On Jan. 7, Gaon Chart released its year-end album chart for 2021, unveiling the best-selling K-pop albums in the past year. Among BTS' "Butter," NCT 127's "Sticker," and NCT Dream's "Hot Sauce," which work do you think landed on No. 1?
Continue reading to see the Top 30 best-selling albums of 2021 on Gaon!
BTS' "Butter" is the Best-Selling Album of 2021 on the Gaon Chart
According to Gaon, the album with the highest sales in 2021 is BTS' "Butter" CD. The record sold a total of 2,999,407 copies in the past 12 months. It is the only album to surpass 2.5 million sales.
In 2020, BTS also took the lead on Gaon's album chart with their fourth studio album, "MAP OF THE SOUL: 7," which sold over 4.3 million copies (the only work to do so). This marked the septet's fifth consecutive year to top the rankings.
This means Bangtan Boys had the No. 1 best-selling album on Gaon for six years in a row, including 2021.
ALSO READ: Four BTS Songs Land in the Top 10 Best-Selling Songs in the US + 'Butter' Sells Over a Million Copies
In the first month of release, the "Butter" CD sold a whopping 2,490,969 copies on the Gaon Chart despite the record containing only two tracks. Since it recorded over 2.4 million sales, the CD topped Gaon's monthly album chart for July 2021.
NCT 127's "Sticker" is the Second Best-Selling Album of 2021 on the Gaon Chart
Taking second place on Gaon's year-end album chart for 2021 is NCT 127's "Sticker" with 2,427,559 copies sold. Impressively, the sub-unit was in eighth place on the 2020 list, which means they saw greater popularity in the previous year.
What's more impressive is that this is the first time that NCT 127 recorded two million sales on the Gaon Chart in a year. Previously, their second full album "NCT #127 NEO ZONE" only sold over one million copies.
READ MORE: NCT 127's 'Sticker' Extends Its Record as the 2021 K-pop Album With the Most Consecutive Weeks on Billboard 200
In the first month of sales, NCT 127's "Sticker" sold over 400,000 copies, becoming the group's third work to do so after "NCT #127 NEO ZONE" and its repackaged version "NCT #127 NEO ZONE: THE FINAL ROUND."
NCT Dream's "Hot Sauce" is the Third Best-Selling Album of 2021 on the Gaon Chart
Another 2021 best-selling album on the Gaon Chart belongs to an NCT sub-unit, and it is none other than NCT Dream's "Hot Sauce." According to the chart, "Hot Sauce" ranked third after selling 2,097,185 copies.
In 2020, NCT Dream ranked No. 11 with "Reload," which only proves that the sub-unit enjoyed more fame last year like their fellow unit NCT 127.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Here's How NCT Dream Beat BTS as Top K-pop Artists in the First Half of 2021, Based on Hanteo Global Report
During the entire May 2021, the month of its release, NCT Dream's "Hot Sauce" remarkably sold over 1.99 million copies, becoming the group's first work to record one million sales in the first month.
Notably, "Hot Sauce" is NCT Dream's first double-million seller album, attaining the feat in only 16 days.
These are the Top 30 Best-Selling Albums on the Gaon Chart in 2021:
- BTS - "Butter" [2,999,407]
- NCT 127 - "Sticker" [2,427,559]
- NCT Dream - "Hot Sauce" [2,097,185]
- SEVENTEEN - "Attacca" [2,059,073]
- NCT - "Universe" [1,630,715]
- SEVENTEEN - "Your Choice" [1,462,405]
- EXO - "Don't Fight the Feeling" [1,326,189]
- Stray Kids - "NOEASY" [1,303,106]
- ENHYPEN - "DIMENSION: DILEMMA" [1,205,949]
- BTS - "BE" [1,049,496]
- NCT Dream - "Hello Future" [1,025,005]
- EXO Baekhyun - "Bambi" [996,850]
- NCT 127 - "Favorite" [934,986]
- TXT - "The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE" [877,917]
- ENHYPEN - "BORDER: CARNIVAL" [788,451]
- TXT - "The Chaos Chapter: FIGHT OR ESCAPE" [775,121]
- Stray Kids - "Christmas EveL" [743,047]
- ATEEZ - "ZERO: Fever Part.3" [737,124]
- TWICE - "Formula of Love: O+T=<3" [714,955]
- BLACKPINK Lisa - "LALISA" [708,475]
- The Boyz - "THRILL-ING" [642,992]
- The Boyz - "MAVERICK" [642,369]
- aespa - "Savage" [574,445]
- TWICE - "Taste of Love" [559,093]
- BLACKPINK Rosé - "R" [516,915]
- ATEEZ - "ZERO: FEVER Part. 2" [514,515]
- ITZY - "CRAZY IN LOVE" [500,124]
- BTS - "Love Yourself: Tear" [458,050]
- Super Junior - "The Renaissance" [442,742]
- MONSTA X - "NO LIMIT" [424,618]
For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.
KpopStarz owns this article
Written by Mhaliya Scott
