Red Velvet Tie for Most No. 1s on World Albums Chart Among All K-Pop Acts
Red Velvet shake things up and bring some much-welcomed girl group power to the rankings of Billboard's World Albums chart this week as 'Perfect Velvet' debuts at No. 1 on the chart, tying the group…
Red Velvet shake things up and bring some much-welcomed girl group power to the rankings of Billboard‘s World Albums chart this week.
The quintet’s new Perfect Velvet: The 2nd Album LP debuts at No. 1 on the World Albums chart, marking the group its fourth chart-topper on the list and third just this year. The nine-track set sold 2,000 copies in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Nielsen Music, which marks the group’s best U.S. sales week to date, after the group hit their best sales week with July’s Red Summer.
The accomplishment makes Red Velvet tie for the most No. 1 albums on World Albums among all K-pop acts — the first time a female K-pop act has held the honor which had only featured male artists for years. B.A.P had long been the leader among chart-toppers until GOT7 and BTS joined them in the last 13 months. With male acts much more prevalent and touring more often in the United States, Red Velvet’s success in an indication of strong and increasing interest in K-pop girl groups stateside. RV did meet U.S. fans earlier this year when they made their SXSW debut earlier this year by headlining the KPop Night Out showcase.
Previously, the women topped World Albums with their full-length album The Red in 2015, followed by their Rookie EP that was released in February 2017, along with their Red Summer EP this past July. The ladies now pulls ahead of their senior groups like Girls’ Generation, f(x) and Girls’ Generation-TTS, the only other girl groups to have multiple No. 1 entries on World Albums, with Girls’ Generation having three in their position while f(x) and TTS have two.
Perfect Velvet also debuts at No. 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart marking the ladies’ highest position yet, and first top 5 entry, on the ranking that sees far fewer K-pop acts charting.
The latest accomplishment should come as no surprise to fans of the group, who have continuously honed their catchy, quirky sound with nearly every release. The tribal beat–driven lead single “Peek-A-Boo” opens things up, leading the way for a collection that sees the group embracing more electronic beats than usual and exploring atypical approaches to relationships. Over ominous synthesizers, the ladies encourage their guy to have confidence in “Atta Boy,” relate a tender moment to a sunset in the sensual “Look” with its ’80s-inspired synth-pop sound, while “I Just” tells a melancholy dissolution to a romance over pounding electronic production. But even when the love is good — like it is on the dreamy “Perfect 10” with its twinkling synthesizers — the girls never forget to bring a relatable, emotional edge to their experimental electro-R&B to give their songs an additional boost of heart.
Red Velvet also tie their best ranking on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart as “Peek-A-Boo” debuts at No. 2 to be the second-best-selling K-pop song in America this week. The group last hit as high with 2016’s “Russian Roulette.”
Watch Red Velvet perform “Look” live on K-pop music program Music Bank below: