The boy band Stray Kids' latest album "Karma" is its seventh No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a K-pop record. (Screen capture from Billboard's official website)

By Kim Seon Ah

The K-pop boy band Stray Kids has topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for the seventh time with its latest studio album "Karma."

Billboard, the New York-based music and entertainment magazine, on Aug. 31 said the album debuted at No. 1 on the chart, surpassing the soundtrack to the smash Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters."

"Oddinary" (2022) began the group's streak on the Billboard 200, followed by six others like "Maxident," "Ate" and "Hop." Stray Kids thus eclipsed the previous K-pop mark of six No. 1s on the chart held by BTS.

Stray Kids is also the only act in Billboard history to have all of its albums top the Billboard 200.

Billboard said, "All seven of the group's Billboard 200 chart entries have debuted at No. 1, beginning with ODDINARY in 2022. Last year, when HOP debuted atop the list, Stray Kids became the first act to debut at No. 1 with their first six entries in the 69-year history of the chart. With KARMA's arrival, they extend that record."

The Billboard 200 is calculated based on sales of traditional music formats like physical CDs and streaming- (SEA) and track equivalent albums (TEA).

"Karma" sold 313,000 units over the tracking period comprising physical album sales of 296,000, a record high for Stray Kids, SEAs 16,000 and TEAs 1,000.

sofiakim218@korea.kr