![associate_pic](https://realkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NISI20230602_0001280692_web.jpg)
Stray Kids. 2023.06.02. (Photo = Provided by JYP Entertainment) photo@newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited
Reporter Lee Jae-hoon = Trending group ‘Stray Kids’ (SKZ) took their third No. 1 on the US Billboard’s main album chart ‘Billboard 200’.
According to the billboard chart preview article on the 11th (local time), Stray Kids’ 3rd regular album ‘★★★★★ (5-STAR)’ (Five Star) released on the 2nd topped the Billboard 200 chart on the 17th (local time). rose to
Accordingly, following the 6th mini-album ‘ODDINARY’ in April of last year and the 7th mini-album ‘MAXIDENT’ in October of the same year, Stray Kids showed off their spirit by placing 3 albums at number one on the ‘Billboard 200’ in a row. done.
In addition to Stray Kids, the K-pop teams that have topped the Billboard 200 so far include global supergroups BTS, SuperM, Blank Pink, and Tomorrow by Together (TXT, Tubatoo). there is. Among them, the only teams to have three or more albums at the top of the chart are BTS (a total of six albums ranked first) and Stray Kids.
In particular, Stray Kids debuted and immediately took first place on the chart with ‘Ordinary’, followed by three albums in a row.
![associate_pic](https://realkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NISI20230602_0001280690_web.jpg)
Stray Kids. 2023.06.02. (Photo = Provided by JYP Entertainment) photo@newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited
According to Luminate, an American record sales research company, ‘Five Star’ sold 249,500 albums in the first week of release. It is the fourth largest first week sales this year. Among them, physical album sales amounted to 235,000 copies. Physical album sales are the highest since Taylor Swift’s 10th full-length album ‘Midnights’ sold 1.14 million copies in the first week (as of November 5 last year) last year.
In addition, the sales of 249,500 copies is more than twice the sales of Stray Kids’ previous works in the United States. It is also a record that corresponds to the 3rd place in the first week of K-pop album sales in the United States. 1st and 2nd place are both BTS. The 4th regular album ‘Map of the Soul: Seven’ (2020) and the anthology album ‘Proof’ sold 422,000 and 314,000 copies in the first week, respectively, recording this ranking. BTS’ two albums also topped the charts in their first week of release.
Stray Kids is evaluated as a K-pop boy group that succeeds BTS by building a powerful fandom ‘Stay’ in the North American market. On March 31 and April 2, they held concerts at the Bank of California Stadium (BMO Stadium) in Los Angeles, becoming the second K-pop boy group to enter a local stadium and sell out after BTS.
With the group’s producing team ‘3RACHA’ (3RACHA, Bang Chan, Changbin, Hangwa) as the main axis, all members continuously participate in writing lyrics and composing, and attracting intense performances on stage is their strength. It is also known as the victory of JYP founder Park Jin-young, CCO (Chief Creative Officer), who has attracted great interest in entering the US since the 2000s.
![associate_pic](https://realkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NISI20230527_0001276431_web.jpg)
Enhyphen. 2023.05.27. (Photo = courtesy of beliprib) photo@newsis.com *Resale and DB prohibited
Cho Hye-rim, PRIZM music content planner (selection committee member of the Korean Popular Music Awards) said, “Stray Kids is gaining popularity overseas, especially in the North American market, to the extent that it can be called ‘post-Bangtan.’ With Seungmin’s excellent English skills, he is strengthening the fandom through frequent communication with overseas fans.”
In addition, “Even though they have entered their 5th or 6th year of debut, they do not stop experimenting to maximize the intense choreography and concept unique to K-pop, and the members are a group with more expectations in the future.” While participating in the show, they are gradually developing their individuality and making the team color darker.”
Along with this, the 4th mini album ‘Dark Blood’ of the group ‘Enhyphen’, which belongs to Hive Labels Belief Lab, ranked 4th on the ‘Billboard 200’ this week. In the first week of release, 88,000 copies were sold. Last year, the previous 3rd mini album ‘Manifesto: Day One’ ranked 6th on the chart, but this time it entered the top 5 and wrote its own best score.