Dubbed a “movement” by her fellow Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, Beyonce’s new self-titled album transformed the weekly album sales race when it unexpectedly hit iTunes Friday.
Initially set to fall in favor of Garth Brooks’ “Blame it All on My Roots,” the week suddenly belonged to Beyonce, whose “Beyonce” ended up moving 617,000 copies in the eligible period.
That gives Beyonce her fifth number one on the Billboard 200 in as many tries as a solo artist; no other female performer has done so.
Performing as expected, Kelly Clarkson’s “Wrapped in Red” claimed third on the weekly chart. R. Kelly’s “Black Panties” greatly exceeded initial forecasts, but it was still asked to settle for fourth.
One Direction’s “Midnight Memories” grabbed fifth on the weekly Billboard 200.
According to Billboard, here are the weekly positions on its Billboard 200 Album Sales Chart:
1 – Beyonce – Beyonce – 617K
2 – Garth Brooks – Blame it All on My Roots – 172K
3 – Kelly Clarkson – Wrapped in Red – 136K
4 – R. Kelly – Black Panties – 133K (NEW)
5 – One Direction – Midnight Memories – 123K
6 – The Robertsons – Duck the Halls – 108K
7 – Childish Gambino – Because the Internet – 96K
8 – Eminem – MMLP2 – 83K
9 – Katy Perry – Prism – 59K
10 – Various – Frozen Soundtrack – 56K
