BTS rules this week’s Hot Trending Songs chart with their unstoppable hit “Butter,” which earns its tenth stay on the throne this time around. Just behind the boy band comes one of its seven members, Jung Kook, whose solo single “Stay Alive” is the greatest gainer of the frame. The tune bolts from No. 16, where it debuted last period, to the runner-up rung. By shooting straight to No. 2, the track makes history and grabs a record from two of the most successful acts from South Korea.
As “Stay Alive” lifts to No. 2, it instantly becomes the highest-charting hit by a solo male K-pop artist in the history of the Hot Trending Songs chart. Before this week, that honor belonged to two other stars—Got7 member BamBam and Exo’s Kai.
Between those two musicians, Kai reached the No. 3 position first. The artist’s solo single “Peaches” bolted to third place in its second week on the tally after debuting at No. 8. It reached its best placement in mid-December 2021.
Not long after “Peaches” peaked, BamBam scored a second top 10 hit on the Hot Trending Songs chart with “Slow Mo.” Just like Kai’s hit, “Slow Mo” quickly found its way to third place in its second turn on the tally after launching inside the top 10.
While “Stay Alive” is the only track by a solo male K-pop act to peak at No. 2 on the Hot Trending Songs chart, several other cuts by soloists who either aren’t men or who aren't from South Korea have also stalled one rung shy of running the show. Lisa’s “Money,” Mew Suppasit’s “Spaceman” and Dimash Kudaibergen’s “Fly Away” also reached second place at one point or another.
“Stay Alive” marks Jung Kook’s second hit on the Hot Trending Songs chart and his first top 10. In 2021, the BTS talent debuted low on the 20-spot ranking with “Falling,” a cover of Harry Styles’ single of the same name. The original only managed to rise as high as No. 11, and it spent just one frame on the list. Jung Kook’s version stalled at No. 20, in last place, but it helped him become one of a very small number of K-pop soloists to place at all.