BTS’ Jimin tops Billboard Hot 100 as first K-pop soloist

BTS member Jimin landed atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his song "Like Crazy," becoming the first K-pop solo artist to top the singles chart in history.

Choi Ji-won

Choi Ji-won

The Korea Herald

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A concept image from BTS member Jimin's first solo album "Face." (Big Hit Music)

April 5, 2023

SEOUL – BTS member Jimin landed atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his song “Like Crazy,” becoming the first K-pop solo artist to top the singles chart in history.

Jimin, the latest BTS member to debut solo, placed his song “Like Crazy” on top of the Billboard Hot 100 Main Singles chart dated April 8. “Like Crazy” is the lead track of Jimin’s first solo album “Face” which was released on March 24.

This makes Jimin the first Korean soloist to grab the coveted top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Like Crazy” is the 66th song in Billboard’s history, which shot to No. 1 with its chart debut.

Jimin also made history with his solo debut EP, “Face,” which entered the Billboard 200 Main Albums chart at No. 2 this week, marking the highest rank reached by any K-pop solo artist.

On March 24, Jimin officially debuted solo with the six-track package “Face.” Through the album, the 27-year-old singer tells his own story as he embarks on a new journey as a solo musician.

Jimin previously made his solo debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” another song from “Face,” which had placed at No. 30 on the Billboard Singles chart last week. “Set Me Free Pt. 2” was pre-released ahead of the album on March 17.

BTS member Jimin’s solo song “Like Crazy” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart (dated April 8). (Billboard’s Twitter)

Jimin’s group BTS holds the most No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Marking the group’s historic first No. 1 on the chart was its mega-hit “Dynamite” in 2020. It then went on to place first with three more songs, “Life Goes On,” “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.” It also placed first with two songs in collaboration with other artists, “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) (BTS Remix)” and “My Universe.”

Jimin is the only artist from Korea to land atop the Billboard Hot 100 both as a soloist and as part of a group.

Upon his solo debut with “Face,” Jimin has been making history in global music charts. “Like Crazy” arrived on the UK’s Official Singles Chart Top 100 at No. 8, reaching the highest spot by any Korean soloist in history.

In Japan, “Face” swept the top spots on Oricon’s three weekly charts — the Weekly Digital Album Ranking, the Weekly Album Ranking and the Weekly Total Album Ranking — making Jimin the first solo artist to accomplish such a feat this year.

Locally, “Face” became the first album from a solo artist to win the million-seller title on its first day. According to domestic music sales tracker Hanteo Chart’s data, the EP racked up 1.02 million copies on its first day, and went onto sell a record-breaking 1.45 million copies in the first week of release.

Jimin is the fourth member from the seven-piece group to make a solo debut.

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