BTS’s Jimin Is Just The Third Korean Solo Musician To Chart A Top 10 Album In The U.S.

Jimin of BTS fame scores his first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 as a solo artist this week as his EP Face launches at No. 2. That immediate success places him in a very exclusive club of South Korean musicians who have reached the top 10 of the weekly ranking of the most-consumed titles in the U.S. His achievement makes him just
just
the third South Korean solo musician to achieve this feat.

The first South Korean artist to break into the top 10 of the Billboard 200 as a solo musician was Nayeon. The Twice singer’s Im Nayeon album opened and peaked at No. 7 on the chart in July 2022.

Following closely on her heels, BTS leader RM’s solo project Indigo entered the chart just before 2023 began. Although it debuted at a lower position, the title eventually rose to No. 3, making it the highest-charting project by a solo musician known primarily for creating K-pop music, at least until this frame.

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Now, Jimin’s Face has set a new record as the highest-reaching release by any solo musician from South Korea. Moreover, it has earned the largest week ever for any artist fitting that description in U.S. history. Face moved 164,000 equivalent units in its debut frame, with many of those being pure sales.

Looking at all South Korean musical acts, there have been quite a few who have entered the top 10 at least once. BTS as a group has pushed seven titles into the region, with all but one of those hitting No. 1. That means that Jimin now counts eight top 10 albums to his credit, across all his work.

Other K-pop stars such as SuperM, Twice, Blackpink, and TXT
XT
have also reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, and others have come close without quite claiming the throne…yet.

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