Kenshi Yonezu

Courtesy of Billboard Japan

Atop a double-digit list of debuts by international acts on the June 12-dated Billboard global charts, four Japanese and South Korean acts add to their countries' increasingly long list of chart exports.

The week's highest debut on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart is Kenshi Yonezu's "Pale Blue" at No. 48, while it starts on the Billboard Global 200 at No. 134. The song is the theme to the TBS mini-series Rikokatsu (translation: How to Get a Divorce For the Whole Family). It follows Yonezu's "Kanden," which hit No. 46 on the Sept. 19, 2020-dated survey.

It's not uncommon for acts from Japan to make chart hits out of songs associated with TV or film, with LiSA's "Homura" having hit No. 2 on the Global Excl. chart and No. 8 on the Global 200 last October, after it was released alongside Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train.

 

Another Japanese act debuting its second song onto the Global Excl. U.S. chart is One OK Rock, with "Broken Heart of Gold" at No. 66 (and No. 173 on Global 200). The foursome released two versions of the song, one in English and one in Japanese. The same bilingual approach propelled "Renegades" to No. 18 last month.

Two South Korean boy bands make splashes, nearly back to back. Stray Kids arrive at No. 109 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart with "Wolfgang," just above Tomorrow X Together's No. 113 debut for "0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You)," featuring Seori.

Elsewhere, three European acts hit the Global Excl. U.S. chart. Mozznik (Kosovo/Albania) and Loredana (Switzerland) start at No. 146 with the German-language "Rosenkrieg"; Måneskin (Italy) debuts at No. 157 with "Coraline"; and Aya Nakamura (France/Mali) makes her fourth visit with "Bobo" at No. 186.

"Coraline" is one of three songs by Måneskin on this week's ranking, the most that an Italian act has simultaneously charted. Its 2021 Eurovision Song Contest-winning "Zitti E Buoni" is the first Italian-language song to grace the top 10, as it lifts 11-10, up 6% to 31.5 million streams outside the U.S., according to MRC Data. Plus, "I Wanna Be Your Slave" soars 73-21, up 114% to 23.4 million streams.

T.I. has been hinting at his supposed final album Kill The King for quite some time, and it now feels like that moment is getting closer. He recently posted a clip showing himself cutting off his dreadlocks while previewing a new track produced by Pharrell Williams, which has since been released as “Let Em Know.” The song comes across as tough and rhythm driven, tapping into the kind of bounce that has defined much of the Atlanta rapper’s strongest work over the years. It might not fully persuade everyone that he is operating at his absolute peak, but there is no denying the confidence and personality he brings to the instrumental, riding it with an easy swagger and infectious momentum. Now the focus turns to what T.I. ultimately delivers with this farewell project, which fans are hoping arrives sooner rather than later.   

Release Date: January 18, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: Kill The King

Quotable Lyrics from Let Em Know

Big dog, all we get is bread, I ain't never scared,
Big flex on a n***a head, what I'm standing on?
Business, big check, we done did that,
Pushing whips back, better give me respect and some more

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