KATSEYE Claims Top Spot on Billboard 200

KATSEYE, the global girl group managed by HYBE and Geffen Records, secured the first position on the U.S. Billboard main album chart, the Billboard 200. This ranking is determined by summing physical album sales, Streaming Equivalents Albums calculated by converting streaming counts into album equivalents, and Track Equivalents Albums derived from digital song downloads. The physical album sales for “WILD” amounted to 145,000 units, with Streaming Equivalents Albums at 24,500 units and Track Equivalents Albums at approximately 500 units. The album also took the top spot on the Top Album Sales chart.

With this achievement, KATSEYE became the fourth K-pop girl group to reach number one on the Billboard 200. Previously, BLACKPINK, NewJeans, and TWICE had achieved this milestone. Notably, “WILD” recorded the highest first-week pure album sales among female groups in over three years, surpassing the 146,000 units achieved by TWICE’s “Ready To Be” on the chart dated March 25, 2023. It also set the highest first-week unit total for any female group since the album tracking methodology was introduced in December 2015.

Performance of Pre-release Tracks Two pre-release songs included in “WILD” entered Billboard’s main singles chart, the Hot 100, ahead of its official release. “Pinky Up” reached a peak position of 28th last April, while “Animal” climbed to 24th on the chart dated August 8. This marked KATSEYE’s first arrival at number one on the Hot 100, following their second top-10 entry with the previous album “Beautiful Chaos,” which reached fourth place last year. They became the fourth female group to top the Billboard 200 in the 2020s, further demonstrating the global influence of K-pop girl groups.

Billboard Records for K-pop Groups To date, a total of nine K-pop groups have topped the Billboard 200, including KATSEYE. These groups are Stray Kids (9 times), BTS (7 times), ATEEZ (3 times), SuperM (1 time), and TOMORROW X TOGETHER (1 time). KATSEYE’s recent success is seen as a sign that HYBE’s global strategies have successfully propelled K-pop to the highest levels worldwide.