NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 21: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been retouched.) j-hope, Jin, Jimin, SUGA, RM, V, Jungkook of BTS appear onstage for iHeartRadio Live with BTS at iHeartRadio Theater New York on May 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by
Getty Images for iHeartMedia
BTS has made history in many ways with their most recent album Map of the Soul: Persona, and even though it’s now been available for well over two months, that doesn’t mean the pioneering record is done finding new spots in the history books.
This week, the band’s latest studio effort slips to No. 52 on the Billboard 200, the chart that ranks the most popular albums in the U.S. every frame. That position certainly isn’t very exciting for the group that has made it to No. 1 on more than one occasion, but the fact that it’s still charting at all is important.
Map of the Soul: Persona has now been present on the Billboard 200 for 11 consecutive weeks, which is rare for Korean-language releases. In fact, the set is just the third K-pop album in U.S. history to spend double-digit frames on the tally, and it’s in some very familiar company, as the other two full-lengths that have managed to do so also come from BTS.
The beloved dance/pop/hip-hop act isn’t even properly promoting Map of the Soul: Persona any longer, as they just released a new mobile game that came with new music, which has become their primary focus. BTS World, a new record, features several tracks which were rolled out over the past few weeks. While the band may now be interested in promoting that program and the newer tunes, fans in America are clearly still listening to Map of the Soul: Persona, as it sells and streams well every single week.
Map of the Soul: Persona debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in late April, instantly becoming BTS’ third leader on the important chart. The septet remains the only K-pop act to reach the throne on the tally, and it will be a long time before any other name is able to match what they’ve done.
At the rate it is dropping down the Billboard 200, Map of the Soul: Persona may end up holding on for another month or two, and it could move up in the ranking of the K-pop albums that have spent the most time on the all-genre list very soon.
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