On the Charts: Katy Perry’s ‘Witness’ Debuts at Number One
Katy Perry claimed her third straight Number One album as her new LP Witness debuted atop the Billboard 200.
Witness sold 180,000 total copies in its first week out, a significant dip from the 286,000 copies Prism sold when it was released in October 2013. Still, Witness – Perry’s third Number One after 2010’s Teenage Dream and Prism – had the best-selling week by a female artist since Lady Gaga’s Joanne sold 201,000 first week copies in November 2016, Billboard reports.
Perry’s Number One finish came just a week after Halsey became 2017’s first female artist to land atop the Billboard 200; that singer’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom dipped to Number Seven in its second week of release.
Three more new releases entered the Top 10, with SZA’s debut album Ctrl leading the way at Number Three and 60,000 total copies. Lady Antebellum’s Heart Break placed fourth with 53,000 total units and Rise Against’s Wolves debuted at Number Nine with 29,000 copies.
Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. clung to Number Two once again, with Drake’s More Life (Number Five), Ed Sheeran’s Divide (Six) and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic (Eight) also increasing their tenures in the Top 10.
As Billboard notes, the Top 10 witnessed some upheaval this week as the chart overseers modified how digital-only compilations were tabulated. In recent weeks, the Epic AF and the Summer Latin Hits collections were Top 10 mainstays thanks to bulk sales and streams of their exclusive Hot 100-ruling hits, DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One” and Luis Fonti’s “Despacito,” respectively. However, starting this week, those opportunistic compilations have been banished from the Billboard 200.
Following the eight-month drought for female artists atop the Billboard 200, Lorde will likely make it three consecutive weeks when her Melodrama cruises to Number One on next week’s chart.