(LEAD) BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7' tops Billboard 200 album chart

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info)

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- "Map of the Soul: 7," the new album from K-pop super band BTS, landed atop the Billboard 200 chart this week in a history-making fourth No. 1 victory for the band on the American album list, Billboard said Monday (Korean time).

"'Map of the Soul: 7' storms in atop the chart with 422,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 27," the pop music magazine said on its website, citing data from Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Of the total, 347,000 was in album sales, while stream equivalent album (SEA) sales and track equivalent album sales reached 48,000 and 26,000, respectively.

This means the 20-track album was streamed on demand 74.79 million times in the first week after its release on Feb. 21.

It was the biggest week of 2020 for any release in the U.S. so far.

Billboard said the chart will be posted in full on March 3.

This latest chart victory marks the band's fourth Billboard No. 1 in a row in less than two years, a rare Billboard feat even for an American artist.

The band first topped the album chart in May, 2018 with "Love Yourself: Tear" and the two following albums -- "Love Yourself: Answer" and "Map of the Soul: Persona" -- landed in the top spot in September 2018 and April last year, respectively.

"The last act to earn four No. 1 albums faster was Future, who logged his fourth No. 1 (on March 11, 2017) just one year and seven months after his first (Aug. 8, 2015)," Billboard said.

The only band faster than BTS in generating four No. 1s on the album charts was the Beatles. From 1966, it took the British band one year and five months to achieve the feat, while BTS took a little more than one year and nine months, according to Billboard.

"Map of the Soul: 7" is also the 10th non-English album to top the album tally, it said.

pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)