Whether Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album “GUTS” would debut at #1 on the US album chart was never in debate. The real question was whether it would do so with a bigger total than her Grammy-winning debut album “SOUR.”
As the September 8-14 tracking period began, the outcome did not look likely. Hits Daily Double projected a bow of 250-265K US units, falling short of the 295K posted by “SOUR.”
Projections steadily grew throughout the week, however. And in its final report, HITS reveals that the album did narrowly build on its predecessor.
According to Hits, “GUTS” generated 303K US consumption units during the tracking period. A whopping 148K came from traditional album sales, with track sales (1.2K equivalent units) and track streams (153K equivalent units) contributing the balance.
Billboard’s specific numbers may differ from those reported by Hits, but the outcome — a #1 debut for both traditional album sales and total units — will be the same.
