NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: Nicki Minaj attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination … [+]
Nicki Minaj and BTS’s Jimin find themselves in a friendly competition as they vie for the top spot on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart. This week, Minaj’s remix of “Pound Town 2” skyrocketed to the No. 1 position, marking her third chart-topper on the purchase-only tally in 2023. This latest win puts her on par with BTS star Jimin, who also has three No. 1 hits on the Digital Song Sales chart this year.
What makes this race to the top even more intriguing is the fact that Minaj and Jimin have collaborated before and found success together. In a previous joint effort, they achieved a No. 1 hit on the Digital Song Sales chart, the very chart they are now competing on.
In 2018, Minaj was already a global music sensation, particularly in the United States, while BTS has risen to prominence in their home country of South Korea and was on their way to conquering the American music scene. It was during this time that BTS enlisted Minaj’s talent, vocals, and star power for their single “Idol,” featured on their album Love Yourself: Answer. The collaboration aimed to become a real hit that would propel BTS to new heights on the Hot 100.
Both the original BTS version of “Idol” and the Minaj remix were released simultaneously, a strategic move that paid off. Billboard combines different versions of the same song under the same name, allowing sales and streams from both editions to count as one. This contributed to the track’s debut and peak at No. 11 on the Hot 100, marking a significant milestone for BTS at the time.
As is often the case with BTS, “Idol” achieved success primarily through strong sales. The band’s dedicated fanbase consistently supports their releases in large numbers, influencing their chart positions. “Idol” debuted at the top of the Digital Song Sales ranking with 43,000 downloads in its initial week, securing one of BTS’s first chart-topping hits.
Half a decade ago, Minaj used her fame and skills to contribute to one of BTS’s biggest hits, propelling their success at a pivotal time in their career. Now, she finds herself engaged in a friendly battle with Jimin, a member who has become a star in his own right, with Minaj’s collaboration playing a small part in his rise.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/06/16/nicki-minaj-and-btss-jimin-compete-for-chart-supremacy-after-finding-it-together-in-the-past/