Seoul:K-pop supergroup BTS' fifth studio album, "Arirang," has achieved a milestone by surpassing 5 billion streams on Spotify, as announced by the group's label, BigHit Music.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this makes "Arirang" the most-streamed album of the year, with 2 billion more streams than the runner-up, Olivia Rodrigo's third studio album, "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love." The album also outperformed recent releases from global artists Bruno Mars and Harry Styles, which garnered about 1 billion and 2 billion streams, respectively.
"Swim," the lead track from "Arirang," is nearing 1 billion streams, and each of the 14 tracks on the album has exceeded 200 million streams. Among these, "No. 29," featuring the tolling of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok, has reached the 200 million stream mark.
The album has gained significant attention as BTS' first full-group project in nearly four years, following the completion of mandatory military service by all members. "Arirang" collected over 110 million streams on its release day, March 20, and became the first album by a group to top the Billboard 200 chart for three consecutive weeks since Mumford and Sons' "Babel" in 2012.