On the Charts: Kelly Clarkson ‘Pieces’ Together Number One Spot
Kelly Clarkson‘s inability to find anyone to sing with didn’t stop the former American Idol winner for racking up her third Number One album as Piece by Piece, Clarkson’s first non-Christmas disc since 2011, debuted atop the Billboard 200. Clarkson last topped the charts with 2009’s All I Ever Wanted, which marked her first Number One since her post-Idol debut Thankful in 2003, Billboard reports.
While Clarkson improved over 2011’s Stronger‘s Number Two debut, it came at the expense of album sales: Piece by Piece moved 97,000 copies its first week out, compared to Stronger‘s 163,000-copy opening week sales (which in turn was significantly lower than the 255,000 units All I Ever Wanted sold when it debuted at Number One in 2009). The latest Billboard 200 victory does tie Clarkson with Carrie Underwood for most Number One albums by an American Idol alumni with three.
However, it was a narrow win for Clarkson as just 1,000 copies separated Piece by Piece from the week’s Number Two, the Fifty Shade of Grey soundtrack. That compilation sold another 96,000 copies to inch toward 500,000 sales. The usuals – Taylor Swift’s 1989, Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and Ed Sheeran’s X – finished in the Number Three-Four-Five spots respectively on what was a slow sales week.
Last week’s Number One, Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise, fell five spots to Number Six. Only one other debut managed to break into the Top 10 this week: Brandi Carlile’s The Firewatcher’s Daughter, which bowed in at Number Nine.