Atlanta rapper Lil Baby turned to music after his time in prison and became one of the biggest new stars in his hometown. This week, “It’s Only Me” released his No. 1 album, his third in three years. Meanwhile, the music industry is gasping for the charts next week in anticipation of a huge opening for Taylor Swift’s latest.
Featuring guest spots from Young Thug, Future, Jeremih and EST Gee, “It’s Only Me” has sold the equivalent of 216,000 in the US, according to tracking service Luminate. Most of its popularity has been attributed to streaming, with the album racking up a total of 289 million clicks in its first week. This is his third best streaming tally for his No. 1 album of the year, behind Bad Bunny (357 million) and his Kendrick Lamar (343 million). ).
As impressive as Lil Baby’s numbers are, they’re far smaller than those of Swift’s “Midnights,” which released on Friday and became the best-selling album released in 2022 in just one day. rice field. may be her first album to sell over a million copies in five years. (The last artist to do so? You guessed it, Taylor Swift, in “Reputation.”)
According to the company, on the first day of its release, billboard report Citing early data from Luminate (Luminate has a long-standing charting partnership with the magazine), “Midnights” sold over 800,000 copies as a complete unit, more than Harry Styles’ “Harry Styles” sold to date. Harry’s House” surpassed 620,000 copies. 5 months. A major factor in Swift’s success is her strategy of releasing albums in an array of collectible variations on physical media. In addition to her four standard versions on LP and her CD, there is an exclusive version sold by Target, not to mention a surprise. 3am Edition” digitally distributed with 7 additional songs. (Of course, her K-pop groups like BTS and her Blackpink have used this strategy for years.)
And those are just plain old sales numbers. Both Spotify and Apple Music have announced that “Midnights” has broken first-day streaming records on those services. The number of albums is going strong. US daily streaming charts on Monday.
Also, Red Hot Chili Peppers ranked #3 on the album chart this week. “Return of the Dream Canteen” is his second LP of the year, equivalent to sales of 63,000 copies.
Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” is No. 2, Morgan Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album” is No. 4, and The Weeknd’s hits collection “The Highlights” is No. 5.