BTS reigns Billboard main singles chart for 10th straight week

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean superband BTS sat atop Billboard's main singles chart for the 10th consecutive week, with "Butter"leading the latest Hot 100.

""Butter" is officially No. 1 on this week's #Hot100 chart for a ninth week," Billboard said on its Twitter account on Monday (U.S. time).

The song had sat atop the main singles chart for seven consecutive weeks before giving way to a new BTS song, "Permission to Dance," and returning to the throne last week.

After spending nine non-consecutive weeks at the summit, "Butter" is now the "longest-running No. 1 song of 2021, according to Billboard.

"Permission to Dance" ranked No. 9.

With the latest feat, BTS now has 15 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 records, including three times with "Dynamite" and one each with "Life Goes On" and "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)."

The group, which racked up the records in 10 months and two weeks, is the quickest act to have earned five No. 1s in three decades since Michael Jackson, according to Billboard. Jackson earned five Hot 100 No. 1s in nine months and two weeks in 1987-88.

"Butter," a summery disco-pop song released in late May, has been going strong since its release, sweeping online music charts and streaming platforms across the world, including iTunes and Spotify.

With "Butter," BTS earlier achieved the longest No. 1 streak achieved by a group since 1995, when "One Sweet Day," a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men, spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

The septet also became the first Asian artist to stay at No. 1 for longer than four straight weeks on Billboard's main singles chart. Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto held the title with "Sukiyaki" in 1963.

Released on July 9, "Permission to Dance" is the group's second collaboration with British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was included in the physical album for "Butter" along with instrumental versions for both songs.

The song immediately made a splash upon release, reaching No. 2 on Spotify and topping iTunes top songs charts in 92 regions. It debuted at No. 16 on the British music chart Official Chart's top 100 singles list.

In July, BTS released an R&B remix of the summer bop, which the group's label Big Hit Music described as having a 1990s vibe. The new version is a gesture of gratitude for fans around the world who supported BTS in hitting No. 1 on the Billboard main singles chart with five songs, it added.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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