K-pop octet Stray Kids earns its fifth #1 on the HITS Top 50 with the debut of ATE. The group’s ninth EP, released via JYP/IMPERIAL/Republic, opens with 225k units—matching previous chart-topper Rock-Star, which bowed last November. Stray Kids join TWICE as the only Korean acts to summit the album chart this year. IMPERIAL captains Glenn Mendlinger and Meg Harkins are rightly proud of their Kids.
BTS member Jimin adds to K-pop’s banner week by claiming the runner-up spot with his sophomore solo album, Muse (BIGHIT/Geffen). Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene (Warner) and Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (Republic) round out the Top 5.
In the Top 20, a trove of new titles—from Republic’s Glass Animals, RCA’s Childish Gambino, Columbia’s Koe Wetzel and Interscope’s Ivan Cornejo—respectively occupies #13-16. Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS (Geffen) is the greatest gainer this week, surging 87% to #11 as new physical product was shipped.
Streeting this week are new titles by RCA’s The Red Clay Strays, 10K Projects/Capitol’s Ice Spice, Rancho Humilde/Sony Latin’s Fuerza Regida, Monument’s Tigirlily Gold, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine and 10 Summers/BMG’s Mustard.
In political news, J.D. Vance is bringing an uncomfortable new meaning to the term “couch potato.”
See the full chart here.
