SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JANUARY 05: BTS arrives at the photo call for the 34th Golden Disc Awards on … [+] January 05, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by THE FACT/Imazins via Getty Images)
ImaZins via Getty Images
After teasing fans for what may have felt like forever (to them) with hints that a new project of some kind was coming, BTS member Suga unveiled his sophomore solo mixtape D-2 just over a week ago. The project, released under his Agust D alter ego, was quickly snapped up by listeners around the world, and it has immediately become not just a successful title for the musician, but one of historic importance.
In the U.K., the new mixtape makes history thanks to its lofty debut on the albums chart, and Agust D, or Suga, manages something no other artist from his country has before.
D-2 debuts on the U.K. albums chart at No. 7 this week, giving Suga his first top 10 title without his bandmates. In fact, this isn’t just a special placement for the artist, but for all South Korean acts, as D-2 is now the first album performed primarily in Korean to break into the loftiest tier across the pond.
Looking beyond just the top 10, it appears that D-2 is the first Korean-language project from a solo musician to reach the albums chart in the U.K. and find space anywhere. There are a number of groups that have now placed titles on the list, but it doesn’t look like any musicians operating on their own have managed to do so.
BTS continues to lead the way when it comes to the most charting albums, as they have now sent seven different projects onto the tally, with three breaking into the top 10 and two working their way to the penthouse for at least one stay. Only two other artists who perform primarily in Korean, Blackpink and Pinkfong, have also been able to place a title onto the ranking.
A number of South Korean musicians releasing music on their own have charted singles in the U.K., but none have followed those wins with full-lengths of any sort that racked up enough streams and sales to find a home on the most important ranking of albums in the country, at least not yet.
Suga, or Agust D, may be the first to break this barrier, but he surely won’t be the last artist from South Korea to appear on the chart.
