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Jimin's MUSE Hits 85 Weeks on Billboard: The Record No K-Pop Solo Album Has Touched
HITKULTR
March 13, 2026
There’s a certain point where a chart run stops being impressive and starts being historic. For Jimin, that point was somewhere around week 60. Now at 85 consecutive weeks on Billboard’s World Albums chart, his sophomore solo album MUSE has officially become the longest-charting K-pop solo album in the chart’s history. First and only. No asterisks needed.
The album, released July 19, 2024, debuted at the top and has refused to leave. As of the chart dated March 12, 2026, MUSE sits at #23 on World Albums. For context: Jimin spent the bulk of this run serving his mandatory military service, enlisting in December 2023 and being discharged on June 11, 2025. No concerts. No variety show appearances. No Instagram lives. Just streaming numbers that kept proving the fanbase wasn’t going anywhere.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Let’s talk about what 85 weeks actually means. MUSE has now topped the World Albums chart eight separate times. Combined with his debut solo album FACE (which peaked at #1 five times and spent 63 weeks on the chart), Jimin has hit #1 on World Albums 13 times as a solo artist. That’s more than most acts achieve as groups.
The title track “Who” is pulling its own weight. As of early March 2026, the song has spent 83+ weeks on Billboard’s Global (Excluding U.S.) chart, making it the longest-charting K-pop solo song on that metric. It’s also still climbing: 150 million YouTube views on the music video as of March 7, 2026, with no signs of slowing.
What makes this remarkable isn’t just longevity. It’s the consistency during what should be a promotional dead zone. Most artists see their numbers cliff-dive the moment they stop actively pushing content. Jimin’s numbers suggest the opposite: a catalog that’s genuinely become part of listeners’ rotations, not just a first-week spike that fades.
The Military Service Factor
Here’s what the skeptics always miss about BTS solo releases: they’re not riding a group hype cycle. Jimin enlisted in December 2023, and the vast majority of MUSE’s 85-week run happened with its creator largely off the grid. No teaser content. No surprise drops. Nothing but the music itself and a fanbase that treats streaming like a team sport.
This isn’t unprecedented for BTS members in general, but the scale is. Jin’s solo work charted respectably during his service. J-Hope’s Jack in the Box held steady. But 85 weeks? That’s a different conversation entirely. It suggests MUSE crossed over from “fan-supported album” to “genuinely sticky release” somewhere along the way.
Year-End Recognition
Billboard’s year-end charts tell the same story from a different angle. MUSE ranked #11 on World Albums for 2024 and jumped to #3 for 2025. FACE placed #5 in 2023. That’s three consecutive years of Jimin appearing in the top tier of year-end World Albums rankings.
On the World Album Artist year-end chart, the trajectory is even cleaner: #7 in 2023, #6 in 2024, #5 in 2025. Each year a step higher. Each year achieved largely without active promotion.
What Comes Next
Jimin was discharged from mandatory military service on June 11, 2025, alongside fellow BTS member Jungkook. The full group has since reunited, with HYBE confirming new collective activity in 2026. The question now isn’t whether he’ll return to music. It’s what happens when an artist with this kind of passive chart dominance starts actively promoting again.
For now, 85 weeks stands as the number to beat. It’s a record that says something not just about Jimin’s appeal, but about what K-pop solo careers can look like when the music itself does the work.
