BTS’s comeback album Arirang sold 3.98 million copies on its first day of release, Big Hit Music, the music label run by HYBE, said on Saturday.
According to Hanteo Chart, BTS’ fifth full album Arirang topped the daily chart on March 21. After its release at 9.30am (IST) on Friday, the album became a ‘million seller’ within about 10 minutes.
BTS’ highest first-week sales to date was their fourth full album Map Of The Soul: 7, released in February 2020, which sold 3.37 million copies. Arirang surpassed this figure on its release day alone, setting a new record.
The new album also topped the iTunes Top Albums chart in 88 countries/regions worldwide, including Italy, Mexico, and Sweden.
The digital tracks are also performing strongly. The title track Swim topped the iTunes Top Songs chart in 90 countries/regions, including the US, Japan, UK, Germany, and France.
In South Korea, Swim immediately rose to No. 1 on the real-time charts of Melon and Bugs. All tracks from the album entered Melon’s real-time Top 100 chart. Swim maintained the No. 1 position from 2pm on March 20 to midnight on March 21 and continues to hold the top spot as of 10am on March 21.
The music video for Swim has also received overwhelming response. The video topped the Trending music charts in 70 countries/regions, including US, UK, Mexico, and France.
The album Arirang explores BTS’ identity and the universal emotions they have faced, with overall production by Bang Si-hyuk. The track Swim reflects the attitude of continuing to swim without stopping amidst the waves of life.
The K-pop band will hold Bts The Comeback Live: Arirang concert in Seoul on Saturday. It will stream live on Netflix at 4.30pm IST.