When BTS releases a new single and promotes it heavily, there’s no chance it’s not going to perform well all around the world, no matter what language it’s performed in. Their latest launch has become another No. 1 in Japan after just a few days of activity, and it managed to set a very special record in the nation, despite a serious handicap based on when it was released.

“Butter” opened at No. 1 on the latest Oricon charts, Japan’s weekly rankings of the most successful songs in the country. The track was a bestseller, but perhaps more importantly, it was also the most-streamed tune in the Asian territory. In fact, so many die-hard BTS fans rushed to streaming platforms to listen to the latest cut from the septet, they streamed it right into the history books.

BTS’s new smash racked up an incredible 16,607,136 streams in Japan alone in its first tracking frame. According to Oricon itself, that’s a massive enough figure to secure the band the record for the greatest number of plays for a song in its first week. That’s certainly a reason to celebrate, but it only tells part of the story when looking at just how popular “Butter” already is.

“Butter” was released mid-week (according to Oricon’s tracking period), so it only had three days in which to rack up plays on streaming platforms in Japan. Amazingly, BTS have broken the all-time single-week streaming record in just three days. If the band had adhered to that country’s typical tracking frame, their performance would have ended up being even more impressive, perhaps twice as large.

Unsurprisingly, “Butter” also kicked off its time on the Oricon charts as the No. 1 most-downloaded track and the most-listened-to title, looking at all forms of consumption. 

“Butter” has just started appearing on charts all around the world, and it’s quickly entering races everywhere inside the top 10. In a number of Asian countries, it’s already a big win, and when rankings refresh again, it will likely bolt right to No. 1 on lists it hasn’t yet topped, as some of them operate on Japan’s same tracking period. The tune arrived at No. 3 in the U.K., which remains BTS’s highest peak yet. In just a short while, the cut may very well launch at No. 1 on the Hot 100, earning the septet their fourth leader in the largest music market on the planet.