Stray Kids has achieved the highest position among K-pop artists on the Billboard year-end main chart this year.
According to the 2023 year-end chart (YEAR-END CHARTS) announced on the official website of Billboard on the 21st (local time), Stray Kids’ third full album ★★★★★ (5-STAR), released in June, ranked 82nd on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. This is the highest rank among K-pop artists, reaffirming Stray Kids’ strong momentum.
Stray Kids have made their mark on various charts, including Billboard 200 Albums, World Album Artist 1st, World Album 1st and 15th, Top Album Sales Artist 2nd, Top Current Album Sales 4th and 24th, Top Album Sales 4th and 47th, Billboard 200 Artist – Duo/Group 10th, Billboard 200 Artist 64th. The Billboard Year-End Chart is a chart that selects the most loved albums, songs, and artists of the year. The tallying period is from November 19, 2022, to October 21, 2023.
Stray Kids, leading the charge for the fourth generation of K-pop, are accumulating record highs and firsts on Billboard. At the 2023 Billboard Music Awards (2023 BBMAs), one of the three major American pop music awards held on the 19th, they splashed as the second K-pop boy group to perform and win. They also debuted their new mini-album 樂-STAR (Rock Star) and the title song “LALALALA” on the 10th, climbing to 1st on the Billboard 200, 2nd on the Artist 100, and 90th on the Hot 100, notably making their first appearance on the Hot 100 chart. The only K-pop boy groups to have their names on all the main Billboard charts are BTS and Stray Kids.
Stray Kids rewrote the history of Korean pop music by debuting four consecutive albums, ODDINARY, MAXIDENT, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), and 樂-STAR in 2022 and 2023, at the same time as entering the Billboard 200 and debuting at 1st place. This record is unique to Stray Kids worldwide after pop star Alicia Keys from 2001 to 2007 and famous boy band One Direction from 2012 to 2014. Moreover, achieving the 4th number one on the chart in just 20 months is the second-fastest record following Taylor Swift’s 16 months.
Stray Kids, who have established themselves as “K-pop performance leaders,” also contributed to their dominance in the United States and Japan, the 1st and 2nd largest music markets in the world, with their tour activities. In March and April, they completed the encore performances of Stray Kids 2nd World Tour MANIAC at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, USA, achieving the first stadium performance and sell-out by a fourth-generation K-pop boy group in the United States. Recently, as part of the Stray Kids 5-STAR Dome Tour 2023, they held eight performances in four cities in Japan, including Fukuoka PayPay Dome, Vantelin Dome Nagoya, Kyocera Dome Osaka, and Tokyo Dome, setting a record as the first fourth-generation K-pop boy group to enter the four major dome venues in Japan and sell out all seats.
By. Jeong Ji Won
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