Ed Sheeran confirms BTS collab "Permission to Dance"

The #Hot100 top 10 (chart dated July 3, 2021)

— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) June 28, 2021

Pop sensations BTS conquered the Billboard charts yet again.

The music publication announced on Tuesday that the South Korean group's global hit “Butter” topped the Hot 100 chart for the fifth consecutive week.

According to MRC Data, the dance-pop track drew 12.4 million U.S. streams, sold 128,400 in the week ending June 24, and raked in 27.6 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending June 27.

The additional frame extended the song's reign as the longest-running hit by an Asian act on the coveted list. Among the 54 titles that have opened at No. 1, "Butter" is just the 11th to spend at least its first five weeks at the top.

Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day," which spent its first 16 weeks on the rankings at No. 1 from 1995-1996, is currently the only chart-topper by a group that surpasses the streak of "Butter."

After the catchy summer anthem boasted another week of massive sales, it was unsurprising that BTS also snagged the No. 1 spot on the Digital Song Sales chart. Compared to the previous period, purchases this week, comprising of digital downloads of the original track as well as its instrumental version and three remixes ("Hotter," "Sweeter," and "Cooler" reworks), increased by 15 percent.

Physical copies of the record, a vinyl single and the cassette single, originally scheduled to be included in this frame's tally, will instead be counted for the following week's charts (dated July 10), due to a change in shipping schedules.

"Butter" is the first track in the US to clinch over 700,000 downloads and the only song to have sold at least 100,000 in each of its first five weeks in the US in 2021.

The dance-pop is also the first song to churn out more than 100,000 copies in each of its first five weeks of release since Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" in 2017.

The only other track that beat the record of "Butter" is Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," featuring Justin Bieber, which netted over 100,000 for 12 consecutive weeks in 2017.

The Global Excl. U.S. top 10 (chart dated July 3, 2021)

— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) June 28, 2021

Apart from the US, "Butter" continued to rule the charts across the world. The smash hit again snagged the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Global 200 Exl U.S chart, a ranking that measures the most popular songs in 200 territories.

On the other hand, the music video of "Butter," which earned 79.4 million streams during the tracking period, landed its fifth week at No. 1 on the Global YouTube songs chart.

BTS is set to drop a CD single of "Butter," along with a new song, speculated to be titled "Permission to Dance" on July 9, in celebration of ARMY Day.

"Permission to Dance" first made rounds on social media when Universal Music Japan accidentally leaked the tracklist of the upcoming CD single of "Butter."

While Big Hit Music has not yet named the new material, the first group concept photo of BTS the label uploaded, where a card with the phrase "Permission to Dance" is seen, offered a hint.

Ed Sheeran via Instagram Story

“I’d say my favorite BTS song is their new song, Permission to Dance.”@edsheeran @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/g9rBGIJIhY

— BTS Charts & Translations⁷ (@charts_k) June 28, 2021

Meanwhile, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who had recently written a piece for the South Koreans, shared on his Instagram story Q&A that his favorite BTS track is "their new song 'Permission to Dance.'"

It was unclear, however, if the upcoming title was written by the "Bad Habits" singer.

When asked by a fan if he is a BTS songwriter, he simply answered "Yes. New song coming soon."

Big Hit Music further teased ARMY for the forthcoming song and physical CD late Monday night by releasing the second set of themed concept photos.

The pictures featured a handcuffed RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, posing for mugshots against a vibrant orange backdrop with different pulse rates, sporting black outfits, and holding placards similar to the ones they had in the "Butter" music video.