Less than a year after Monsta X last returned to some of Billboard’s busiest albums charts, the South Korean boy band is back. The group launches its latest project, Unfold, on two tallies, where the set becomes a top performer and a bestseller. The troupe enjoys its best frame ever on one ranking, and at the same time its worst on the only other roster on which Unfold arrives in a very odd and specific showing on the charts in America.
Monsta X’s Unfold Brings the Band to a New Sales Peak
On this week’s Top Album Sales chart, Monsta X nearly hits No. 1 for the first time, but instead, the group’s Unfold arrives in the runner-up space. That’s a new high for the K-pop act, and Unfold beats the No. 3 peak that both All About Luv and The Dreaming settled into less than a year apart from one another. All together, the boy band has seen half a dozen projects land on the tally, and four have climbed into the highest tier.
BTS’s Arirang Blocks Monsta X From No. 1
One K-pop favorite blocks another on the Top Album Sales chart this week. BTS leads the charge once again with Arirang, its first full-length in years. That project debuted atop the tally three frames back, and it has not vacated the penthouse since then. As of this period, Arirang ties with Be for the honor of being BTS’s longest-running No. 1 on the Top Album Sales ranking.
BTS Outpaces Monsta X Several Times Over
While BTS and Monsta X may sit side-by-side on the Top Album Sales chart, the race to the No. 1 spot was not a close one. In its third period of availability, Arirang sold another 71,100 copies between physical formats and digital downloads. Unfold, the highest-ranking debut this time around, kicks off its time at No. 2 with a little more than 18,200 albums purchased. BTS outsold Monsta X’s latest nearly four times over.
Monsta X’s Unfold Misses the Top 40 on the Billboard 200
At the same time that Unfold helps Monsta X establish a new career high on the Top Album Sales chart, it also marks a never-before-seen low for the vocal outfit on the Billboard 200, the all-encompassing ranking of the most-consumed albums and EPs in the U.S. Unfold narrowly misses out on launching inside the top 40 as it kicks off its time at No. 41. Unfold moved a total of 19,200 copies between purchases and streaming activity, according to Luminate, with less than 1,000 of those units coming from anything other than sales.
Monsta X Hits a Career Low on the Billboard 200
Monsta X misses the top 40 on the Billboard 200 for the first time ever. The group has scored a total of four appearances on the 200-space register, and Unfold is the worst performer of the bunch.
Last year, the group’s The X EP came in at No. 31, where it spent a single frame before disappearing from the roster entirely. For more than six months, that held as the boy band’s all-time low, but that is no longer the case.
So far, Monsta X has claimed just one top 10 smash. All About Luv launched at No. 5 in February of 2020. The following year, The Dreaming helped the group double its appearances on the list when it entered at No. 21 during Christmas week of 2021.
Monsta X’s Fans Love to Buy – But Who Is Streaming?
A few things are clear by looking at how Monsta X’s Unfold performed in its first tracking week in America. The group’s fans are still very eager to purchase anything shared by the K-pop musicians. In fact, sales appear to be trending upward – or at least positioning on the sales chart.
What’s also obvious, considering the consumption numbers, is that Monsta X’s following is dedicated and willing to open their wallets, but it doesn’t look like there is a huge interest outside of that community. If that had been the case, Unfold would have performed better on the Billboard 200, or at least as well as some past efforts from the singers.
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