IU Rules Emerging Artists Chart, Thanks to Agust D Collab ‘People Pt.2’

South Korean singer-songwriter IU (real name: Lee Ji-eun) re-enters Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated April 22) at No. 1, becoming the top emerging act in the U.S. for the first time, thanks to her new hit with Agust D (BTS member Suga‘s musical alter ego), “People Pt.2.”

The song, released April 7, sold 18,000 downloads in the U.S. in its opening week, according to Luminate. It launches at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales, Rap Digital Song Sales and World Digital Song Sales charts. It also starts at No. 16 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 24 on the Billboard Global 200.

IU has appeared on Billboard’s charts for over a decade. She first appeared on a listing in December 2011, when her single “You & I” debuted and peaked at No. 3 on World Digital Song Sales. “People Pt.2.” is her 11th top 10 on the chart and second No. 1, after “Eight,” featuring Suga, in May 2020.

“People Pt.2” also earns IU her 21st career entry on World Digital Song Sales, extending her record for the most among female soloists. Among all solo acts, she ties Burna Boy and another BTS member, RM, for the fifth-most, after Wizkid (28), Jay Park (25), Davido and TAEYEON (24 each). BTS leads all acts with a record 146.

The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.

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