An Indonesian fan of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS poses with a giant poster of the band members … [+]
A month into its time on the Billboard charts, Coldplay and BTS’s “My Universe” continues to make history left and right. The single is rebounding on the Hot 100 after falling from No. 1 to outside the top 10, and on the Pop Airplay ranking, which lists the tracks that reach the largest audience at pop radio stations across the U.S., the tune is continuously growing. Now, it’s become one of the biggest hits in history to feature a South Korean act, and it’s likely going to climb even higher in the coming frames.
This week, “My Universe” is up to No. 22, lifting five spots from No. 27. By placing at No. 22, the collaborative smash ties with one other track as the fifth-highest-charting song by (or featuring) a K-pop act in U.S. history. At the moment, the catchy former Hot 100 No. 1 is on the same level as another BTS hit record, “Boy With Luv,” which features Halsey. That tune also pushed to No. 22 on the pop-only radio chart back in 2019.
BTS also happen to claim the two highest-charting singles by South Korean acts in the history of the Pop Airplay list, as they are the biggest hitmakers from their home country in many respects. The band’s 2020 smash “Dynamite” stands as the best-performing tune by a K-pop act in the list’s tenure, as it once shot all the way to No. 5. BTS’s recent follow-up “Butter” slid to No. 7 earlier this year. That summery win only fell off the Pop Airplay ranking relatively recently.
The only other track by a South Korean act of any kind to break into the top 10 on the Pop Airplay chart is Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” That global hit single peaked at No. 10 nearly a decade ago, and for a long time, it stood as the only entrant inside the highest tier on the roster by a K-pop name.
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One rung ahead of both “Boy With Luv” and now “My Universe” is Blackpink’s “Ice Cream,” their sole placement on the Pop Airplay chart. That single, which benefited from the inclusion of pop superstar Selena Gomez, hit No. 21 back in 2020. It stands as the fourth-highest-charting cut by any South Korean act in U.S. history on this one radio list.
“My Universe” is still being promoted to pop radio stations across America, so chances are it will improve its best standing in the coming weeks. If the song surges any higher on the Pop Airplay chart, it will also move up on the all-time ranking of the best-performing tracks by South Korean acts. It could easily tie Blackpink and Gomez’s “Ice Cream,” or perhaps replace it in fourth place.
