Kris Wu recently made noise and hit the headlines when his new album, "Antares," topped the US iTunes charts, surpassing the likes of Ariana Grande. Some fans questioned the 28-year-old star's achievements, assuming he manipulated the chart. But, there are reports that a difference in fan cultures fueled the misunderstanding.
Kris Wu managed to climb the US iTunes album chart's number one spot upon "Antares" release on November 2. Seven of his tracks also dominated the US iTunes Top 10 Songs chart. Three of his songs even topped Ariana Grande's newly released track, "Thank U, Next," which seated at the fourth spot, which quickly ignited a debate among the two singers' fans on social media.
Kris Wu is relatively famous in China, but he remains to be unknown in North America. So, fans wondered how he made it to the US iTunes Chart. Some of them accused the former EXO member of using automated bots to boost "Antares" sales.
There were reports that Kris Wu's "Antares" and its songs got removed from the iTunes charts due to alleged manipulation. But, the Chinese-Canadian actor's agency, Universal Music China, denied that accusation, and said in a statement that the figures were "genuine and effective."
In another statement, via Apple Insider, Nielsen Music revealed that it is now investigating the streams' legitimacy. "Billboard and Nielsen Music are working closely to ensure both the accuracy and legitimacy of the sales volumes being reported for Kris Wu this week," it said.
On the other hand, Ariana Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, revealed that he and Kris Wu discussed the issue about the US iTunes Chart. He acknowledged that the sales "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" star's "Antares" was boosted by his Chinese fans' flood of support.
According to Global Times, as "Antares" release in China was moved on a later date, November 6, to celebrate Kris Wu's birthday, his Chinese fans quickly bought the album from the US iTunes store when it went out on November 2. This way, they could get a copy of their idol's LP earlier than others. In fact, the record and his songs' sales dropped when it went out in China.
Kris Wu also defended himself amid the rumors that he manipulated the iTunes charts. "My fans are real people, not robots," he recently said at a panel in San Francisco hosted by California's Hot 103.5 FM radio station. "Because people have never seen a Chinese singer on top of the chart doesn't mean it won't happen."
Some netizens even said that that the controversy about the chart manipulation was a result of the U.S.'s lack of knowledge about Chinese fan culture. A Weibo user even explained that Chinese fans invest to buy multiple copies of their idols' albums and songs as a sign of their support. This misunderstanding just showed the difference between Eastern and Western fan cultures.
