[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream’s 1st LP surpasses 2 million in sales

The first studio album of NCT Dream sold over 2 million units, according to label SM Entertainment on Wednesday.

The album, titled “Hot Sauce,” surpassed the 1 million-sales mark in a week since it came out on May 10 and reached 2 million in 16 days, and about 300,000 units more than the pre-orders.

The LP hit the No. 1 spot on the iTunes top albums chart in 37 regions, Oricon’s weekly album chart and Billboard Japan’s top sales album chart a well. With the same-titled focus track, the boy band nabbed four trophies from last week’s television music chart shows in Korea.

After winning the first trophy, the band thanked their fans with a video clip saying: “This is the first time we’re coming in first place since we returned as a septet, and we’re extremely happy.” Mark returned as a member of the boy band since he left in 2018 following the now-removed age rule of the NCT subunit.

BTS sets new Guinness records with “Butter”

BTS broke multiple records on YouTube and Spotify with its new digital single “Butter,” according to Guinness World Records’ official data released on May 25.

With 3.9 million concurrent viewers, it drew the most viewers for the premiere of a video on YouTube when it unveiled the music video on May 21. It also broke their own record for the most viewers for the premiere of a music video on YouTube. The previous record was held by the band with their first English song “Dynamite” that had 3 million concurrent viewers.

“Butter” also became the most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours with 108,200,000 views, also setting a record for the most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group. The official music video has drawn over 218 million views as of May 26.

On Spotify, the single was streamed 11,042,335 times in one day, and broke the record for the most streamed track on the platform in the first 24 hours, previously held by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s “I Don’t Care” with 64,946 streams.

It further cemented BTS’ chart-topping reign, as it was also the most streamed act on Spotify (as a group), at 16.3 billion times, as of last month. So far, “Dynamite” is the band’s most streamed song with approximately 830 million plays.

Twice to appear on Ellen DeGeneres Show 

Twice will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show for the first time next month to promote its upcoming EP “Taste of Love,” label JYP Entertainment announced on Wednesday.

The band will meet their fans in the US and appear on the talk show on June 9, US time, ahead of the album’s release on June 11.

The day before their television appearance, it will host a showcase “With Twice: Tasting the ‘Taste of Love’” and unveil the title track and accompanying music video on the following day.

The nine-piece act has been ramping up promotions since last week and they are expected to continue to drop a series of teaser trailers and pictures leading up to the release of its 10th LP.

It also is preparing to put out its third Japanese studio album, “Perfect World,” in July.

aespa enters 3 Billboard tallies with new song 

Rookie girl group aespa has made it onto three Billboard charts.

Its new single “Next Level” that came out on May 17 ranked No. 97 on Billboard’s global 200, much higher than its debut song “Black Mamba” that rose to No. 183. It also ranked No. 54 on Billboard global, excluding the US, and No. 3 on the world digital song sales chart.

The quartet reinterpreted the theme song of the 2019 movie “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” and weaved it into their own narrative. By venturing into unknown territory, or “Kwangya,” where the group’s avatars live, it seeks to find the villain Black Mamba that hinders aespa’s connection with its avatars and puts the world into chaos.

The single not only topped major local music charts but the music video had also garnered 50 million views on YouTube in about 10 hours.

The band will unveil its third stage performance for the song on Thursday via YouTube and Naver.

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)