- Despite a mild dip in streaming and sales, BTS’ Swim is retaining its momentum via strong presence in other Billboard charts.
- BTS is the only K-pop act with many top-10 hits on the Adult Pop Airplay chart, reinforcing its radio consistency in the US.
- Even as rankings fluctuate, Swim and Arirang continue to hold high global chart placements, indicating a shift from peak momentum to sustained stability.
After multiple consecutive weeks of its chart run, BTS’ latest single, Swim, is establishing a unique foothold on the Billboard charts. Although the song is experiencing a usual post-release cooling effect on streaming and sales platforms, it has found a resurgence on American radio, particularly within the adult-focused formats.
Radio Resurgence Anchors “Swim” Amid Multi-Chart Cooling
The lead cut from Arirang, dipped from No. 14 to No. 16 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart recently, showcasing a slowdown. However, this downward shift fails to mask the song’s historical importance. Through this chart sustenance, Swim ties with BTS’ own 2021 hit, Butter, making it the fifth-highest peak song by a K-pop group considering chart history.
While several K-pop acts have achieved notable rankings in the radio market, BTS is the only group to claim multiple top-10s in the Adult Pop Airplay list, owing to its No. 8 and No. 10 peaks of My Universe and Dynamite. The K-pop songs, other than BTS, that have achieved such success are:
- Golden from KPop Demon Hunters,
- Apt. by Rosé and Bruno Mars, and (Peaked at No. 2, surpassed by Golden),
- Cupid by Fifty Fifty (Peaked at No. 9)
Swim had an upward trend on various Billboard charts, it backtracked on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, securing the No. 26 position. These dips also mirror a wider cooling on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts.
BTS on Current Billboard Charts (Image Credit: Billboard Charts)
Global Scale Sustains BTS as Momentum Converts into Stability
On the global platform, the group’s sheer volume of output remains its key strength, even as individual track velocities decline. Both the lead song and the album retain high-tier visibility, with Swim sitting at No. 2 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Global Excl. US charts, and Arirang holding the No. 5 spot on the Billboard Global 200 (Albums) and Canadian Albums rankings. In spite of these high placements, a downward trend is visible during this time period. However, the decline does not mean an outright stop in streaming or engagement but signals a period of chart stabilization.
