South Korean singer-songwriter IU (real name: Lee Ji-eun) makes a triumphant return to Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated April 22) at No. 1, securing her position as the top emerging act in the U.S. for the first time. This achievement is largely due to her recent hit collaboration with Agust D (the musical alter ego of BTS member Suga), titled “People Pt.2.”
Released on April 7, “People Pt.2” sold a remarkable 18,000 downloads in the U.S. within its opening week, according to Luminate. Consequently, the song has skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales, Rap Digital Song Sales, and World Digital Song Sales charts. It also debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 24 on the Billboard Global 200.
Having appeared on Billboard’s charts for over a decade, IU first made her presence known in December 2011 when her single “You & I” debuted and peaked at No. 3 on World Digital Song Sales. “People Pt.2” marks her 11th top 10 on the chart and second No. 1, following her successful collaboration with Suga on “Eight” in May 2020.
Additionally, “People Pt.2” earns IU her 21st career entry on World Digital Song Sales, further extending her record for the most among female soloists. In terms of all solo acts, she now ties with Burna Boy and another BTS member, RM, for the fifth-most, trailing behind Wizkid (28), Jay Park (25), Davido and TAEYEON (24 each). BTS, as a group, leads all acts with a staggering record of 146 entries.
The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, utilizing the same formula as the comprehensive 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.
