BTS break their own record with blockbuster 'ARIRANG' debut

The BTS comeback is finally here and it’s turning out to be everything fans dreamed of and more.

RM, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, J Hope, Suga and V released their first album in seven years, titled ARIRANG, on March 20, featuring the lead track Swim.

Their fifth album together is a major comeback for the septet after nearly four-year hiatus for mandatory military service.

Following years of anticipation, yearning, promises and sky-high expectations, the iconic K-pop group has delivered a return that many are calling legendary.

And the numbers speak for themselves. The latest stats prove the boys are worthy of the over-the-top praise they are garnering from their supporters.

According to Billboard, ARIRANG debuted with a splash, selling 641,000 equivalent album units, which is the biggest week for an album by a group since the Billboard 200 albums chart started in December 2014.

532,000 of those were pure album sales, meaning physical copies and digital albums, not including streaming. This marks the largest sales week for a group album in over a decade.

The release of the new BTS album smashed their own record of a biggest album debut for a K-pop act, which was previously held by their own Map of the Soul: 7 with 422,000 units in 2020.

From the beginning, one thing was crystal clear: this isn’t just another group comeback.

Emotionally charged, carefully crafted, and undeniably powerful, the new set of songs delivered the perfect blend of what fans had been hoping for all along.

Notably, ARIRANG is the BTS seventh No 1 album, following Proof, BE, Map of the Soul: 7, Map of the Soul: Persona, Love Yourself: Answer, and Love Yourself: Tear.

And yet, even that feels like an understatement because what the boys have pulled off this time is something that goes beyond words.