K-pop sensation BTS has achieved a remarkable milestone with their fifth studio album Arirang, surpassing 5 billion cumulative streams on Spotify.
On Wednesday, the group’s label Big Hit Music announced that Arirang hit this impressive benchmark on the global music streaming giant.
This makes it the most-streamed album released this year, outperforming Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio album by a staggering 20 billion streams.
Each of the album’s 14 tracks has individually crossed the 200 million stream mark. Notably, “Number 29”, which features the sound of the historic Seongdeokdaewang bell, is included in this achievement. Meanwhile, the title track “Swim” is on the cusp of breaking the 1 billion stream barrier.
Arirang, which dropped on March 20, dominated the Billboard 200 chart for three consecutive weeks. This feat marks the first time a group album has maintained the top spot for three weeks since Mumford & Sons’ Babel nearly 14 years ago.
The March release of Arirang ended a 3-year and 9-month drought for BTS fans eagerly awaiting a full-group album. Following the album’s launch, BTS kicked off their Arirang world tour in April, which is currently in full swing.
Since their 2013 debut, BTS has consistently delivered chart-topping hits like “Dynamite”, “Butter”, and “Permission to Dance”, cementing their status as the world’s premier boy band.