NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 21: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook of K-Pop band BTS are seen ... [+]
This week on the U.K. singles chart, nobody was going to beat Olivia Rodrigo, as her latest track “Good 4 U” was simply unbeatable. The tune opened in second place last week, and now it’s ascended to the highest rung, giving her a second No. 1 on the list. BTS were hoping to hit a new peak position with their newest release, but instead they’ve returned to their loftiest showing yet.
BTS’s new single “Butter” debuts at No. 3 on the U.K. singles ranking this week, matching the band’s previous high point. No. 3 continues to stand as the loftiest space any South Korean band has ever occupied, and it looks like the septet will have to try again if they want to beat their own best performance.
The South Korean superstars scored their first-ever top 10 hit in the U.K. last year when their English-language disco-tinged “Dynamite” opened in third place. The tune went on to become a serious smash in the nation, and it is easily their biggest win yet in the territory. At the time, it stood out as the highest-charting song by a South Korean group, and it still keeps that record...though now it’s a shared piece of history.
When BTS released their latest album Be at the end of 2020, their Korean-language single “Life Goes On” opened at No. 10 becoming just the second-ever top 10 on the tally. Now, they’ve collected a third placement inside the area, making them the most successful act from their home country when it comes to appearing within the uppermost tier on the tally.
In addition to Rodrigo’s “Good For You,” BTS are kept from hitting a new high by Tion Wayne and Russ Millions, whose massive hit “Body” dips from No. 1 to No. 2, swapping spots with the new champion. Had the track fallen just one more space, BTS would have made history with the highest-charting single by a South Korean group in history.
Only one song by a South Korean musician has lifted higher on the U.K. songs chart, as Psy’s “Gangnam Style” once made it all the way to No. 1. The pioneering star has held on to that record for nearly a decade, and he will continue to for at least a little while longer.
2021 is still just getting started for BTS, so there's a good chance they’ll have at least one or two more major singles released before the year is up. While they may not have topped their own best performance this time around, they surely will at some point soon, and the sky is truly the limit for the seven-member vocal act.
