BTS's Makes Another History With 'Map Of The Soul: Persona' + Septet Talks About Military Enlistment
BTS did it again. The Big Hit Entertainment K-pop group are back on top of Billboard 200, making it their third time at the No. 1 spot.
BTS's latest album, Map of the Soul: Persona, debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. The chart ranks the most popular albums in the United States each week based on equivalent album units which are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums.
Map of the Soul: Persona is the third BTS album to debut on the chart at No. 1, making BTS the first-ever Korean artist to top the Billboard 200 with three different albums. What makes it more astonishing is that the group achieved such a feat in less than a year.
Jin, Suga, J-hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook first hit No. 1 on the chart with Love Yourself: Tear in May 2018. It was the first-ever album by a Korean act to reach the top spot. Then in September 2018, the septet took the same ranking with Love Yourself: Answer.
According to Billboard, the last music group that managed to top the Billboard 200 with three different albums in less than 12 months was the Beatles. The British group's Anthology 1, Anthology 2, and Anthology 3 all debuted at No. 1 between December 1995 and November 1996.
Additionally, Map of the Soul: Persona also debuted at No. 1 on the United Kingdom's Official Albums Chart. This also makes BTS the first Korean artist to have ever topped the chart.
BTS dropped their latest EP on April 12. Within 24 hours of its released, it also broke several records on YouTube. The Guinness World of Records has recognized the three world records that have been smashed by BTS's hit song "Boy With Luv."
The Map of the Soul: Persona title track has achieved the titles of "most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours," "most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours," and "most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group." The song's MV has been viewed 74.6 million times on YouTube within the first day of its release.
Amidst all of the record-breaking achievements, the upcoming military enlistment of the seven members has been brought up once again. In an interview with CBS's Sunday Morning, the group was asked about their enlistment in the future. Host Seth Doane asked the members about their thoughts on eventually leaving the spotlight to serve in the military.
"As a Korean, it's natural. And, someday, when duty calls, we'll be ready to respond and do our best," said Jin, who is the eldest in the group.
When asked about if they worry about disbanding or going different ways, Jungkook replied that he doesn't think of it at the moment as all things are doing very good for them at the moment. The group leader, RM, agreed and added that they are enjoying and living the best time of their lives right now.