Jimin scores highest UK chart appearance by solo BTS member
'Like Crazy' went in at eight last week (March 31)
By Joe Goggins
Jimin has achieved the highest UK chart appearance by a BTS member to date, with ‘Like Crazy’ going in at number eight.
The singer has become the second member of the Korean megastars to have a solo hit on the UK charts, after J-hope’s collaboration with J. Cole, ‘On the Street’, squeezed into the Top 40 in 37th position last month. Jimin followed that by reaching number 30 with ‘Set Me Free Pt. 2’, the first single from his debut solo EP, Face, and has now cracked the top ten with ‘Like Crazy’.
Ed Sheeran went top of the singles rundown with ‘Eyes Closed’. Jimin adds ‘Like Crazy’ to the four top ten UK singles he’s enjoyed with BTS: ‘Dynamite’, ‘Butter’ and the Coldplay collaboration ‘My Universe’ all went to number three, while ‘Life Goes On’ peaked at ten.
The seven-piece are currently going their separate ways as they take a break from the band to enable them to complete compulsory military duty, as all Korean men must before the age of 35. Their label, Big Hit, confirmed that all seven members would be conscripted in a statement released after a huge show in Busan last October. “After the phenomenal concert to support Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030 and as each member embarks on solo endeavours,” Big Hit said in a statement, “it’s the perfect time, and the members of BTS are honoured to serve.”
Jin, the group’s oldest member, became the first to enlist in December of last year, the same month he turned 30. J-hope followed him by signing up in February of this year, after initially having requested to postpone his duty. A reunion is planned for the year after next, with Big Hit, saying “both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment”.
Jimin, meanwhile, has enjoyed a positive critical response to Face, with Rolling Stone saying of the six-track release: “Jimin’s processed yelps depict his agitation in a way that implies he wants to break out of any boxes in which he might be placed—and this twisty, yet hooky EP is his first step toward doing so.”