BTS’s fans, myself included, have been waiting all day, refreshing Billboard for this week’s charts to see if Jungkook’s “Seven” featuring Latto could top the Billboard Hot 100. This is JK’s first time with a #1 as a solo artist, and he’s the second member of BTS with a solo #1 achievement as Jimin did it earlier this year with his song “Like Crazy”.
But you know why, at least for me, JK’s #1 is important? Because you know what the #2 song was?
The #Hot100 top 10 (chart dated July 29, 2023)
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) July 24, 2023
Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town”. The song came out in May which means that it soared up the charts because of the controversy. Sure, some people may have been listening to it to find out what the uproar was all about but more people were listening in support, in solidarity with Jason Aldean’s racist views. Which is concerning, obviously, but to go back to Jungkook, that’s also why it’s a win – the only thing standing between Jason Aldean and the #1 position on the Hot 100 is oh, you know, just an ARMY. A BTS ARMY.
Remember back in 2020 when ARMY and other K-pop stans stood up for Black Lives Matter and trolling the Trump rallies? If there’s any online group that can go head-to-head with white supremacists, it’s them. So hopefully they can go two for two and send Jungkook back to the top of the charts next week and hold off the racists, because they’re going to keep pushing that f-cking asshole’s music and industry experts are already predicting that it could be either Jason Aldean or Morgan Wallen, another problematic country artist, who will hit #1. Then again, they were saying the same on the weekend and ARMY came through for Jungkook so it’s too early to say.
Have you added “Seven” to your playlists yet? What are you waiting for?
In other BTS news, with a Barbie twist, I mentioned earlier that Jimin was the first member of BTS to go #1 as a solo artist, and you’ll recall, last week, Ryan Gosling announced that he was gifting Jimin with Ken’s guitar because Jimin was the first to wear one of his outfits from the movie. Jimin has now confirmed that he got Ryan’s present.