Global superstar group BTS member Jimin (28, Park Jimin) has become the first K-pop solo artist to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

According to Billboard on the 3rd (local time), the title track "Like Crazy" from Jimin's first solo album "FACE," released on the 24th of last month, topped the Hot 100 chart on the 8th. The day before, the album "FACE" also ranked second on the main album chart, Billboard 200.

Previously, the highest-ranking K-pop solo artist on the Hot 100 was Psy, who placed second in 2012 with his global hit "Gangnam Style." For seven weeks, he maintained the same ranking, heightening the desire for a K-pop artist to reach number one.

As a BTS member, Jimin has previously topped the Hot 100 six times. BTS was the first K-pop group to reach number one on the Hot 100, and they remain the only K-pop group to have achieved this feat. Consequently, Jimin has set a unique record by reaching number one as both a group and solo artist.

Although K-pop has had strong showings on the Billboard 200 due to its powerful fandom, the Hot 100, which reflects the grassroots popularity in the North American market, has been a high barrier, with no K-pop artists other than BTS and Psy making it into the top 10.

In particular, apart from Psy, the highest-ranking K-pop solo artist on the chart was BTS member Jungkook, who collaborated with American singer-songwriter and producer Charlie Puth last year on "Left and Right," which peaked at number 22.

However, Jimin rewrote the history of K-pop solo artists on the Hot 100 when he climbed to number 30 with the pre-release track "Set Me Free Pt. 2" from his album "FACE," released on the 17th of last month, and subsequently reached the top.

The Hot 100 aggregates song performance by combining physical single and digital music sales, streaming numbers, radio airplay, and YouTube views.

While "Like Crazy" had relatively low radio airplay scores, it was overwhelming in terms of music sales. Between the 24th and 30th of last month, it was calculated with a combined sales volume of 254,000 downloads and CD singles. The song also recorded 10 million streams and had 64,000 radio listeners. The combined sales of "Like Crazy" are the highest in about four and a half months since Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" sold around 328,000 copies (November 19, 2022).

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