BTS Extends 'ARIRANG' Momentum With French Gold Cert for 'SWIM'

BTS has added another Gold certification in France, this time for its single "SWIM." The French recording industry group SNEP confirmed the milestone on its official site on Aug. 25.

According to SNEP, "SWIM," the title track from BTS's fifth studio album "ARIRANG," received Gold certification in the singles category dated Aug. 20. The tier is awarded to songs that reach the equivalent of 15 million streams, based on a combined count of streaming, downloads, and physical sales.

The certification gives BTS its 10th Gold-certified single in France. Earlier titles include "Dynamite," "Butter," "Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)," and "FAKE LOVE."

"SWIM" cleared the threshold about five months after its release. That makes it the second-fastest Gold certification among BTS songs in France, behind "Dynamite," which reached the mark in roughly three months after its Aug. 2020 release and still holds the record as the fastest K-pop song to hit Gold in the country.

The album "ARIRANG" is also holding strong in the market. It earned Gold certification just six days after release, then crossed 100,000 units in about a month to reach Platinum in April. That is a sharp acceleration compared to "MAP OF THE SOUL : 7" and "Proof," which each took about a year and two months to hit the same tier.

The album's run on the Billboard charts is stretching, too. On the Billboard 200 dated Aug. 29, published on Aug. 25 in the U.S., "ARIRANG" sat at No. 24. The album debuted at No. 1 on the April 4 chart, held the top spot for three consecutive weeks, and has now charted for five months. "SWIM" ranked No. 5 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, marking 22 straight weeks in the top five, and placed No. 14 on the Global 200.

BTS is currently on its world tour "ARIRANG," which opened in Goyang in April. The group recently wrapped a stop in Toronto and will meet North American fans in Chicago on Aug. 27 and 28, followed by Los Angeles in September. The tour then heads to Latin America, Asia, and Australia.