K-pop singer Jungkook just made another Billboard history. This week, he ties with the pioneering Korean singer, Psy, to become the only other most heard Korean singer on US radios.
Not only did he match Psy’s Billboard record, he is expected to break it soon, too.
In November 2023, his collaboration, ‘Too Much’, alongside pop singer The Kid Laroi and featuring hip-hop artist Central Cee, had earned Jungkook a notable position on Billboard’s chart called ‘Rhythmic Airplay’. The chart measures the week's most popular ‘rhythmic crossover’ songs ranked by airplay detections. Rhythmic radio or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM (Electronic Dance Music), upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hits.
‘Too Much’ completed 10 weeks on the Rhythmic Airplay chart this week. The tune is now tied with Psy’s 'Gangnam Style' as the longest-charting hit by a South Korean musician in the history of the tally.
While the single was down from the 18th spot to number 21 this week, it is expected to remain on the list in the coming weeks. This means that the single is very likely to break Psy's record and claim the longest-running hit ever by a South Korean artist.
According to an article on Forbes.com, in addition to tying as the longest-running hit on the tally among South Korean artists, 'Too Much' also ranks as the highest-charting. The tune once climbed to number 13. 'Gangnam Style' used to hold that record, as it stalled at number 15 more than a decade ago.
While 'Too Much' is not a solo Jung Kook hit, it does count towards his own discography outside of BTS.
The list features 40 spots, and to get a position on it is an achievement rarely unlocked by South Korean musicians. Other than Jungkook and Psy, so far, only five tracks by South Korean musicians have appeared on the chart including two tracks by BTS – ‘Mic Drop’ and ‘Butter’.
This week, Blackpink's Jennie is also on the list, at number 26, with 'One of the Girls', her collaboration with The Weeknd and Lily Rose Depp.
BTS agency shares military update
Meanwhile, BTS agency BigHit Music shared an update about group members RM, Jimin, V (Kim Taehyung), and Jungkook. Taking to Weverse on Monday, BigHit Music also requested BTS fans not to send letters and gifts to military barrack for BTS members.
“Hello. This is BigHit Music. Thank you always for your heartfelt love and support for BTS. Thanks to your kind consideration and support this past December, BTS members RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook have entered the military and will soon be performing their duties at the training camp.
“Thank you for your interest and support on their enlistment day. Below is additional information for fans to keep note of throughout the artists’ service period. The military barracks are communal spaces shared by military personnel for training together. If a large number of letters and gifts from the fans arrive at the center all at once, it would be difficult to store them and they could be easily lost. Therefore, we kindly that fans refrain from sending anything by mail. Instead, BigHit Music will assist in making sure the artists are able to personally see any heartwarming messages fans leave on Weverse using the hashtags #Dear_RM_from_ARMY, #Dear_Jin_from_ARMY, #Dear_SUGA_from_ARMY, #Dear_jhope_from_ARMY, #Dear_Jimin_from_ARMY, #Dear_V_from_ARMY, #Dear_JungKook_from_ARMY.”
The letter to fans added: “We would also like to ask for your cooperation during the recruit training graduation ceremony. In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts….”
All seven BTS members are currently serving in the military, they will regroup in 2025.
