Seven Albums Debut in Top 10 of Billboard 200 Chart, Led by Lady Gaga, Michael Buble & Pentatonix
The new Billboard 200 album chart's top 10 is flush with new arrivals, as seven titles arrive in the region.
The new Billboard 200 album chart’s top 10 is flush with new arrivals, as seven titles arrive in the region.
On the chart dated Nov. 12, the list is led by the debut of Lady Gaga’s Joanne at No. 1, scoring the pop diva her fourth chart-topper. The set earned 201,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Oct. 27, according to Nielsen Music. The set sold 170,000 in traditional album sales.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Nov. 12-dated chart will be posted in full to Billboard’s websites on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200 is Michael Buble’s Nobody But Me, which bows with 91,000 units (85,000 in traditional album sales). It’s the seventh top 10-charting album for Buble, following To Be Loved (No. 1 in 2013), Christmas (No. 1, 2011), Hollywood: The Deluxe EP (No. 10, 2010), Crazy Love (No. 1, 2009), Call Me Irresponsible (No. 1, 2007) and It’s Time (No. 7, 2005).
Vocal group Pentatonix launches at No. 3 with A Pentatonix Christmas, earning 60,000 units (52,000 in traditional album sales). The set marks the sixth top 10 for the act and third holiday album to reach the list (following That’s Christmas to Me in 2014, which peaked at No. 2, and the PTXmas EP in 2013, which peaked at No. 7).
A Pentatonix Christmas also starts at No. 1 on the Holiday Albums chart, the second leader for the group on that tally, after That’s Christmas to Me.
Rock band Korn claims its lucky 13th top 10 album on the Billboard 200, as The Serenity of Suffering starts at No. 4 with 57,000 units (55,000 in pure album sales). The set also hits No. 1 on both the Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts. Among rock bands, Korn’s top 10 count on the Billboard 200 is now equal to Led Zeppelin. The only rock bands with more top 10s are The Rolling Stones (with 36), The Beatles (32), Dave Matthews Band (15), Santana (14) and Van Halen (14).
As the top four on the new Billboard 200 are all debuts, it’s the first time we’ve had the entire top four populated by new entries since the Dec. 5, 2015-dated list. On that chart, Justin Bieber’s Purpose bowed at No. 1, followed by One Direction’s Made in the A.M., Logic’s The Incredible True Story and Lecrae’s Church in These Streets. That was also the last week where the top 10 had as many as seven new arrivals (there were eight debuts in the region that week).
Drake’s Views dips from No. 2 to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 with 38,000 units (down 4 percent). This is the first week Views has been outside the top four since its No. 1 debut 26 weeks ago.
Chris Tomlin’s Never Lose Sight starts at No. 6 with 34,000 units (32,000 in traditional album sales). It’s the fourth top 10 effort for the singer/songwriter, who last hit the region in 2014 with Love Ran Red (No. 8). He topped the list in 2013 with Burning Lights. The new album also launches at No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart, marking Tomlin’s seventh leader on the list.
Back on the Billboard 200, the Suicide Squad soundtrack falls 3-7 with 31,000 units (down 11 percent) while the Hamilton cast album is pushed down one rung to No. 8 with 30,000 units — though it’s up 30 percent. Hamilton posts a big gain following the premiere of the PBS documentary about the show, Hamilton’s America, on Oct. 21.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s The Ghosts of Christmas Eve debuts at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 with 27,000 units (nearly all from traditional album sales) and starts at No. 2 on both Top Rock Albums and Holiday Albums. On the latter list, it’s the fifth top 10 effort for the act, which has been releasing successful holiday music since 1996’s Christmas Eve and Other Stories. On the Billboard 200, The Ghosts of Christmas Eve gives the ensemble its fourth straight top 10 album, following Letters From the Labyrinth (No. 7 in 2015), Dreams of Fireflies (On a Christmas Night) (No. 9, 2012) and Night Castle (No. 5, 2009).
Related
Rounding out the Billboard 200’s top 10, singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen nabs his second top 10 with the start of You Want It Darker at No. 10 (25,000 units; 24,000 in traditional album sales). Despite a lengthy career, he first hit the top 10 in 2012 with Old Ideas, which debuted and peaked at No. 3.
Meanwhile, last week’s No. 1, Kings of Leon’s Walls, falls to No. 20 in its second week (18,000 units; down 77 percent). It’s the third album to drop from No. 1 straight out of the top 10 in its second week in 2016. Previously, Gwen Stefani’s This Is What the Truth Feels Like descended 1-17 on the April 16-dated list, and The 1975’s I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It collapsed 1-26 on March 16.