BTS’ new compilation album Proof debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated June 25), garnering the pop group its sixth chart-topper. The retrospective – consisting mostly of previously released material – bows with 314,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending June 16, according to Luminate. The overwhelmingly majority of that unit figure was driven by CD album sales.
The anthology was released on June 10, four days before the group announced an indefinite “hiatus” to focus on solo ventures. The seven-member South Korean act was formed in 2010 and made its U.S. Billboard chart debut in 2013. BTS has tallied 15 entries on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Also in the new top 10, Carrie Underwood notches her 10th consecutive top 10 album on the Billboard 200 – the entirety of her charting efforts – as her new studio release Denim & Rhinestones launches in the region.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new June 25, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 21. For all chart news, follow billboard and billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of Proof’s 314,000 equivalent album units earned, album sales comprise 266,000; SEA units comprise 36,000 (equaling 52.84 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 12,000.
Proof registers the year’s biggest week for an album by a group, both in units earned and in album sales. The only larger week overall in 2022 was the debut frame of Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, with 521,000 units, of which 330,000 were in album sales.
Proof was released as a 35-track digital download and streaming album, and an expanded 48-track album on CD. The latter edition has 13 exclusive tracks – mostly demo recordings – not available on the digital or streaming album. Proof was not issued on any other format, such as vinyl LP or cassette.
All versions of the album contain eight of BTS’ 13 top 40-charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100 (through the most recently published chart, dated June 18), including three of the act’s six No. 1s (“Dynamite,” “Life Goes On” and “Butter”). Proof also features three all-new tracks, including the set’s lead single, “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment).”
As is typical with many K-pop releases, the CD edition of the album was issued in elaborate collectible packages. There are two CD variants available in total: a $24 version and a $70 version (specific retailers may have sale priced them for less). Both have the same tracklist, just different packaging and internal paper goods (such as booklets and posters). Each also contains randomized elements (photocards and postcards). (Pricey CD albums are not new for BTS. The act’s last new studio album, 2020’s eight-track Be, was initially available in only two retail formats: a $9 digital album and a $50 CD.)
Proof sold nearly 266,000 in traditional album sales – of which digital albums comprise 6,500. The remaining sum of a little over 259,000 were all in CD sales. That marks the largest sales week for an album on CD in the U.S. since Adele’s 30 sold 378,000 CDs in its first week (ending Nov 25, 2021; chart dated Dec. 4, 2021). Comparably, Adele’s 30 CD was issued in three variants, a 12-track standard edition (which carried a list price of $11.98), a Target-exclusive pressing with three bonus tracks ($13.98) and a deluxe boxed set ($40) containing the standard CD, a T-shirt and a photo print. The vast majority of the CD sales for 30 came from the $11.98 and $13.98 editions.
Proof – recorded mostly in the Korean language – is the 15th mostly non-English language album to hit No. 1 and the third in 2022. This year also saw non-English No. 1s from Bad Bunny (the all-Spanish Un Verano Sin Ti) and Stray Kids (the mostly-Korean Oddinary). Of the 15 leaders that were recorded mostly in a language other than English, six have been by BTS.
Speaking of Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti falls a spot to No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 with 129,000 equivalent album units earned (down 6%). Un Verano Sin Ti is the first album in nearly four years to exceed 100,000 equivalent album units earned in each of its first six weeks. The last title to do so was Drake’s Scorpion, which saw its first seven weeks all exceed 100,000 units (July 28-Aug. 25, 2018 charts).
Harry Styles’ chart-topping Harry’s House is a non-mover on the Billboard 200 at No. 3 with 91,000 equivalent album units (down 20%). Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache falls 2-4 in its second week with 59,000 (down 51%). Rounding out the top five is Future’s former No. 1 I Never Liked You, which dips 4-5 with 55,000 (down 10%). A trio of former leaders are next on the chart, as Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album is stationary at No. 6 (52,000; down less than 1%), Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers descends 5-7 (42,000; down 23%) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is steady at No. 8 (32,000; down 14%).
SZA’s Ctrl vaults from No. 35 to No. 9 following a fifth anniversary deluxe reissue on June 10 which added seven previously unreleased tracks. The album, which debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the July 1, 2017-dated chart, rallies with 32,000 equivalent album units earned (up 109%).
Closing out the new Billboard 200 top 10 is Carrie Underwood’s new studio album Denim & Rhinestones, which debuts at No. 10 with 31,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 22,000; SEA units comprise nearly 9,000 (equaling 11.19 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise less than 1,000.
Denim & Rhinestones is Underwood’s 10th consecutive top 10 album – the entirety of her charting efforts. And all 10 have debuted in the top 10, stretching back to her first release, Some Hearts, which was released in 2005.
