Stray Kids' new mini album "THIS & THAT" has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the main US album chart.
With the achievement, the group has now placed all nine of its albums at the top of the chart, joining the Beatles in the record books.
Billboard announced Sunday in a chart preview that "THIS & THAT" had debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Starting with "ODDINARY" in 2022, Stray Kids had already sent eight consecutive albums — "★★★★★," "Nak-STAR," "KARMA" and "DO IT" among them — to the top of the Billboard 200, earning the title of the K-pop act with the most No. 1 albums on the chart.
"THIS & THAT" extends that streak to nine, setting a new personal record.
"Stray Kids now hold the second-most Billboard 200 No. 1 albums among groups, behind only the Beatles," Billboard said, adding that the tally ties the Rolling Stones.
The Billboard 200 ranks albums by total album units, a metric that combines traditional album sales, streaming equivalent albums (SEA) and track equivalent albums (TEA).
"THIS & THAT" logged 369,000 album units during the chart's tracking period, with pure album sales of 357,000 — the highest single-week sales figure in Stray Kids' history.
The album captures a bold, confident attitude of pursuing what one wants without being bound by convention. It contains eight tracks, including the title track of the same name.
At a recent press conference, member Seungmin addressed expectations surrounding a ninth consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1. "Every time we prepare an album, we approach it with the mindset of giving our best rather than focusing on results," he said. "I hope the results follow accordingly. I hope our music reaches Stay — our fandom — and our listeners."
joze@heraldcorp.com
