It has now been more than a month since Jung Kook released what’s being called his debut solo single, “Seven.” The tune was an immediate hit all around the world, and in the weeks since it dropped, it has continued to perform well. Now, the track has debuted on yet another Billboard chart, and in doing so, the BTS singer manages a feat that only one other South Korean musical act has accomplished in U.S. history.
“Seven” debuts on this week’s edition of the Radio Songs chart. The ranking tracks the tunes that reach the largest audience at radio in the U.S. each week, and the list is published by Billboard. Jung Kook’s smash opens at No. 46 on the 50-spot tally. It earns the highest start of the frame, coming in ahead of the only other debut, “Dial Drunk” by Noah Kahan and Post Malone.
It’s very rare for singles by South Korean musicians to earn enough spins at radio all across America to appear on the Radio Songs chart. The fact that Jung Kook has now landed on the tally with his latest release so shows that not only are there notable resources behind him and his hit, but that many programmers and DJs believe in him and his song, even though weeks have passed since it debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Jung Kook is now just the second South Korean musical act of any kind to appear on the Radio Songs chart more than once. He joins his own band, BTS, in this showing.
The singer scored his first solo hit just last year when he reached the list alongside pop singer Charlie Puth. The two sent their collaborative cut “Left and Right” to No. 28, and the tune went on to spend months on the list.
BTS leads among all K-pop stars with three placements on the Radio Songs chart. The band, which propelled singers like Jung Kook to worldwide fame, has landed on the tally with “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and their Coldplay duet “My Universe.” The first of those three climbed all the way to No. 10, and it remains the only top 10 smash on the Radio Songs ranking by a South Korean act to this day.
Only two other South Korean musicians have appeared on the radio-focused ranking at any point, and both have done so just once, at least for now. Psy became the first to do so more than a decade ago with his hit “Gangnam Style.” Earlier this year, the girl group Fifty Fifty joined this bit of history with their single “Cupid.” That song has already risen to No. 13, and this week it’s down slightly to No. 16.
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