HYBE's global group &TEAM has reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200, the main U.S. albums chart. This marks the highest ranking ever achieved by a Japanese boy group on the chart.
According to the latest chart (dated October 10) released by Billboard on October 6 (local time), &TEAM's second Korean mini-album, "Mark on Me," entered the Billboard 200 at No. 20. This is 32 spots higher than the No. 52 ranking achieved in May with their third Japanese mini-album, "We on Fire."
The release also made a strong showing across Billboard's component charts. "Mark on Me" seized No. 1 on the World Albums chart, which combines physical sales with digital download and streaming equivalents, and claimed No. 3 on Top Album Sales, which ranks titles based on traditional album sales. &TEAM also achieved a new personal best of No. 18 on the Artist 100.
&TEAM is a nine-member group that debuted in December 2022 under HYBE JAPAN's subsidiary label, with the majority of its members hailing from Japan. In August, the group conducted their first promotional activities in the United States, performing at the Grammy Museum's Global Spin Live and taking the stage at KCON LA 2026. Billboard commended their KCON performance at the time, stating that &TEAM "proved why they are called 'performance monsters.'" Just two months after their first U.S. appearances, that momentum has directly translated into chart success.
Released on September 8, "Mark on Me" set a new personal record for &TEAM by logging 1,357,357 copies in first-week sales. With this achievement, the group notched their fourth consecutive million-seller. The album also topped Hanteo Chart's weekly album chart and Japan's Oricon Weekly Album Ranking (dated October 5), while landing at No. 4 on the UK Official Physical Singles Chart (for the week of October 2–8).
Having been formed in Japan, &TEAM's strategy of utilizing South Korea as an additional base of operations to expand into the U.S. market aligns with HYBE's overarching "multi-home, multi-genre" initiative. HYBE has continued to expand its music business by establishing regional labels and diversifying genres. YX Labels similarly embraces "Beyond Japan" as its guiding vision to bring music and content created in Japan to global audiences.
On October 3–4, &TEAM concluded their Asia tour, "2026 &TEAM CONCERT TOUR 'BLAZE THE WAY,'" at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Launched in May, the tour drew approximately 230,000 concertgoers across 23 shows in 14 cities.
Beginning October 15, &TEAM will kick off a brand-new tour, "2026-2027 &TEAM CONCERT TOUR 'Mark on You,'" with 41 performances scheduled across 18 cities in Japan.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)