SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JANUARY 08: Girl group (G)I-DLE attend the 9th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on … [+]
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Beloved Hawaiian singer Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’Ole is back at No. 1 on this week’s World Digital Song Sales chart with his unstoppable track “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” which has become a time-tested smash that rarely if ever vanishes from the ranking. The cut has now spent an incredible 333 turns in the spotlight, more than any other title in the history of the tally.
While the top spot may be occupied by a longtime favorite, this week’s World Digital Song Sales chart is refreshed in a way that hasn’t been seen in months, as there are 10 brand new tunes on the list this time around, as well as two that return to the ranking after falling off.
10 new entrants wouldn’t be a headline maker for many lists, such as the Hot 100 (two musicians land double-digit placements this time around on their own), but it is an impressive turnover for a ranking that only features 25 spots.
South Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together, known to their fans as TXT (though Billboard labels their music under their full moniker) do most of the work when it comes to refreshing the list, as they debut half a dozen brand new cuts on the chart. Every track featured on their new EP The Dream Chapter: Eternity makes its way to the roster at once, giving them control over more spaces than any other name.
This time around, both Tomorrow X Together and Kamakawiwo’Ole manage to claim two rungs inside the top 10.
Fellow South Korean group NCT 127 push a pair of just released tracks onto the new World Digital Song Sales chart, proving their popularity once more. The tunes are featured on the reissued version of their recent successful album Neo Zone, known as Neo Zone: The Final Round.
Two other acts send one track apiece to the World Digital Song Sales chart, bringing the total number of debuts to 10. New at No. 15 is Bear McCreery and Raya Yarbough’s “Outlander: The Sky Boat Song,” which is a modern re-recording of a Scottish folk song that’s featured in the TV show Outlander. Close to the bottom of the new ranking, South Korean girl group (G)I-dle start their track “Latata” at No. 22, giving them another appearance on the list.
In addition to the 10 brand new releases that find their way to the World Digital Song Sales chart upon arrival, two other popular tunes, Kamakawiwo’Ole cover of “What a Wonderful World” and the Gipsy Kings’ “Bamboleo,” reappear at Nos. 8 and 23, respectively.
It’s rare to see so many spots on the relatively short World Digital Song Sales chart feature brand new releases, though this type of showing certainly has occurred before. When BTS launched their most recent album Map of the Soul: 7 just a few months ago, they occupied 21 of the 25 available spaces, including the entirety of the top 10.
Source: Forbes Business
