BLACKPINK’s Lisa & BTS’s Jimin Accused of Cheating? Competing Fiercely on the Charts

After more than a week of releasing new music, the “clash” between BLACKPINK’s Lisa and BTS’s Jimin has reached its most intense phase – competing for ranks on the Billboard charts. As two international powerhouses, Lisa and Jimin’s fans are fiercely streaming to achieve the best results for their idols. On the first day of release, Jimin’s lead single “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” had an edge over Lisa’s “ROCKSTAR,” leading on iTunes and Spotify rankings. But now, the situation has changed.

On the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart, “ROCKSTAR” impressively debuted at #70, helping Lisa break her own record. Meanwhile, “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” landed at #88 on the Hot 100. On Billboard’s two subsidiary charts, “ROCKSTAR” also outperformed Jimin’s lead single, ranking #1 on the Billboard Global 200 Excl. US and #4 on the Billboard Global 200. Meanwhile, “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” only managed to secure #7 on the Billboard Global 200 Excl. US, failing to make the top 10 on the Billboard Global 200.

Jimin’s drop in ranking behind Lisa has sparked much controversy. Previously, “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” set a K-pop record with 6.8 million Spotify streams on its first day. However, the daily streams of the song have since decreased, even falling behind “ROCKSTAR.”

Jimin’s lead single faced much criticism regarding its quality, with many believing “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” failed to generate widespread appeal and remained confined to fan circles. Its high achievements were attributed entirely to fan efforts.

Additionally, the entry of “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” into the Hot 100 after its first week of release raised suspicions of cheating. Many speculated that BTS fans used VPNs to maintain stream counts for the song in the US. According to them, the song reportedly saw an 800,000 daily stream increase in the US, with a total first-week Spotify US stream count of 5.1 million, but ranked low on all 3 Billboard charts. Spotify does not filter data, but Billboard only counts pure streams, causing Jimin to drop in ranking.

Additionally, Lisa was accused of playlisting to boost her achievements, as “ROCKSTAR” was included in over 200 playlists and prioritized in Spotify’s random user playlists. Many users pointed out that even after limiting the song on the platform, “ROCKSTAR” continued to be recommended, disrupting their music listening experience.

Despite the controversies, both Lisa and Jimin achieved impressive milestones with their comebacks. With their large, loyal fanbases, the two top stars continue to demonstrate their unshakable positions in the industry.

Source: K14