En route to becoming a hit at radio, Ariana Grande’s “Problem” has already established itself as a commercial blockbuster.
According to Nielsen data, the track garnered a whopping 438,000 paid downloads in its first week of release. The best debut sales total since Katy Perry’s “Roar” moved 557,000 last summer, it was the eighth-largest opening week total overall.
While Grande will deservedly occupy the spotlight, Iggy Azalea, who is featured on “Problem,” also had a milestone week.
In addition to sharing in the success of “Problem,” Azalea also saw her own “Fancy (featuring Charli XCX)” jettison up the digital sales chart. With 222,000 downloads, it was the week’s second best seller.
Iggy Azalea thus became the fifth artist to simultaneously occupy the #1 and #2 spots on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart and the first to do so since Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “Ronan” ruled in 2012.
The weekly top ten in digital sales:
1) Ariana Grande – Problem ft Iggy Azalea – 438K
2) Iggy Azalea – Fancy ft Charli XCX – 222K
3) Pharrell – Happy – 174K
4) John Legend – All of Me – 161K
5) Coldplay – A Sky Full of Stars – 139K
6) DJ Snake & Lil Jon – Turn Down for What – 126K
7) Rixton – Me & My Broken Heart – 111K
8) Jason DeRulo – Talk Dirty ft 2 Chainz – 99K
9) Idina Menzel – Let it Go – 91K
10) Ed Sheeran – Sing – 86K