A K-pop Milestone Never to be Forgotten

The global supergroup, Stray Kids, has finally made its way to the sixth position on the Billboard 200 chart with its latest release, Hop. The boys are well on their way to becoming one of the best in the industry. And with this latest achievement, they have become the new record-breakers in making a debut.

Hop started atop the Billboard 200 for the week, with 187,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S., according to Billboard’s chart preview released Sunday. Of those units, 176,000 were physical album sales, 10,000 streaming equivalent albums (SEA), and 1,000 track equivalent albums (TEA). This is unprecedented success.

Stray Kids now shares the same record as BTS, Linkin Park, and Dave Matthews Band with the most No. 1 albums of groups on the Billboard 200 since 2000. The group also makes history by being the first act to ever top the Billboard charts with its first six charting albums.

Other No. 1 Albums

This marks the success after previous No. 1 albums:

Oddinary and Maxident (2022)

5-Star and Rock-Star (2023)

Ate (July 2024)

Meaning Behind Hop

The album title, Hop, merges the Chinese character for “harmony” with the energy of the hip-hop genre. According to JYP Entertainment, the album reflects a mix of cultural and musical influences.

Tracks that Shine

Led by the title track “Walkin On Water,” the album features 12 songs, including “Bounce Back,” “U,” and individual solo pieces from their recent world tour.

Recognition for Korean-Language Albums

Hop is the 27th mostly non-English-language album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the fourth in 2024. Of these, 18 have been predominantly Korean-language albums, showcasing K-pop’s growing influence.

K-Pop Groups Ruling the Charts Stray Kids enters a small list of K-pop acts with more than one No. 1 album, alongside BTS, Ateez, SuperM, BLACKPINK, Tomorrow X Together, NewJeans, and TWICE.

Stray Kids Thank Fans

“We’re honored to receive such immense love from fans around the world,” the group shared through their agency, JYP Entertainment.

Stray Kids’ latest success reaffirms their global appeal and the rising prominence of K-pop in the international music scene.

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