K-Pop Groups Make History Securing The Top Two Albums On U.S. Billboard 200, Beating 'Twisters' Soundtrack
This week's pop charts feature a historic achievement for K-pop, with South Korean artists claiming the top two positions on the Billboard 200 for the first time ever.
Additionally, the soundtrack for the U.S. movie 'Twisters,' starring Glen Powell and Kiernan Shipka, is the highest-charting film score of 2024 so far.
While K-pop has seen significant success on the Billboard 200 in recent years, this week is particularly notable as it marks the first instance of K-pop acts occupying the top two spots. Stray Kids made history as the first group to debut at No. 1 with its first five charting releases, and BTS member Jimin's new album 'MUSE' entered at No. 2.
Despite fierce competition, with Eminem's "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)" falling to No. 3 and Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" remaining at No. 4, K-pop albums often experience significant drops after strong debuts. Last week's notable K-pop entry, ENHYPEN's "Romance: Untold," fell from No. 2 to No. 21.
In addition to the K-pop milestone, this week's Top 10 also saw the soundtrack for 'Twisters,' a 29-song collection featuring country music, debuting at No. 7. This makes it the highest-charting soundtrack of the year. It's the first major country soundtrack to reach the Top 10 since January 2014 when "Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas" made an appearance.
The last country soundtrack to make the Top 10 before that was "Country Strong" in 2011.
The rest of the Top 10 includes Zach Bryan's "The Great American Bar Scene" (down from No. 3 to No. 5), Morgan Wallen's "One Thing at a Time" (falling from No. 5 to No. 6), Chappell Roan's "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" (dropping from No. 7 to No. 8), Billie Eilish's "Hit Me Hard and Soft" (moving from No. 6 to No. 9), and Noah Kahan's "Stick Season" (holding steady at No. 10).
