Globally sensational boyband Stray Kids has a new achievement to boast about with their latest mini-album, ATE. The seven-piece group has become the first act in history to achieve five consecutive No. 1 entries on the US Billboard 200 chart with their new album, released on July 19, 2024. Coming in strong at No. 2 is BTS member Jimin’s latest album, MUSE, marking the first time the top two positions on the Billboard 200 are by K-pop albums.
The album features four tracks: ‘Mountains,’ ‘JJam,’ ‘I Like It,’ and ‘Chk Chk Boom,’ with the latter also being part of the official soundtrack for Marvel’s latest film, Deadpool and Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
ATE has given Stray Kids their fifth consecutive No. 1 ranking on the renowned chart, making them the first-ever group to debut at the top spot with their first five charting albums. The septet previously topped the chart with ODDINARY, MAXIDENT (both in 2022), ROCK-STAR, and 5-STAR (both in 2023). The only other artist to debut at No. 1 with their first five chart entries was rapper DMX, from 1998 to 2003.
Also Read: BTS makes history as first group to surpass 40 bn Spotify streams
According to a report by Luminate, ATE achieved the top spot with 232,000 equivalent album units sold in the U.S. in the week ending July 25, making it the largest week of 2024 for any K-pop album. This figure includes 218,000 in album sales, 13,000 SEA units (equating to 19.05 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs), and 1,000 TEA units.
With 218,000 copies sold, ATE is the top-selling album of the week and marks the second-largest sales week of 2024 for any album of any genre, following Taylor Swift’s 1.91 million sales debut of her last album, The Tortured Poets Department. Furthermore, ATE also boasts the sixth-biggest debut for any album this year.
At No. 2, MUSE has amassed sales of 96,000 units, making it Jimin’s second solo album to reach No. 2, following his last album, FACE, released last year. Meanwhile, Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) has dropped to No. 3 in its second week, with 79,000 equivalent album units sold (down 72%) after debuting at the top spot just a week ago. Taylor Swift occupies the fourth spot on the list.
In related news, Stray Kids will next appear headlining Lollapalooza Chicago on August 2, capping off the festival in style. The performance will be followed by the K-pop group’s upcoming World Tour, DOMINATE, which is poised to be their largest tour to date. The highly anticipated tour will kick off with four concerts in Seoul on August 24-25 and August 31-September 1.