BTS’s ‘Life Goes On’ Is Projected To Become Their Third No. 1 Hit On The Billboard Hot 100

As BTS’s new album BE races toward a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, single “Life Goes On” is poised for a similar fate, on track to bow atop the Billboard Hot 100, according to Chart Data. 

“Life Goes On” serves as the lead single off BE and its second single overall, behind this summer’s chart-topping “Dynamite.” If the contemplative pop-rap ballad debuts at No. 1, it will grant BTS their third consecutive No. 1 hit behind “Dynamite” and a remix of Jawsh685 and Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat).” 

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More impressively, “Life Goes On” would mark BTS’s first solo track performed in Korean to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. The superstar pop septet broke tradition by performing “Dynamite” completely in English. Previously, the group’s highest-charting solo Korean hit was Map of the Soul: 7’s “ON,” which debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 in February.

If “Life Goes On” debuts at No. 1, it will also be doing so with virtually no radio play. Journalist Brian Byrne tweeted that the song received a paltry 28 spins from Sunday through Thursday. By contrast, “Dynamite” became the group’s first Top 10 radio hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Pop Songs chart thus far. 

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In lieu of radio support, “Life Goes On” will benefit largely from traditional sales, as do all BTS singles. As of Thursday, the song had sold over 100,000 units in the United States, according to Chart Data. The track has hit No. 1 on iTunes several times this week, and the “Life Goes On” limited edition cassette and vinyl singles have sold out on the group’s website. 

“Life Goes On” enjoyed an impressive streaming debut as well, reaching No. 7 on U.S. Spotify and No. 3 on global Spotify. Its music video also earned the fifth-largest 24-hour music debut on YouTube with 71.6 million first-day views. 

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Meanwhile, BTS’s BE is projected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 260,000-290,000 album-equivalent units.