BTS’s “21st Century Girl” surges back onto several Billboard lists, hitting No. 2 on the World Digital Song Sales chart. LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 10: South Korean boy band BTS backstage during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
From time to time, BTS fans collectively turn their attention to one tune from the South Korean boy band’s catalog, turning it into a focus track, perhaps for the first time. That may happen due to an event connected to the group, an anniversary, or simply because ARMY — the name BTS fans have adopted — feels it’s time to give the septet another hit.
The collective buying and streaming power of millions of BTS followers all around the world, and especially in America, can turn any track into a smash, and that’s exactly what’s happened again this week.
“21st Century Girl” Nearly Hits No. 1
BTS almost score a new No. 1 in America as “21st Century Girl” returns to the World Digital Song Sales chart. The cut is back at No. 2, which marks a new peak for the track. The song has now spent seven weeks on the tally throughout its lifetime.
“21st Century Girl” becomes one of 18 tracks by BTS to stall at No. 2 on the World Digital Song Sales chart.
A Catalog Cut Dating Back to 2016
The track originally debuted in October 2016, when it was featured on the group’s project Wings. Throughout the past decade, BTS has sent 158 tracks to the World Digital Song Sales ranking. That sum includes 127 top 10s and a record-setting 39 No. 1s.
A Surprise Debut on the Digital Song Sales List
“21st Century Girl” also appears on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart for the first time. Billboard’s list of the best-selling tracks in the U.S. on platforms like iTunes and Amazon welcomes the cut at No. 15. It marks BTS’s seventy-second appearance, and Luminate reports the tune opens with 2,000 pure purchases.
Sales Surge by More Than 24,000%
The week before ARMY returned its focus to “21st Century Girl,” the song sold only single-digit copies in the U.S. From one frame to the next, sales skyrocketed more than 24,500%, according to Luminate.