In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, here's a look back at some of the major strides Asian artists have made in chart history, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
While Asian artists have long been pioneers in contemporary music, a Advertising sign Chart achievement can be career-defining, a reflection of individual commercial success and a symbol of further steps taken in world music. As the industry standard for measuring an artist's influence, the Billboard charts have included superstars like BTS and BLACKPINK setting new standards for Asian artists in recent years — though the global rise of K-pop doesn't tell the complete history of Asian music breaking out. in North America. The first Hot 100 chart-topper by an Asian artist happened decades earlier, and other artists made significant strides about a decade before K-pop fully became a mainstream phenomenon in the late 2010s.
Make no mistake: Asian artists still have an uphill battle when it comes to buzz on charts that mostly feature songs and albums by Western musicians. Working to conform to music industry standards, overcome stereotypes, and convey genuine musical vision, the artists on this list broke down barriers despite setbacks and opposition. They also caused waves of change by representing various Asian communities, including the AAPI community, showing the world all the groundbreaking art (and great success) that Asian artists can achieve.
In honor of AAPI Heritage Month in May, we're highlighting 10 major achievements by Asian artists in Billboard chart history. While this is hardly an exhaustive list that includes every notable chart achievement, these 10 stand out as major triumphs in sound and style. From CL's solo debut to GOT7's multiple W World Albums, these artists helped pave the way for future generations of Asian and AAPI musicians.
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Kyu Sakamoto's 'Sukiyaki' tops the Hot 100 (1963)
The Billboard Hot 100 was launched in August 1958, and almost every high-ranking song on the chart was sung in English in its early years. Enter Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto's romantic ballad 'Sukiyaki', the anglicised version of the original title 'Ue O Muite Arukou', meaning 'I look up as I walk'. The single topped the chart in the summer of 1963 as the first non-European song to reach No. 1. “Sukiyaki” held the top spot for a total of three weeks, but its catchy melody and cultural significance remained for decades — was the only song by an Asian artist to top the Hot 100 as of 2020.
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Wonder Girls' “Nobody” is the first K-pop song to enter the Hot 100 (2009)
Although it's hard to imagine mainstream music without K-pop today, the Wonder Girls marked the beginning of the global rise of the sound through an all-English version of their hit, “Nobody.” In 2009, their track hit the Hot 100 and peaked at No. 76, introducing their slick production and sleek sound to new audiences — and helping to change the commercial fortunes of Korean music on a global scale.
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PSY's “Gangnam Style” becomes first top 10 smash by a South Korean artist (2012)
In 2012, PSY's “Gangnam Style” exploded off of YouTube and hit the pop charts with a seismic force no one could have predicted. The viral track broke into the mainstream through its majestic hooks and meme-worthy “horsey dance” choreography in its music video, which became the first of its kind to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. “Gangnam Style” spent 31 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 2 in October 2012, and has endured as PSY's trademark global hit — though he scored another Top 100 hit, “Gentleman,” in 2013.
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CL Gets “Lifted” as First South Korean Female Solo Artist on Hot 100 (2016)
After debuting as the fearless leader of 2NE1, Chaelin Lee, aka CL, followed her first English-language independent single “Lifted” to No. 94 on the Hot 100 in 2016, making her the first female Korean soloist to reach the chart. The confident track paid homage to Wu-Tang Clan's “Method Man” in its chorus and generally portrayed CL as a crossover star, with a music video shot in New York City and Method Man himself joining in on the fun in the visuals of.
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Pikotaro's “PPAP” Hits the Hot 100 in Less than a Minute (Literally) (2016)
Daimaou Kosaka, also known by his comedian alter ego Pikotaro, composed a silly song called 'PPAP', short for 'Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen', and posted it on his YouTube channel in August 2016. The innovative jingle is only 45 seconds old — but it was discovered and transformed into an Internet sensation after Justin Bieber tweeted the song as his “favorite video on the Internet” in September. “PPAP” reached the Hot 100 shortly after, peaking at No. 77 and remaining on the chart for four weeks. it remained the shortest song in the chart's history for a few years, until Kid Cudi's 2020 track “Beautiful Trip” clocked in at just 37 seconds.
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BTS's 'Dynamite' Makes History at No.1 (2020)
While 2020 was a memorable year for many K-pop acts, BTS set a record. After crashing into the top 10 in previous years, their infectious single 'Dynamite' went straight to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in September 2020, making BTS the first South Korean act to ever top the chart. The superstar septet's first all-English single spent 3 non-consecutive weeks at the top, but “Dynamite” was just one piece of their huge year: before the end of 2020, BTS had also reached No. 1 as a guest on Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo's 'Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)' again with their own single, 'Life Goes On'.
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BLACKPINK's Rosé's 'On the Ground' Becomes Highest Charting Song by Korean Female Soloist (2021)
Following in CL's footsteps as a member of a K-pop girl group to build on her own, BLACKPINK's Rosé released her solo track “On the Ground” in 2021, with a raucous tune that stood out from BLACKPINK's usual sound . The track peaked at No. 70 on the Hot 100, making her debut song the highest-charting single by a Korean female soloist prior to the release of her solo work, R, in 2021.
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Joji's “Glimpse of Us” Scores First Top 10 Debut for Asian Solo Act on Hot 100 (2022)
Joji's career has been building to a major hit since the release of “Glimpse of Us” from his third studio album. Shivers — and the emotional track debuted at No. 10 in June 2022, peaking at No. 8 a month later. Its early success can be largely attributed to TikTok, where users created countless videos to the chorus, though “Glimpse of Us” also found a sizable streaming audience outside of the app. His track marked the first top 10 debut by an Asian soloist on the Hot 100, and Joji is also the second Japanese artist to reach the top 10, following Kyu Sakamoto in 1963.
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BLACKPINK Gets First Billboard 200 No. 1 for a K-pop girl group (2022)
BLACKPINK's power has helped the quartet set many records across platforms, from being the first artist to reach 75 million YouTube subscribers in June 2022 to the first Asian act to headline Coachella in 2023. In September 2022, however, the band made history on the Billboard 200 album chart when their second project Born Pink debuted at No. 1, making BLACKPINK the first K-pop girl group to top the chart. The upbeat “Hard to Love” and the addictive “Pink Venom” on the record's eight track list contributed to the album's global success and have since garnered hundreds of millions of streams.
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GOT7 sets the World Albums chart record among K-pop acts
With a whopping 19 entries on the World Albums chart, the multi-continental K-pop septet has remained prolific and earned consistent appreciation from global listeners. Out of 19, GOT7 has 15 top 10 projects and four top charts, including I got it? EP in 2014 and Flight Log: Turbulence in 2016. Although GOT7 left JYP Entertainment in 2021, their syncopated, lively sound continues to be beloved by fans worldwide, and the group scored a top 10 debut with their self-titled project in 2022.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/asian-artists-billboard-chart-achievements-bts-psy-blackpink/