South China Morning Post
Advertisement
Advertisement
K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
BTS join Taylor Swift as the only acts to simultaneously debut a new song and album at No 1 on Billboard’s primary charts. Photo: Big Hit Entertainment
K-PopNews

BTS’ new single ‘Life Goes On’ is first non-English song to debut top of US Billboard Hot 100, a milestone for the K-pop boy band

  • Life Goes On, the lead single from BTS’ recently released album BE, is also the first Korean-language song to top the chart in its 62-year history
  • The K-pop group joins Taylor Swift as the only acts to simultaneously debut a new song and album at No 1 on Billboard’s primary charts
K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop
Tamar Hermanin United States
Why you can trust SCMP

There are hitmakers and then there are BTS, whose latest single has notched up a string of firsts for the K-pop phenomenon.

Life Goes On, the lead single from their recently released album BE, made its debut at No 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, dated December 5. It is the first non-English song to enter the Western world’s definitive music chart at No 1.

A hopeful song about living through the coronavirus pandemic, it’s also the first Korean-language song to top the chart in its 62-year history.
And it’s BTS’ third consecutive song to hit No 1 on the chart in three months, coming after the success of the English-language tracks  Dynamite and their remix of Savage Love, the latter a collaboration with Jason Derulo. They’re the first act to achieve this feat since the Beatles hit the top of the charts with She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Can’t Buy Me Love in 1964.

Before BTS, the highest-charting song by a South Korean artist was Gangnam Style by Psy, which hit No 2 in 2012.

Along with Life Goes On making its debut on top of the singles chart, BE arrived at No 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming BTS’s fifth album to hit the top of the chart.

BTS have become the first group to debut more than one song at No 1 on the Hot 100. Photo: Big Hit Entertainment
BTS joins Taylor Swift as the only acts to simultaneously debut a new song and album at No 1 on Billboard’s primary charts.

Dynamite also returned to the top 10 thanks to a resurgence from its appearance on BE, coming in at No 5 after dipping following its debut at No 1.

BTS have also become the first group to debut more than one song at No 1 on the Hot 100, with Dynamite and Life Goes On earning that distinction. The septet were recently nominated in the best pop duo/group category at the 2021 Grammys for Dynamite.

This week also marks the first time BTS have ever had more than three songs on the Hot 100 at the same time. All of the tracks from BE ranked on the chart, aside from the spoken-word Skit during which the members celebrated their first No 1 with Dynamite. Blue & Grey, co-produced by member V, landed the second highest at No 13, while Stay, a unit song performed by Jin, Jungkook and RM, landed within at 22. Fly to My Room, performed by Suga, V, J-Hope and Jimin, debuted at 69, while Telpathy landed at 70 and Dis-ease landed at 72.

For more great K-pop stories, artist profiles and the latest news, visit our K-pop hub

Post