"So proud of them" - Fans celebrate as Stray Kids breaks tie with BTS to become the K-pop artist with most No. 1 albums on Billboard 200

Stray Kids have achieved their seventh number-one position on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the release of KARMA. According to Billboard, the album debuted at the top of the chart dated September 6, 2025.

The album garnered 313,000 album-equivalent units in the United States for the week ending August 28. Of this total, 296,000 were from pure album sales according to Luminate. This made it the third-largest weekly sales of 2025. The remaining units included 1,000 track-equivalent albums and 23.12 million on-demand streams

This achievement extends Stray Kids’ record of having all 7 of their Billboard 200 entries debut at No. 1. As per Billboard, this streak began with Stray Kids’ sixth extended play, ODDINARY, back in 2022. In 2024, their first mixtape HOP debuted at the top, and the group became the first act in the chart’s 69-year history to have their first six entries enter at No. 1.

With KARMA achieving their seventh chart-topping album, Stray Kids established themselves as the group with the highest number of No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 since 2000. This accomplishment enabled them to surpass groups such as Linkin Park and BTS, each of which has secured six No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.

KARMA also became the 29th non-English-language album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. It became the second album to do so in 2025, following Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language release Debí Tirar Más Fotos.

Fans of Stray Kids were quick to share their excitement and pride on social media following Stray Kids’ historic achievement on the Billboard 200. They expressed pride and admiration for the group’s continued success. Several hashtags quickly began trending worldwide, such as #StrayKids_7thBB200No1 #KARMA_Billboard200_No1.

"I'm just so proud of them," commented a fan.

Several fans took to social media immediately to congratulate the group on this latest achievement.

STAYs from all over celebrated Stray Kids’ seventh Billboard 200 No. 1, praising the group's music.

Stray Kids’ KARMA tops charts globally, becomes best-selling K-pop album of 2025

Stray Kids dropped their fourth Korean studio album, KARMA, on August 22, 2025, under JYP Entertainment and Republic Records. This album marks the group's first full-length Korean album since 5-Star (2023). KARMA followed their 2024 extended play, Ate.

The album comprises 11 songs, totaling an overall duration of 32 minutes and 2 seconds. The group’s 3Racha subunit, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, was involved in writing all the songs. They wrote songs with producers such as DallasK, Jun2, Millionboy, Ronnie Icon, and Versachoi.

With a sports-inspired theme, KARMA captures the growth, success, and development of the group. The lyrics of the album explore hope, perseverance, adversity, self-reflection, and individual and collective success.

The lead track, "Ceremony," is a blend of EDM, trap, and baile funk, with lyrics that celebrate success through perseverance and triumph over adversity. The full track listing for KARMA is as follows:

Bleep (삐처리)
Ceremony
Creed
Mess (엉망)
In My Head
Half Time (반전)
Phoenix
Ghost
0801
Ceremony (Festival version)
Ceremony (English version)

KARMA achieved significant commercial success. On Spotify, too, the album garnered 18.26 million streams within a day, setting a record for K-pop albums in 2025. The album sold more than 2 million copies on its first day, according to the Hanteo Chart.

The album's sales figure reached 3.03 million during the first week, making it the best-selling album in South Korea for 2025. KARMA debuted at number 1 for August 17–23, 2025, on the Circle Album Chart with 2,277,910 copies.

Its Nemo edition topped at number two with 223,267 copies. The album was also successful internationally. It charted in the number one position in nations such as the United States, Austria, Belgium, France, and Germany. It also made it to the top five in Australia, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.

About the author

Adrija Chakraborty is a writer at Sportskeeda with a Master's degree in English literature, which provided her with a strong foundation in research, analysis, and writing. Currently, she covers all things K-drama trends. In school, Adrija served as an editor for her school magazine and has published many stories that received delightful responses.

Adrija's passion for pop culture, especially K-pop and K-dramas, developed during her university years. Writing blog posts and articles on these topics, which received positive feedback, helped her build a portfolio and opened doors to opportunities in the pop culture writing industry. This also allowed her to combine her academic background with her love for K-pop and K-dramas.

Accuracy is key for Adrija, and she maintains this by thoroughly researching and cross-verifying information from multiple credible sources.

Adrija loves BTS, whom she admires not only for their music but also for their resilience, passion, and dedication.
In her free time, Adrija enjoys watching K-dramas, reading books in different languages on various topics, singing, painting, and cooking.

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Edited by Meghna