“Swim,” the buoyant lead single from BTS’s fifth studio album “Arirang,” remained near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a second consecutive week, ranking second on the U.S. chart.

The track was only bested by Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” for the week of April 11, according to Billboard’s preview released on Monday. The placement follows a No. 1 debut in the previous week and extends BTS’s run at the very top tier of the chart.


According to the band’s agency BigHit Music, “Swim” simultaneously topped Billboard’s Global 200, Global Excl. U.S. and Digital Song Sales charts for a second straight week, reinforcing its reach beyond the United States.

During the tracking period from March 27 to Thursday, the song drew 106.3 million streams and 114,000 downloads worldwide, with 91.7 million streams and 46,000 downloads coming from outside the United States.

The song’s reach is equally visible across regional charts. “Swim” logged roughly 52.6 million weekly streams on YouTube Music to retain the platform’s No. 1 spot for a second week. It also placed No. 3 on Germany’s official singles chart and No. 5 on Britain’s Official Singles Top 100, maintaining a steady presence in major European markets.

Its performance has also lifted the album that it’s on, according to the band’s agency, as “Arirang” remained at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a second consecutive week — the first time a Korean act has achieved the feat.

A 14-track release, “Arirang” traces BTS’s identity as a Korean band while reflecting the more universal emotional terrains that its members have navigated over the years. “Swim,” co-written by the group’s leader RM, leans into the theme of framing life’s uncertainties as something to move through rather than resist.

Other tracks from the album have charted as well. “Body to Body” took the No. 2 spot on both the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. rankings, while “Hooligan,” “FYA,” “Normal” and “2.0” all remained within the top 10 of the latter chart, suggesting a depth of listener engagement beyond the lead single.

BY MICHAEL LEE, YONHAP [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]