It seems like every week, Jung Kook makes history on the Billboard charts. This is partly due to the fact that these are still relatively early days for South Korean solo stars dominating the weekly rankings, but that’s not the whole story. Simply put, the BTS musician is a star–one who has recently crafted several big hits–and one of them is still present on the most competitive tally in America.
“Standing Next To You” by Jung Kook finds space on the Hot 100 once again this frame. The tune lifts slightly, improving from No. 87 to No. 85. As it steps up, the single makes history thanks to its lengthy tenure on the tally.
Jung Kook’s smash has now lived on the Hot 100 for 18 weeks. That’s a long time for any pop track, but it’s a historically lengthy stretch for a tune by a South Korean artist–especially one working on his own.
“Standing Next To You” is now the sixth-longest-charting song by any South Korean artist in the half-century-long history of the Hot 100. With one more week on the list, Jung Kook’s blockbuster breaks out of a tie with two other tunes, as they all shared this spot in the record books together until now.
Last frame, “Standing Next To You” was on the same level as two other songs by South Korean musicians, as they had all managed 17 turns on the Hot 100. One of them was even by Jung Kook himself, as he and Charlie Puth kept their collaboration “Left and Right” on the list for 17 weeks. The same can be said for BTS and Coldplay’s “My Universe,” which reached the No. 1 spot on the tally several years back.
“Standing Next To You” might be able to move up again on this all-time ranking, but only if it can hold on for two more weeks. If Jung Kook’s single reaches 20 turns on the tally, it will match with both BTS’ “Butter” and Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark,” with the latter being credited to a South Korea-based band/brand hybrid.
The longest-running Hot 100 hit by a South Korean artist in U.S. history remains BTS’ “Dynamite,” which charted for 32 weeks back in 2020 and 2021. That beat out Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” the previous record holder, by one turn. Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” spent 25 weeks on the chart last year, and ranks as the third-longest-running win among all K-pop acts.
“Standing Next To You” was released in late 2023 as the final single from Jung Kook’s debut album Golden. The track debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100, becoming a rare top 10 win for a South Korean solo artist. In the months since then, it’s also reached a number of Billboard rankings, such as some of the radio lists, and it’s continued to sell well.
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