As a member of the band BTS, musician Jung Kook has already achieved some truly incredible things on the Billboard charts in the U.S. Now, as the group enjoys some time off from collective activities—at least for a little while longer—he has broken out on his own and scored a major win with a solo offering. On one specific ranking the septet has come to know extremely well throughout the year, Jung Kook rules for the first time ever.
Jung Kook’s new single “Stay Alive” debuts at No. 1 on the World Digital Song Sales chart, Billboard’s weekly ranking of the bestselling “world” tracks in America. By beginning its time on the tally as high as a cut can climb, the just-released cut becomes the South Korean superstar’s first leader on any Billboard list in the U.S.
“Stay Alive” easily captures the throne on the World Digital Song Sales chart, as it wasn’t just one of the bestselling “world” titles in the U.S. this frame, it was one of the best-performing tracks of any language or style. Jung Kook’s solo smash also enters the Digital Song Sales chart, which lists the bestselling tunes of any genre, at No. 6. According to MRC Data, the company tasked with tracking all consumption data and reporting that information to Billboard so it can compile its weekly tallies, “Stay Alive” sold 14,800 copies in its first full tracking period.
While it is only debuting on the Billboard charts this week, “Stay Alive” has actually been available for a little while now, at least in some places. Fans could first hear the track only inside the webtoon/online-only novel 7fates Chakho, which is all about BTS. After a short period of exclusivity attached to that title, the cut was released to streaming and sales platforms globally.
“Stay Alive” was produced and co-written by fellow BTS member Suga, though he isn’t officially credited as an artist on the tune, even though his name appears within the title on platforms like Spotify. That means that the new No. 1 on the World Digital Song Sales chart is counted as a solo win for Jung Kook and Jung Kook alone. The same smash also helps the K-pop talent reach the Hot 100 for the first time on his own, as it launches at No. 95.
