SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 16: South Korean boy group Stray Kids attend the 2022 KBS Song … [+]
After an impressive 12-week reign at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, Morgan Wallen’s album One Thing at a Time has finally been dethroned. This week, Taylor Swift’s Midnights has surged up the rankings and reclaimed the top spot, thanks in part to the release of deluxe editions.
The No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 is expected to change hands once again in the coming days, and it appears unlikely that Wallen will reclaim the coveted spot—or that Swift will hold onto it.
Leading the charge for the No. 1 position on next week’s Billboard 200 is South Korean boy band Stray Kids with their new album, 5-Star. The group’s latest offering is poised to make an especially strong debut atop the competitive albums ranking. Music industry publication HitsDailyDouble predicts that 5-Star could move an impressive 243,000 equivalent units—nearly a quarter of a million copies—securing its place at the pinnacle of the chart.
HitsDailyDouble goes on to predict that 5-Star will achieve this feat without relying solely on streaming numbers. While individual song purchases and millions of streams on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music will contribute to its success, Stray Kids’ album is expected to sell enough copies to secure the No. 1 spot. In this projection, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time is anticipated to settle at No. 2 with just under 120,000 equivalent units.
It’s important to note that these predictions are not yet the official numbers and are subject to Luminate’s calculations and Billboard’s publication. However, the confidence with which HitsDailyDouble places Stray Kids ahead suggests that the group faces minimal competition in their quest for the top spot.
If 5-Star does open in first place, it will mark Stray Kids’ third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. The group previously hit the top of the tally twice this feat in 2022, solidifying their status as emerging major stars from the K-pop scene.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/06/07/stray-kids-look-ready-to-dethrone-taylor-swift-on-the-billboard-charts-next-week/