BTS Earn Their Second Gold Record In The U.K. With ‘Map Of The Soul: Persona’

As their first-ever top 10 single “Dynamite” dips from No. 3 to No. 13 (still an impressive placement for the track’s second turn on the tally), BTS has been handed another honor in the U.K., one which they have only managed once before in their time as superstars in the country.

BTS’s album Map of the Soul: Persona has just recently been named a gold title in the U.K., with the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) certifying it just this past Friday (September 4). 

In the U.K., albums are eligible for gold status after they shift at least 100,000 equivalent units. The awards start at silver, which is granted after 60,000 equivalent units have been moved. Platinum kicks in at 300,000.

Map of the Soul: Persona is BTS’s second album to be certified gold in the U.K., and it wasn’t long ago that they collected their first win of this kind. Back in May, the South Korean septet’s Love Yourself: Answer became their first gold title in the country. The set was initially named a silver release last June, and since then, fans haven’t stopped buying or streaming the songs featured on the project, and all that continued attention has helped the effort continue to rack up prizes.

Released last spring, Map of the Soul: Persona topped the U.K. albums chart, making them the first musical act from South Korea to land a No. 1 title in the nation. Since then, they’ve repeated that feat just once, as their newer Korean-language full-length Map of the Soul: 7 also landed atop the all-genre tally when it first arrived.

Map of the Soul: Persona was powered in large part by lead single “Boy With Luv,” which featured American pop singer Halsey. The tune rose to No. 13 on the songs ranking, and it stood as the band’s highest-charting cut in the U.K. until last week, when “Dynamite” opened at No. 3. That smash remains the septet’s sole certified song, as it was named a silver release this past February. 

2020 has been a huge year for BTS when it comes to earning important certifications in the U.K., with this latest honor being their seventh so far. In the past eight months or so, “Boy With Luv” has been certified silver, the albums Love Yourself: Tear, Map of the Soul: 7, Love Yourself: Her and Face Yourself have all gone silver as well and Map of the Soul: Persona and Love Yourself: Answer have advanced to gold.

MORE FROM FORBESBTS Is Having A Huge Year In The U.K. When It Comes To CertificationsBy Hugh McIntyre