The group SEVENTEEN has proven their immense popularity in Japan by sweeping the top spots on major album charts.
According to Oricon on the 5th, SEVENTEEN's fifth full album 'HAPPY BURSTDAY' clinched the No. 1 spot on the latest 'Weekly Combined Album Ranking' (for the week of June 9, tallying from May 26 to June 1). This marks the group's 14th time topping the chart, setting a new record for the most No. 1s by an overseas artist.
The Oricon 'Weekly Combined Album Ranking' calculates rankings based on CD sales, digital downloads, and streaming counts. SEVENTEEN garnered approximately 457,000 CD sales, totaling 467,000 points. Oricon highlighted, "This is the highest weekly point total for an overseas artist this year."
The album also topped the 'Weekly Digital Album Ranking' and 'Weekly Album Ranking' during the same period, achieving a triple crown on Oricon's weekly charts.
SEVENTEEN also made a strong showing on Billboard Japan's major charts. 'HAPPY BURSTDAY' landed at No. 1 on Billboard Japan's 'Top Albums Sales' (for the period of May 26 to June 1) the day before. The title track 'THUNDER' soared to No. 2 on the 'Hot Shot Song' chart and settled at No. 12 on the comprehensive 'Hot 100' song chart.
Released on May 26, 'HAPPY BURSTDAY' sold over 2.52 million copies in its first week, setting a record for the highest first-week sales of any K-pop album released this year. 'THUNDER' made its way onto the U.S. Billboard 'Global 200' and 'Global Excl. US' charts (dated June 7) based on streaming and download performance alone in about four days after its release.
Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN's own content series 'GOING SEVENTEEN' is set to return with a new season on the 25th, airing every Wednesday at 9 PM. Following the buzz generated by a comeback special of 'GOING SEVENTEEN' produced in a mockumentary style, which quickly climbed the ranks of YouTube's 'Trending Videos' in Korea, anticipation is high for the new episodes.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)