Jang Keun-suk single tops Oricon weekly chart

Jang Keun-suk [Tree J. Company]

Korean singer and actor Jang Keun-suk has become the first male artist in 30 years to top Japan's prestigious weekly Oricon chart with his debut single.

According to the results shown on Oricon’s official website, Jang’s single “Let me cry” took the No. 1 spot on the weekly singles chart as of May 9 after selling 119,000 copies of the album since its release on April 27.

This makes Jang the first male solo artist in 30 years and the second in Japanese music history, after J-pop artist Masahiko Kondo, to achieve the feat.

Jang's win on the chart was anticipated -- he topped pre-order charts and the single placed first on Oricon's singles daily chart for two days straight after going on sale.

“I was excited enough to have topped the daily chart but after hearing that I’ve also topped weekly chart as well, I was totally at loss of words at first,” Jang was quoted as saying in the statement. “No. 1 on Oricon weekly chart is an enormous gift from my fans and I will work even harder to repay them with good music.”

His single “Let me cry” includes the title track “Let me cry” and “Bye Bye Bye” which is the theme song to “Suntory Seoul Makgeolli” Korean rice liquor which Jang endorses.

Jang, as one of the hottest Hallyu stars in the Asia region, has been a popular celebrity in Japan since starring in SBS hit series "He's Beautiful" (2009) as the eccentric lead singer of the idol group A.N.JELL. The drama, in fact, was such a hit that it has recently been re-adapted for big screen to be shown in 60 theaters throughout Japan from May 6 to 19.

Having recently completed his performance for 2011 Asia tour “THE CRI SHOW,” in Singapore and Hong Kong, he is currently headed to meet his fans in other Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Shanghai.

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Reporter : Heidi Kim heidikim@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@