On the Charts: Ariana Grande Has Best Sales Week of Career With Thank U, Next


Ariana Grande easily captured Number One, her second trip atop the Billboard 200 in six months, as the singers Thank U, Next opened with 360,000 total copies, the best sales of Grandes 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 artists album or a pop album.

By comparison, Grandes Sweetener opened with 231,000 total copies when it debuted at Number One in August 2018. Thank U, Next also marks Grandes fourth Number One album, following 2013s Yours Truly, 2014s My Everything and Sweetener. 2016s Dangerous Woman peaked at Number Two.

Thank U, Next was the lone new release to impact the Billboard 200s 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 Gagas show-stopping performance on Musics Biggest Night. The Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack also wound up at Number Three thanks to the companion album accompanying copies of the films just-released DVD, Billboard notes.

The rest of the Top 10 were returnees: A Boogie Wit da Hoodies HoodieSZNat Number Four, Post MalonesBeerbongs & Bentleysat Number Five, Travis ScottsAstroworldat Number Six, 21 SavagesI Am > I Wasat Number Seven, DrakesScorpionat Number Eight and Meek Mills Championships closing things out at Number 10.

Next week, Grande could face some competition from Florida Georgia Lines new album Cant Say I Aint Country.