LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 26: (L-R) Jungkook, V, Suga, Jin, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of music ... [+]
The past several days have been massive for BTS, as it seems like every few hours, it’s revealed that their new full-length Map of the Soul: 7 has conquered another albums chart in another country. It became clear last Friday (February 28) after a full tracking frame had passed that the group was headed toward world domination, and now they’ve managed a feat that few artists in any genre have been able to muster.
Map of the Soul: 7 has now risen to No. 1 on the albums charts in all of the top five music markets in the world. This marks the first time an Asian group has done so, and it remains a rare sight, even when the biggest names in the world are competing for the top spot.
The United States remains the largest music market on the planet, and among the top five, it’s the territory where Map of the Soul: 7 performed the best. The set opened atop the Billboard 200 with 422,000 equivalent units shifted, which stands as the largest one-week sum of 2020. BTS’s latest is now one of the most successful albums of the year (after just one tracking week) and it outsold the next-best-performing six efforts combined.
The vocal band has just been named the new champion in Japan, where Map of the Soul: 7 has made it to No. 1 on the Oricon weekly album ranking. Their latest, the band’s second installment of the Map of the Soul series, shifted 377,000 copies, easily enough to make them the rules in that nation, which stands as the second-largest music market.
The U.K. comes next, and BTS also sits comfortably at No. 1 in that island country. The septet has now controlled the albums list twice in the third-biggest music market.
BTS made history in Germany just a few days ago when it was announced that Map of the Soul: 7 debuted at No. 1. By securing the top spot, the band became the first Asian act to rule the ranking in the fourth-largest music market.
The fifth-largest music market in the world is France, and BTS’s Map of the Soul: 7 had no trouble launching at No. 1 on the SNEP (Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique) albums chart. The title did so with over 23,000 units moved, and BTS broke another barrier as the first group from Asia to rule in the European nation.
Map of the Soul: 7 has also reached No. 1 in a handful of other nations as well, and there are likely more getting ready to reveal the Korean seven-person act is the biggest seller of the week soon enough.
