Jimin of BTS scores a new top 10 bestseller as Muse surges in physical sales after its vinyl release, highlighting growing demand for K-pop on wax. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 27: Jimin attends as Tiffany & Co. Celebrates the reopening of NYC Flagship store, The Landmark on April 27, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.)
Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.
As a genre, K-pop has never been a top performer on vinyl. That’s an unusual fact, considering that for many years, superfans of the style, and specifically of certain singers and groups within South Korea’s signature musical export, have shown their love of purchasing music on physical formats. K-pop is known to appeal to collectors, and many albums debut with huge sales sums, which have helped a number of acts perform spectacularly on Billboard’s charts.
As vinyl becomes more and more popular in the United States, especially among younger music lovers, the biggest names in K-pop are hopping on board the record train. Jimin, one of the seven singers in BTS, scores a new top 10 bestseller in America this frame after his album Muse was released on vinyl and saw its total sales skyrocket from one week to the next.
Jimin’s Muse Sees Sales Grow By 5,200% After Vinyl Release
After it was finally made available on vinyl, Jimin’s Muse sold a little more than 4,300 copies throughout America last week. That number comes from Luminate, the music industry organization that corrals sales and streaming data, which is then used to compile Billboard’s rankings. The frame prior, Muse did not manage to sell even 100 copies.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: (L-R) Jimin, J-Hope, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Suga, and V of BTS perform onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
From one week to the next, purchases of Muse grew by almost 5,200% in the U.S.
Jimin’s Muse Debuts Inside the Top 10
With several thousand sales to its credit, Muse easily cracks the top 10 on the Vinyl Albums chart this frame. Jimin enters the format-specific roster at No. 8.
Jimin Launches Behind Florence and the Machine, Radiohead and Hamilton
Jimin claims the fourth-loftiest arrival on the Vinyl Albums tally this time around. He starts off behind just-dropped projects from Florence and the Machine (Everybody Scream, No. 1), Radiohead (Hail to the Thief: Live Recordings, 2003–2009, No. 2), and the Broadway musical Hamilton (Hamilton: 10 Shots [Highlights from the Original Broadway Cast Recording], No. 6). The current ranking is dominated by Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia, which breaks back in after not finding space last frame and runs the show.
How Many Vinyl Albums Has Jimin Released?
YEONCHEON-GUN, SOUTH KOREA – JUNE 11: K-pop band BTS’s member Jimin waves after being discharged from a mandatory military service on June 11, 2025 in Yeoncheon-gun, South Korea. Four members of the K-pop group BTS’s RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook will be discharged from their mandatory 18-month military service next week, the boy band’s agency said. RM, the leader of the group, and V completed the 18-month mandatory military service, which is required for all able-bodied male citizens in South Korea before they turn 28, followed by Jimin and Jungkook the next day, according to BigHit Music. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Jimin earns his second appearance on the Vinyl Albums roster as a soloist as Muse debuts. Last January, his Face EP launched and peaked at No. 2, missing out on giving him a coveted champion by just one spot.
Jimin Returns to Top Album Sales With Muse
All the purchases of Muse on wax help the set find its way back to the Top Album Sales tally, which is not specific to any one style, language, or format. Muse breaks back in at No. 17 thanks to its 5,000%-plus sales spike.
Jimin Almost Soars to No. 1 on a Billboard Chart
Muse can also be found on one other Billboard tally at the moment: the World Albums chart. Jimin almost re-conquers that ranking as Muse bolts from eighth place to the runner-up spot. Only Karma by Stray Kids, which climbs one space north, beats him to the position.
“Who” Helps Muse Become a Chart Win Again
In addition to a vinyl release, the continued popularity of Muse single “Who” also plays a role in the title’s ongoing success. The track can be found on both of Billboard’s worldwide rosters, as it dips 10 spaces to No. 170 on the Billboard Global 200 and returns to the upper half of the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., ascending to No. 97. It has previously run both charts.
Where Did Jimin’s Muse Peak on the Billboard Charts?
Muse surges on the Billboard charts well over a year after its release. Jimin dropped the EP, his second on his own, in the summer of 2024, a little over a year after Face arrived. Both EPs peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, where so far no male soloist connected to K-pop has hit No. 1. Muse also topped out in second place on the Top Album Sales chart.