 or 2.0%
9. Weeekly - 25,005 or 1.6%
10. TWICE - 22,014 or 1.4%
Did your favorite female artist make the top ten for the first quarter? Tell us in the comments below!
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Written by Alexa Lewis
