Justin Bieber Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart with ‘Justice’

Plus: Lana Del Rey’s ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’ bows at No. 2.

Justin Bieber achieves his eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as Justice debuts atop the tally with 154,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 25, according to MRC Data. The album was released via Raymond Braun/Def Jam on March 18.

Justice halts the chart-topping domination of Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent 10 consecutive weeks in a row, all from its debut, at No. 1. It falls to No. 3 on the new chart.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 3, 2021-dated chart (where Justice opens at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 30. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Justice’s 154,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending March 25, SEA units comprise 119,000 (equaling 157.02 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs), album sales comprise just over 30,000 and TEA units comprise a little more than 4,000.

Justice’s start of 154,000 represents the second-biggest debut week for an album in 2021, following Dangerous’ start of 265,000 (Jan. 23-dated chart).

The new album was previewed by a quartet of top 40-charting hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart: “Holy,” featuring Chance the Rapper (No. 3; Oct. 3, 2020-dated chart); “Lonely,” with Benny Blanco (No. 12; Jan. 23); “Anyone” (No. 6; Jan. 16) and “Hold On” (No. 26; March 20).  The album’s newest single is “Peaches,” featuring Giveon and Daniel Caesar.The track was released alongside the album, and it’s likely to bow on an array of Billboard charts dated April 3.

All 10 of Bieber’s charting albums have reached the top 10. He’s only missed the top slot twice. Here’s a recap of all 10 of his charting sets: Justice (No. 1), Changes (No. 1; Feb. 20, 2020), Purpose (No. 1; Dec. 5, 2015), Believe: Acoustic (No. 1; Feb. 16, 2013), Believe (No. 1; July 7, 2012), Under the Mistletoe (No. 1; Nov. 19, 2011), Never Say Never: The Remixes EP (No. 1; March 5, 2011), My Worlds Acoustic (No. 7; Dec. 11, 2010), My World 2.0 (No. 1 for four weeks; April 10, 2010) and My World EP (No. 5; April 10, 2010).

As Bieber is a youthful 27 years and one month old (he turned 27 on March 1), he also happens to be the youngest soloist with eight No. 1 albums. He was already the youngest to notch seven. Elvis Presley was previously the youngest soloist with either seven or eight leaders, until Bieber’s latest No. 1s came long. Presley was 26 years and 11 months, and then 29 years and 11 months, respectively, when the soundtracks to Blue Hawaii and Roustabout topped the chart in 1961 and 1965, respectively. If one also counted groups in these calculations, all four members of The Beatles were younger than 26 at the time of the band’s eighth No. 1, 1965’s Yesterday and Today.

For the first time in nearly three months, the Nos. 1 and 2 albums on the Billboard 200 are both debuts, as Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over the Country Club bows at No. 2. The set starts with 75,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, 58,000 comprise album sales (making it the top-selling album of the week), 16,000 comprise SEA units (equaling 21.19 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs) and less than 1,000 comprise TEA units.

Chemtrails Over the Country Club is Lana Del Rey’s seventh top 10 album, of eight total charting sets, following Norman Fucking Rockwell! (No. 3; Sept. 14, 2019), Lust for Life (No. 1; Aug. 12, 2017), Honeymoon (No. 2; Oct. 10, 2015), Ultraviolence (No. 1; July 5, 2014), Paradise (No. 10; Dec. 1, 2012) and Born to Die (No. 2; Feb. 18, 2012). Her only album to miss the top 10 was her self-titled release, which peaked at No. 20 on Jan 28, 2012.

The last time both the Nos. 1 and 2 albums on the Billboard were debuts was on the Dec. 26, 2020-dated list, when Taylor Swift’s Evermore and Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon III: The Chosen debuted in the top two slots, respectively.

Back on the new chart, Wallen’s Dangerous falls 1-3 in its 11th week on the list, with 66,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%).

Pop Smoke’s former leader Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon is pushed down two spots to No. 4 with 40,000 equivalent album units earned (up less than 1%).

Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia descends 3-5 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%), Pooh Shiesty’s Shiesty Season is a non-mover at No. 6 with 31,000 units (up 3%) and The Weeknd’s former No. 1 After Hours dips 4-7 with nearly 31,000 units (down 5%).

Lil Baby’s previous leader My Turn falls 7-8 with 30,000 equivalent album units earned (down less than 1%), Lil Durk’s The Voice lowers 8-9 with 28,000 units (down 3%) and Luke Combs’ former No. 1 What You See Is What You Get rises 11-10 with 27,000 units (up 2%).

Source: billboard.com