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Ariana Grande easily captured Number One, her second trip atop the Billboard 200 in six months, as the singer’s Thank U, Next opened with 360,000 total copies, the best sales of Grande’s career.
Of the 360,000 haul, 116,000 came from traditional album sales, with 228,000 courtesy of streaming equivalent albums (SEAs); Billboard reports that Thank U, Next tallied the most first-week streams ever for a female artist’s album or a pop album.
By comparison, Grande’s Sweetener opened with 231,000 total copies when it debuted at Number One in August 2018. Thank U, Next also marks Grande’s fourth Number One album, following 2013’s Yours Truly, 2014’s My Everything and Sweetener. 2016’s Dangerous Woman peaked at Number Two.
Thank U, Next was the lone new release to impact the Billboard 200’s Top 10, although Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour surged back up to Number Nine and 20,000 total copies sold in the abbreviated sales week following her Album of the Year win. Golden Hour peaked at Number Four upon its release in March 2018.
Another Grammy winner, the A Star Is Born soundtrack and its hit “Shallow,” jumped up to Number Two, spurred on by Lady Gaga’s show-stopping performance on Music’s Biggest Night. The Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack also wound up at Number Three thanks to the companion album accompanying copies of the film’s just-released DVD, Billboard notes.
The rest of the Top 10 were returnees: A Boogie Wit da Hoodie’s HoodieSZNat Number Four, Post Malone’sBeerbongs & Bentleysat Number Five, Travis Scott’sAstroworldat Number Six, 21 Savage’sI Am > I Wasat Number Seven, Drake’sScorpionat Number Eight and Meek Mill’s Championships closing things out at Number 10.
Next week, Grande could face some competition from Florida Georgia Line’s new album Can’t Say I Ain’t Country.
