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Ateez soars to No. 1 on Billboard main albums chart

December 11, 2023

K-pop boy group Ateez’s latest album has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard main albums chart, marking the first chart-topper for the group.

Ateez rose atop the Billboard 200 with its second full-length album, “The World Ep. Fin: Will,” beating out other popular albums, such as Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” and Drake’s “For All The Dogs,” Billboard said in a preview for the latest chart on Sunday (U.S. time).

“It is like a dream. We are so happy,” KQ Entertainment quoted the group as saying on the Billboard news.

“It’s been only days since we made a comeback, but we’ve been receiving presents like this every day from ATINY,” it said, referring to its fans.

“We will continue to make our own music to return our fans’ love and to show you good performances on stage.”

K-pop boy group Ateez poses for a photo during a press conference to promote its second studio album, "The World Ep. Fin: Will," in this Dec. 1, 2023, file photo provided by KQ Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
K-pop boy group Ateez poses for a photo during a press conference to promote its second studio album, “The World Ep. Fin: Will,” in this Dec. 1, 2023, file photo provided by KQ Entertainment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales and other digital sales records.

“The World Ep. Fin: Will” earned 152,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Thursday, nearly entirely from traditional album sales, Billboard said.

Of the 152,000, album sales comprise 146,000 with 99 percent of the sum driven by physical album sales, it added.

This marks the South Korean group’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the seventh No. 1 for a K-pop act, following BTS, SuperM, Stray Kids, BLACKPINK, Tomorrow X Together and NewJeans.

Ateez is also the first K-pop group from a minor K-pop agency to top the chart, not one of the big four agencies — Hybe, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.

“The World Ep. Fin: Will” is the fourth top 10-charting album from the act, according to Billboard. The group previously reached No. 2 with “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw” in July.

Released on Dec. 1, the new album consists of 12 songs, including “Crazy Form,” “We Know,” “Emergency” and “Silver Light.”

The lead track, “Crazy Form,” is a cheerful dancehall genre song infused with Afrobeat rhythms, showcasing the group’s playful charm.

The album debuted at No. 2 on the British Official Albums Top 100, marking the band’s highest-charting entry yet.