K-pop boy band Treasure (photo courtesy of YG Entertainment).
South Korean boy band Treasure has only been releasing music for about a year and a half, but in that time, they have not just reached the highest heights on the biggest chart in their home country, they’ve now made a habit out of doing so. This week, they show once again that they have no issue claiming the loftiest rung whenever they have something new to share.
Treasure’s new release The Second Step: Chapter One debuts at No. 1 on this week’s Gaon Albums chart, which ranks the bestselling full-lengths, EPs and single albums in South Korea, looking at how many copies were shipped to stores. The title apparently opens with an unpublished-but-massive first-frame sum, as the set reportedly racked up more than 600,000 pre-sales before it was officially released.
Impressively, The Second Step: Chapter One fills two spaces inside the top 10 on this week’s Gaon Albums chart. The title was released in a standard edition and what’s called a kit version, which usually features additional content. That option starts at No. 9.
The Second Step: Chapter One marks Treasure’s fourth trip to the summit of the Gaon Albums chart, and their first with an EP. The band reached the throne for the first time in August 2020 with their debut release The First Step: Chapter One, a very short single album. Before the year was up, they doubled their total number of leaders with The First Step: Chapter Three, another single album. In 2021, they tacked on one more winner, as their debut full-length The First Step: Treasure Effect also went right to the top.
So far, just one release from the band has missed out on ruling the Gaon Albums chart, though it wasn’t far off. The First Step: Chapter Two, a single album the band shared a little more than a month after they debuted, had to settle for second place on the weekly ranking.
The Second Step: Chapter One is led by the single “Jikjin,” which became an instant smash on YouTube thanks to its must-see music video. The clip racked up an incredible 14.5 million plays in its first tracking frame, and it currently sits at No. 9 on the platform’s ranking of the most-viewed visuals in the world.
“Jikjin” also starts off as the second-bestselling song on the Gaon Download chart and No. 69 on the all-encompassing Gaon Digital ranking, which lists the most-consumed tunes in South Korea every week.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/02/23/treasure-scores-their-fourth-no-1-album-in-korea-with-the-second-step-chapter-one/