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| BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit Music |
South Korean supergroup BTS sat atop the Billboard's main singles chart for the ninth consecutive week as its hit single "Butter" returned to the throne after briefly giving way to its own latest single.
"'Butter' officially returns to No. 1 on this week's #Hot100 chart for an eighth total week," Billboard said on its Twitter account Monday (U.S. time).
The song had reigned on the singles chart for seven straight weeks before giving way to the septet's latest single, "Permission to Dance," last week.
"'Butter' returns to No. 1 with 115,600 downloads sold, 30.7 million radio airplay audience impressions and 8.8 million U.S. streams in the week ending July 22," Billboard added.
"Permission to Dance" moved down to the seventh spot.
The Billboard noted how BTS is the first group to replace its own song at No. 1 with another song and then repeat the record again.
"BTS is the first act to displace itself at No. 1 with a new leader and then send the previous No. 1 back to the summit with no other acts holding the top spot in between," Billboard said.
At eight weeks at No. 1, "Butter," also tied American rookie Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" as the song to reign the Billboard Hot 100 for the longest streak this year.
With the latest feat, BTS now has 14 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 released in late May, has been going strong since its release. Upon its release, it swept online music charts and streaming platforms across the world, including iTunes and Spotify.
The English-language single also racked up 108.2 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours of release, outnumbering "Dynamite" at 101.1 million views.
With "Butter," BTS earlier achieved the longest No. 1 streak by a group since 1995, when "One Sweet Day," a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and RB 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.
Meanwhile, "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.
BTS members have noted how the song, another upbeat number released in early July, is something for everyone.
Calling the English track a "song for everyone to enjoy easily," Jimin said it "carries the message that everyone should dance freely even if they have had a tough day in real life."
On Friday, BTS released an RB 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. (Yonhap)
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