News: Billboard – “2NE1’s K-Pop Hit ‘I Am the Best’ Gains Spins at U.S. Radio Stations”

2NE1’s K-Pop Hit ‘I Am the Best’ Gains Spins at U.S. Radio Stations

New York and Boston stations have adopted the Korean banger into their playlists.

2NE1‘s “I Am the Best” continues making impressions in America as it begins picking up spins on stateside radio.

In the week ending Oct. 19, the electronic/hip-hop hybrid single was played 24 times on WBMP New York and 14 times on WODS Boston. Both stations published accompanying articles on their respective websites about the band and “I Am the Best,” with WODS Boston telling readers to listen for the song on air.

The airplay comes just two weeks after “I Am the Best” earned its best sales week yet in America (6,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan) and topping Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart — a first for a Korean act other than PSY. “Best” is currently at No. 2 on the chart after selling 3,000 copies in the week ending Oct. 12. The single pushed another 3,000 the prior week.

“Best” originally began its upward climb after being used in a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet laptop ad, doing what any good sync should do and helping its accompanying music grow past its ad-watching audience.

The radio play of a non-English song, other than PSY, is particularly exciting for K-pop fans not to mention general world music fans. It’s also a major win for 2NE1 given the quartet’s strong appeal in the United States: The group featured on will.i.am’s #willpower album, was Korea’s first female act to hold stadium shows in America and just last week member CL announced plans to push a solo career stateside with Scooter Braun.

Stay tuned to Billboard’s K-Town column for more 2NE1 chart moves.

Credits: Billboard