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BTS Scores New No. 1s On Multiple Charts With A Months-Old Song
Hollywood & Entertainment BTS Scores New No. 1s On Multiple Charts With A Months-Old Song By Hugh McIntyre ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts. Follow Author Jul 28, 2026, 02:45pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary BTS brings “Normal” back to several U.K. charts following its official single push and music video release, as fans turn the Arirang track into a bestseller. The song reenters at No. 1 on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads charts, giving BTS its seventh leader on the former ranking and eighth on the latter.
A little more than four months ago, BTS finally returned following a years-long hiatus. The group spent months building anticipation for Arirang , though the K-pop boy band did not release any music from the project – not even one song – before the album became available in full.
For much of its promotional campaign, Arirang has been buoyed by lead single “Swim.” More recently, BTS selected “Normal” as the second official cut from the full-length. The track was formally pushed as a single in mid-July and received its own music video.
Fittingly, ARMY — the collection of BTS fans around the world — has turned it into a hit all over again and a bestseller in the United Kingdom. “Normal” returns to multiple rosters in that nation this week, reaching new peaks everywhere it appears and bringing the Grammy-nominated troupe back to the summit on several lists.
“Normal” reenters the Official Singles Sales chart at No. 1, meaning it is currently the bestselling track in the U.K. at the moment across digital and physical formats. The song originally debuted at No. 35 in early April before disappearing. This frame marks only the second time it’s landed on the competitive roster.
“Normal” gives BTS its eighteenth top 10 hit and seventh No. 1 on the list.
Here are all of BTS’s No. 1 hits on the Official Singles Sales chart.
The same smash returns at No. 1 on the Official Singles Downloads chart . It is common for one title to lead both of the U.K.’s purchase-focused songs rankings – though not necessarily always the case – especially when an especially motivated fan base supports a particular song.
“Normal” has also spent only two weeks on the list of the most-downloaded tracks in the country. It debuted in a slightly loftier position on the roster than on the broader sales tally, as it opened at No. 33 back in April.
BTS has racked up eight No. 1s and 19 total top 10s on the Official Singles Downloads tally throughout the years.
Here are all of BTS’s No. 1 hits on the Official Singles Downloads chart.
Thanks to a massive increase in sales, “Normal” also finds its way back to the Official Singles chart. The U.K.’s main songs ranking incorporates both purchases and streams, and the tune’s resurgence across the sales-focused lists helps it return at No. 36.
That position marks a new high for “Normal” and brings it into the top 40 for the first time. The song debuted at No. 74 in April, one week after it first appeared on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads charts, and then quickly disappeared.
“Normal” is the third song from Arirang to reach the top 40 on the Official Singles chart. “Swim” remains the album’s highest-charting track by a wide margin. The lead single peaked at No. 2, nearly giving BTS its first champion on the country’s main songs ranking. As it arrived, the cut brought the band to a new career high, as both “Dynamite” and “Butter” previously stalled at No. 3.
Fan favorite “Body to Body” also reached the top 40 for a short time. That track surged to No. 28.
Somewhat surprisingly, even as “Normal” becomes a bigger hit than ever, Arirang loses ground on every albums ranking on which it appears this week. The full-length lives on four U.K. charts and declines on all of them. It remains inside the top 40 on half of those registers – the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts.
“Swim” also continues to perform well in the U.K. The Arirang lead smash climbs 10 spaces from No. 62 to No. 52 on the Official Physical Singles chart. The track previously reached No. 1 on the format-specific ranking.
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