Album was released on July 29th
Beyoncé tops the Billboard 200 albums chart for the seventh time with Renaissance. The superstar has charted all 16 songs from her seventh studio project on the Billboard Hot 100, according to Billboard.
The project was the second-largest selling opening week for the year. Luminate tracks that Renaissance moved 332,000 equivalent album units earned through August 4th, which places second to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House which moved 521,000 equivalent upon its June release.
She also earns her eighth solo No. 1 with the album’s lead single, “Break My Soul,” as it jumps from No. 6 to No. 1. It was 14 years ago when she had a solo No. 1 with “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) in 2008-2009.
This marks Beyoncé’s 81st solo Hot 100 entry, passing Aretha Franklin with 73 and Ariana Grande with 70. She ranks as the third-most Billboard Hot 100 charting solo women in the chart’s 64-year history, behind Taylor Swift at 168 and Nicki Minaj at 123.
She also earns her 47th solo top 40 Hot 100 hit, placing fifth among solo women. Taylor Swift leads with 86 followed by Nicki Minaj with 64, Rihanna at 51 and Madonna at 49.
Renaissance was released on July 29th via her own Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, two days after it was leaked online due to early sales in France. Renaissance is part one of a three-part project that was recorded during the pandemic. It comes six years after the globally lauded Lemonade was released in 2016 as a complete surprise.
The originator of the visual album format, and the preeminent visual artist, decided to lead without visuals giving fans the opportunity to be limitless in their expansive listening journey. “Break My Soul” arrived in June with a minimal lyric video. the release of Renaissance sans visuals is another culture-shifting move from the artist who has defined an era with reinvention.
With a squad of prolific collaborators, including The-Dream, Nile Rodgers, NOVA, NO ID, Raphael Saadiq, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Chris Penny, Luke Solomon, Skrillex, Beam, Big Freedia, Grace Jones and Tems, Beyoncé set out to let the renaissance begin.
