Madonna’s “Confessions II,” her first new album in seven years, found an appreciative audience awaiting her return. The album bowed with 134,000 equivalent album units, more than enough to push her past the still highly successful Olivia Rodrigo record to land on top of the Billboard 200 album chart.
Billboard reported Sunday that the debut for “Confessions II” set some recent high-water marks for Madonna. Breaking down that 134K figure: The album delivered Madonna’s best streaming week ever, with SEA units of 19,000, representing 20.1 million on-demand streams. Album sales were robust, too, with 114,000 physical or digital copies sold, amounting to the singer’s best sales week since 2012.
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Also debuting in the top 10 were Ken Carson’s “Xperiment,” in at No. 7 with 42,000 equivalent album units, and British upstart Sienna Spiro’s debut album, “The Visitor,” bowing at No. 9 with 39,000 units.
Rodrigo’s “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love” held on in the No. 2 position with 103,000 units added to its total. Rounding out the top 10 were Ella Langley at No. 3, Morgan Wallen at No. 4, Drake at No. 5, Noah Kahan at No. 6, Michael Jackson at No. 8 and Toby Keith at No. 10.
Keith’s “35 Biggest Hits” climbed its way back into the top 10 due to streaming for the patriotic anthem “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” picking up a big boost over Independence Day weekend, according to Billboard.
Madonna’s debut figure of 134,000 for her well-reviewed album easily outperformed the 95,000 that her previous effort, “Madame X,” premiered with back in 2019, although that was also good enough at the time to get her to No. 1.
BIllboard’s calculations on “Confessions II” showed that it made Madonna the first act with a No. 1 album in the 2020s to also have made it to the top of the chart in three prior decades. Those previous decades are the ’80s, 2000s and 2010s; somehow, none of her ’90s albums made it to the summit. It is her 10th No. 1 album, and her 24th to make the top 10.
Only five artists in history have more No. 1 albums than she does, a list topped by the Rolling Stones, who have 38 LPs that have topped the Billboard 200, a figure any contemporary artist is going to have trouble beating. (We will find out in one week whether the Stones have a shot at upping their figure to 39, with a new release just arriving this weekend.)
Madonna’s triumph with the new album is especially interesting, in that none of the singles released prior to the full record really took off. Her duet with Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love,” failed to capitalize on their appearance together at Coachella, peaking on the Hot 100 at No. 74. Yet the lack of a standout single to date was no hindrance to hardcore Madonna fans, who readily accepted the notion that “Confessions II” is more of a nonstop dance record than a collection of pop songs.
In the U.K., “Confessions II” became Madonna’s 13th album to reach No. 1 there, with Spiro debuting close behind her at No. 2.
Warner, Madonna’s label, pointed out that she has joined the Beatles as one of only two artists to have 10 No. 1 albums on both the American and British charts.
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