It’s a great week for BTS‘s Jung Kook, who establishes a chart record in the U.K. with “Seven.”
The K-pop star’s hit lands at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published July 21, for the highest-charting debut by a solo Korean act.
The singer’s hot start with “Seven” (via BigHit Entertainment) surpasses the first-week bows by BTS bandmates j-hope and Jimin, the Official Charts Company reports.
All seven members of the K-pop phenomenon – Jin, Jimin, Suga, Jung Kook, RM, V and J-Hope – have shared solo material, with Jimin setting the bar with a top 10 for “Like Crazy” (peaking at No. 8) in March; he separately secured a top 40 appearance with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” hitting No. 30.
J-hope was the first member of BTS to bag a U.K. top 40 single, thanks to his J. Cole collaboration “On The Street” peaking at No. 37.
With his podium finish, Jung Kook matches BTS’ best U.K. chart positions so far — 2020’s “Dynamite,” plus “Butter” and “My Universe” with Coldplay (both from 2021) all debuted and peaked at No. 3.
The highest-charting U.K. solo single by a Korean act belongs to Psy, whose “Gangnam Style” dropped in September 2012 at No. 61, then climbed to No. 1 in its fourth week on the tally. The viral hit clocked 55 weeks on the chart, last appearing in 2014.
“Seven,” which features vocals from U.S. rapper Latto, and blasts to No. 2 on Australia’s ARIA Chart, is pipped in the U.K. by Dave and Central Cee’s hip-hop hit “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood), which races to a seventh consecutive chart title. Following a tight three-way race at the top, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (Geffen) flies in at No. 2, unchanged from the previous week.
Finally, U.S. pop star Billie Eilish lands her ninth U.K. top 10 single with “What Was I Made For?” (Interscope). The new release, lifted from the Barbie movie soundtrack, is new at No. 10.
