SEOUL, March 12 – K-pop superstar BTS swept the top two spots on a worldwide album sales chart last year, according to an organisation representing the global recording industry, reported Yonhap.
The International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said Thursday (U.S. time) that “Map of the Soul: 7” ranked No. 1 and “BE” No. 2 on the 2020 Global Album Sales Chart. The albums were released in February and November of last year, respectively.
“Map of the Soul: 7 – The Journey,” another album the seven-piece act dropped in Japan last year, ranked No. 8 on the chart.
The annual chart combines global sales of physical and digital album downloads to rank the most successful albums of the year, according to the IFPI.
Some of the other top 10 albums included “Stray Sheep” by Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu and “Folklore” by American pop star Taylor Swift.
Earlier this month, BTS also became the first Korean act to win the IFPI’s Global Recording Artist of the Year Award, given to the artist who had the best global performance spanning physical and digital formats during the year.
On Wednesday, the group won the freshly introduced Global Album All Format Chart with “Map of the Soul: 7,” with “BE” three notches behind on the chart, which selects the bestselling albums of the year across all consumption formats, including physical sales, digital downloads and streaming platforms.
“BTS’ success across IFPI’s global charts, including the top two positions in (the 2020 Global Album Sales Chart), is unprecedented and demonstrates the amazing global appeal of their music,” Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, said.
Meanwhile, BLACKPINK, another K-pop megastar making a splash in the global music market, came in at No. 5 on the 2020 Global Album Sales Chart with its first full-length album “The Album.” The four-piece act is the only female artist in the top 10 other than Taylor Swift.
Source: BERNAMA