Beyonce’s new album Renaissance debuts at number one on Billboard 200… with the biggest week of the year by a female artist
It sold 332,000 equivalent album units in the week through August 4
The last female artist to debut in the top spot was Adele with album 40 last December
Renaissance is the 40-year-old Houston native’s seventh solo release
Her most recent solo album before that was 2016’s Lemonade
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Beyonce’s new album Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, the best-selling week by a female artist this year and the second best-selling of the year.
Renaissance sold 332,000 equivalent albums in the week through August 4. Billboard reported, citing stats from Luminate.
The album was the first by a female artist to top the Billboard 200 this year, as the last female artist to achieve this feat was Adele with her album 40 last December.
The latest: Beyonce’s new album Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking the best-selling week for a female artist this year, and the second best-selling of the year. The 40-year-old artist was caught last year at the Grammy Awards
The record topped the charts for its first six weeks, from December 4, 2021 to January 8, 2022.
Renaissance is the 40-year-old Houston native’s seventh solo release, as her most recent before that was the successful 2016 album Lemonade. All seven of her solo albums, starting with 2003’s Dangerously in Love, debuted at number one on the charts.
Since Lemonade, Beyonce has also worked on albums, including 2018’s Everything Is Love with husband Jay-Z; Homecoming 2019: the live album; and the 2019 soundtrack to The Lion King: The Gift. The trio of albums all made the top five of the Billboard 200.
After releasing her last two albums – Lemonade and Beyonce from 2013 – without notice, Beyonce announced the release of Renaissance last June, featuring the single Break My Soul.
The iconic musical artist was featured in a clickbait music video for her single Break My Soul
All seven of Beyoncé’s solo albums, starting with 2003’s Dangerously in Love, debuted at number one on the charts; she was caught in 2018 in Pasadena, California
Renaissance was also made available immediately through physical platforms such as vinyl and CD on the day of its July 29 release, while the above two albums were initially released only on digital and streaming platforms.
With 332,000 equivalent album units sold, Beyonce’s new album had the second best-selling week of the year, after Harry Styles’ album Harry’s House, which sold 521,000 in the first week of June. Its debut week eclipsed that of all female performers, as Lizzo’s Special sold 69,000 in its debut frame last month, according to Billboard.
Renaissance caused some controversy in the first week, as Beyonce was criticized by Kelis for sampling her material from her hit song Milkshake without letting her know beforehand, prompting Beyonce to remove the sample. She also removed the lyrics from her song Heated amid backlash over lyrics being capable.
The album was celebrated Friday with a release party at The Times Square Edition in New York City with guests including Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles, La La Anthony, Donald Glover, Tyler Perry and Janelle Monae, among others.