BTS has made a powerful return with their new album ARIRANG, which marked their first group release in seven years.
ARIRANG, which features lead track Swim, has now broken major records, debuting with 641,000 equivalent units. This makes it the biggest debut week for a group since the Billboard 200 began tracking in 2014. Of that total, 532,000 were pure album sales, the highest for a group in over a decade.
The release also beats BTS’ own previous record set by Map of the Soul: 7, which debuted with 422,000 units in 2020.
The project also becomes BTS’ seventh No. 1 album after previous chart-toppers like Proof, BE, and Love Yourself: Tear.
The rollout has gone beyond chart as the South Korean boyband held a large comeback concert in Seoul that was streamed worldwide. More content also made headline, including a documentary-style special.
The group is also preparing to take the project on the road, with a world tour expected to run through 2027.
The group also answered burning questions about the new releases in a recent appearance on The Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon, their first joint Tonight Show appearance since 2021.
The latest album, which dropped on March 20, arrives after the members, including RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, completed their mandatory military service.
