SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – MAY 21: Suga of BTS attends a press conference for BTS’s new digital single … [+]
BTS’s Suga is on a roll this year, as he keeps racking up hits all on his own. With the band that made him a star on hiatus, he’s free to explore new creative endeavors, and they all seem to be working out for him. Now, a new single has propelled him to a handful of Billboard charts he’s never reached on his own before, and he quickly makes history in several ways with just one tune.
Suga’s new single “Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)” with Halsey opens at No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, the weekly ranking of the most-consumed tracks that can be labeled as either genre. The list uses a methodology that combines sales, streams, and radio play to show which cuts have been performing best. And this time around, Halsey and her friend Suga do very, very well, and he breaks records and makes waves with his latest.
Suga is just the second solo musician hailing from South Korea to hit the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, following in the footsteps of his BTS bandmate J-Hope. In 2022, J-Hope made history when he placed not one, but two tracks from his album Jack in the Box on the tally. His tune “More” opened at No. 9, while “What If…” also found space on the list, coming in at No. 36.
Looking at all South Korean acts, not just soloists, Suga is the third act to place on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. In addition to J-Hope, BTS actually landed a hit once as well. The band joined forces with Coldplay for “My Universe,” which was a No. 1 smash on several rankings, including the Hot 100 and the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs list back in 2021.
As is clear from the information above, “Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)” is just the fourth song by or featuring any South Korean act to hit the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, joining “My Universe,” “More,” and “What If…”. It is also the third-highest-charting, as only “What If…” appeared lower on the tally.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/06/13/btss-suga-reaches-billboards-rock-chart-for-the-first-time/