Entertainment News

Stray Kids score a ninth straight Billboard 200 No. 1 with 'THIS & THAT', tying Taylor Swift

Stray Kids' mini album THIS & THAT, released on August 7, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated August 22, making the JYP Entertainment group the first act to debut at No. 1 with nine consecutive albums, Seoul's Sports Kyunghyang reported. It sold 369,000 units in its first US week, including 357,000 physical copies, 25% up on their previous release and their best US week yet.

The paper called it “A first on Billboard, a record of the century”. It said the group tied Taylor Swift for the most No. 1 albums of the 2020s and tied the Rolling Stones among groups, behind only the Beatles.

At home, Hanteo Chart counted 3,289,269 copies in the first week, about a million more than their previous album. IBTimes Singapore added that the eight-track record was produced entirely by the group's in-house team, 3RACHA, and that among groups only the Beatles (19) have more Billboard 200 No. 1s.

How each outlet framed it

• Sports Kyunghyang — a history-making streak, with every units figure.
• IBTimes Singapore — the Swift tie and the self-produced music.

Where the numbers differ: a week before the chart, Sports Kyunghyang cited a Hits Daily Double forecast of about 335,000 US units and put Hanteo sales at about 3.28 million. The final figures, 369,000 and 3,289,269, were higher.