Linkin Park has made a strong comeback with their new album From Zero. This is the band’s first album in seven years and their first without late singer Chester Bennington and drummer Rob Bourdon, who left the band in 2018. The new album features Emily Armstrong as the lead vocalist and Colin Brittain as the drummer.
From Zero entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 2, earning 97,000 equivalent album units. Most of these came from 72,000 actual album sales. The album has also been successful in the UK, where it became Linkin Park’s fourth No. 1 album. This is the band’s 12th album to reach the top 10 in the United States.
At No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart is Ateez, a popular K-pop group from South Korea. Their new album Golden Hour: Part 2 had an impressive debut with 184,000 equivalent album units. Of these, 179,000 came from album sales, making it one of the biggest album sales weeks of the year. Ateez offered 29 different physical versions of the album and three digital versions, which helped boost their sales.
Jin, a member of the world-famous K-pop group BTS, has achieved his first solo Top 10 album. His six-song EP Happy debuted at No. 4 with 77,000 equivalent album units. Most of these came from 66,000 album sales. With this success, Jin has become the final member of BTS to have a solo album in the Top 10. This means all seven BTS members have now reached this milestone.
Another K-pop group, Enhypen, returned to the chart at No. 7 with their album Romance: Untold, which was re-released with two bonus songs.
Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro also made his first appearance in the Top 10 with his album Cosa Nuestra, which reached No. 6. The album includes many different music styles, such as reggaeton, R&B, and tropical beats. It also features guest artists like Bad Bunny and Pharrell Williams.
The rest of the Top 10 includes albums by Sabrina Carpenter (Short n’ Sweet), Gracie Abrams (The Secret of Us), Billie Eilish (Hit Me Hard and Soft), Chappell Roan (The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess), and Tyler, the Creator (Chromakopia).
This week’s Billboard 200 shows how music from different genres and countries is connecting with fans. It also highlights important moments for both long-time bands like Linkin Park and newer stars like Ateez and Jin.
