Stray Kids, the first K-pop group to top Billboard 200 with all albums
Achieving this remarkable feat
Continuing their year-end success
Stray Kids has set a record by securing the top spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with their new mini album ROCK-STAR, marking their fourth consecutive number-one since their debut album.
According to an article announced on the official website ahead of the official announcement on the 19th, Stray Kids’ mini album ROCK-STAR, released on November 10, recorded sales of 224,000 copies in its first week in the United States, topping the Billboard 200 main chart dated November 25.
With this, Stray Kids has achieved a remarkable record of having four consecutive works, including ODDINARY, MAXIDENT, and ★★★★★ (5-STAR), enter the Billboard 200.
Remarkable Record Achieved with ROCK-STAR
In particular, Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to top all four albums that entered the Billboard 200 chart from their debut album.
Billboard says this record is the best achievement after pop star Alicia Keys and One Direction.
In addition, Stray Kids has topped the Billboard 200 four times in about 20 months from March 2022, when they first achieved number one, to November 2023, the fastest pace in K-pop and the second fastest globally after Taylor Swift, who took about 16 months.
Previously, Stray Kids broke their own highest chart position on the UK Official Singles Chart Top 100 by entering at number 44 with the title track “LALALALA” from their new album on November 17.
On Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming platform, the new song recorded the highest number of streams in the first week of release, with over 13,198,613 streams, ranking 47th on the Top Song Global Chart.
With such achievements, Stray Kids has firmly established itself as a bona fide global K-pop star.
Self-Producing Group’s Rise to Prominence
Since their official debut in March 2018, Stray Kids has attracted attention with their in-house producing team 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin, Han) taking charge of album production.
They are enjoying immense popularity as a “self-producing group,” achieving outstanding results in the global music market.
The new album expresses their confidence in creating music everyone can enjoy, embedding the message “Our rock (樂) continues in any situation” in various musical and visual contents.
The title track, “LALALALA,” is a new work by 3RACHA, featuring addictive sounds that incorporate elements of the rock genre and clever wordplay using the word “Rock” in Korean, adding to the enjoyment of listening.
Meanwhile, Stray Kids continues its successful momentum with the new album that has honored them with four consecutive number ones on the Billboard 200.
At the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, one of the three major American popular music awards ceremonies to be held on the 19th, they will perform the title track “S-Class” from their previous full-length album and the new song “LALALALA,” showcasing their presence as a trendsetter.
Following this, they will make their first appearance on NHK’s representative year-end special broadcast Kohaku Uta Gassen, on December 31 since their debut. They are expected to show their prowess as “performance commanders.”
By. Choi Eun Young
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