Beyoncé once again makes history as her most recent album tops Billboard 200 – becoming 2022’s biggest opening by a woman.
All hail! Queen B has done it again – making history with her latest album Renaissance as it catapults to the top spot of the Billboard 200 (also marking the second largest week of the year as of writing). As per Billboard, the album earned 332,000 album-equivalent units in its first week with 190,000 coming from pure sales and 179.06 million on-demand streams in the week ending last August 4.
The aforementioned data makes Beyoncé’s seventh solo No. 1 album Renaissance the biggest debut by any female artist in 2022 and this year’s second-largest sales week after Harry Style’s Harry’s House, which is at 521,000 first-week units in May. It also surpassed the debut frame of Lizzo’s Special which earned 69,000 units in the week ending July 21 (as reflected on the July 30-dated chart).
This year, Beyoncé is the first female to have made it to the top of the Billboard 200. The last woman who ruled the top spot for six weeks on the list was Adele with her 30 album (dating December 4, 2021, to January 8, 2022). It is to note that both albums were released by Columbia Records, though Renaissance was issued through Parkwood/Columbia.
About Beyoncé’s Renaissance Album
To most, Beyoncé’s accomplishment is no longer a surprise given that all seven-solo albums of hers reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart (excluding her output as part of Destiny’s Child) – making her the first-ever female to have done so. The album’s release was first announced in mid-June headed by its first single, Break My Soul, which was then made available on physical formats by street date (both for CD and vinyl LP).
Made for the dance floor, Renaissance highlighted the appearances of Tems, Beam, and Grace Jones, with production from The-Dream, Raphael Saadiq, Hit-Boy, Mike Dean, Boi-1da, and many other music creatives who contributed so much to the success of the album. According to Beyoncé, creating the album allowed her to find a place where she can dream and provided her to find comfort and escape during a scary time for the world. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving.”
And indeed, she was able to create such space, like in her single Break My Soul Remix. “My intention was to create a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration. I can hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle and to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”
Renaissance is the follow-up album of Beyoncé’s Lemonade which was released in 2016 and made to the top spot of Billboard 200 as well – bagging 653,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. The album’s visuals, along with a 65-minute HBO film, won as the Best Urban Contemporary Album during the Grammy Awards in 2017. It has also been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. According to Chart Data, Lemonade has already surpassed one billion streams on Spotify as of last weekend (August 7).
Also, present in the new top 10 on Billboard 200 are the albums of ATEEZ, ENHYPHEN, and Dance Gavin Dance. $uicideboy$ is now on its third top 10 effort with the No.7 arrival of Sing Me a Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation.
Cover image credit: Beyoncé Instagram
