Jimin from BTS Dominates Billboard: First Solo K-pop Artist to Top Billboard Hot 100

Jimin, a member of the band, BTS. Courtesy of Big Hit

Jimin from the band BTS reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Like Crazy,” the first single from his solo album. This is a new record by a solo K-pop artist.

According to the top ten songs on the singles chart this week, which Billboard released on its official social media account on April 3 (local time), Jimin’s “Like Crazy” ranked number one. “Like Crazy” was followed by “Flowers,” by the U.S. pop star Miley Cyrus; “Last Night,” by popular country singer Morgan Wallen; and “Kill Bill” by singer-songwriter SZA.

The Billboard Hot 100 is Billboard’s main chart of the week’s most popular songs ranked by streaming activity, radio airplay, and sales data. So far, BTS is the only K-pop artist to top the Billboard Hot 100. The band has a total of six number one hits including “Dynamite” released in 2020 and “My Universe” released in 2021.

Thanks to the latest number one single, Jimin has become the first K-pop singer to top the Hot 100 both as a solo artist and as a band member. The singer Psy, who became an international sensation with his song “Gangnam Style,” held the previous record for a solo artist. The song remained at number two in the chart for seven consecutive weeks.

On March 24, Jimin released his first official solo album, FACE. The album sold over a million copies on the first day of its release. It was the first album by a solo K-pop artist to sell over a million copies since Hanteo Chart began collecting real-time data.

“Like Crazy” is the first single promoted from the latest album. It is a synth-pop song that Jimin collaborated on after he was inspired by a movie he liked with the same title. The lyrics tell the story of a man agonizing as he searches for his lover in a dream and wanting to remain forever in the dream despite losing himself in the splendid lights.