LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Olivia Rodrigo attends the World Premiere of Disney's ... [+]
As The Weeknd makes a serious play for the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s ranking of the most popular songs in the world with not one, but two tracks, Olivia Rodrigo keeps him at bay with what is turning out to be the hottest single of the year. By holding him off and remaining atop the Billboard Global 200 yet again, the singer beats a record set not long ago by the biggest band on the planet.
Rodrigo is steady at No. 1 for a seventh week on the Billboard Global 200, the charting company’s weekly list of the most-consumed songs in the world, which looks at both sales and streaming metrics. She rules again with “Drivers License,” which has been the longest-running leader on the recently-established tally for a while, but now the woman behind the tune makes history on the new ranking (it was only introduced in mid-2020) in another manner.
With seven weeks at No. 1, Rodrigo breaks out of a tie for the most frames spent atop the Billboard Global 200 among all acts. Last time around, the teen sensation matched BTS for the most turns in first place, with six apiece. Now, she’s blown past the K-pop favorites, at least for the time being.
BTS managed their half-dozen weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with three different hit singles, while Rodrigo has thus far only scored one, but it’s the biggest leader yet.
The seven-member vocal band landed the second-ever champion on the Billboard Global 200 last October when their smash “Dynamite” wasted no time going right to No. 1. That track dipped away from the peak position after one turn in first place, then it returned to the summit for another two stints in a row later that same month. After weeks away from the spotlight, “Dynamite” again hit No. 1 in January, collecting its fourth stay in the penthouse.
In between their first two runs at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with “Dynamite,” BTS became the first act to land a second leader on the tally when they joined Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo on the international behemoth "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)." That song, which benefited greatly from a remixed version which featured BTS, vaulted to the summit for one spell.
In December, BTS collected their third No. 1 hit on the Billboard Global 200 with “Life Goes On,” which also became the first predominantly Korean-language leader. That cut also only held on for a single frame before falling down the ranking.
While BTS may have been pushed to second place on the list of musicians who have spent the most time at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, they might be able to catch up. Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is likely to continue running the show for some time to come, but BTS stand a good chance at returning to the peak spot whenever they have a new single to promote, as their fans aren’t just dedicated, they know how to work the charts and send their favorites to No. 1.
