If the blockbuster response to single “The Way” strongly suggested she had a place in the mainstream music business, sales for her “Yours Truly” studio album are fixing to prove it.
According to Billboard, Grande’s “Yours Truly” is pacing for a debut week total in the 110-120,000 ballpark, which would put her in a good position to claim number one next week’s Billboard 200 chart.
The stiffest competition comes from Tamar Braxton’s “Love and War,” which is currently pacing for a bow in the 100-110,000 range.
But number one debut or not, “Yours Truly” is certainly performing admirably in its opening week. In addition to representing an impressive total in a vacuum, the 110-120,000 forecast suggests Grande is outpacing the most recent releases from similarly-skewing actress-singers Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.
Their “Stars Dance” and “DEMI” moved 97,000 and 110,000 debut week copies, respectively.
Grande’s likely total would compare even more favorably to their debut studio cuts–Gomez’ “Kiss & Tell” sold 66,000 in its first week, while Lovato’s “Don’t Forget” was good for 89,000.
Regarding the week’s other high-profile releases, Billboard only offered a forecast for Nine Inch Nails, pegging the act’s “Hesitation Marks” for a 100,000-sale opening week. It did not specify projected totals for John Legend’s “Love in the Future” and Jaheim’s “Appreciation Day.”