Halsey’s new studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Sept. 11), marking her third No. 1 on the list. She previously also opened at No. 1 with her last two releases, Manic (in 2020) and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017).
If I Can’t Have Love was released on Aug. 27 and launches with 70,500 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 2, according to MRC Data.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now MRC Data. Pure album sales were the measurement solely utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.
The new Sept. 11, 2021-dated chart (where If I Can’t Have Love debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on Sept. 8, one day later than usual, owed to the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. on Monday, Sept. 6. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of If I Can’t Have Love’s sales of nearly 70,500 in the week ending Sept. 2, physical album sales comprise just over 52,500 (with 25,300 on vinyl, 27,200 on CD and a negligible sum on cassette) and 18,000 via digital download.
If I Can’t Have Love also debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart. It additionally starts at No. 1 on the Tastemaker Albums chart, which ranks the top-selling albums of the week at independent and small chain record stores, having sold just over 6,000 copies, across all formats, through those sellers.
Kanye West’s surprise-released Donda album, which arrived on Aug. 29, debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with just under 37,000 copies sold — all from digital downloads. (A physical release for the project has yet to be announced.) Donda is West’s 11th top 10 on Top Album Sales — the entirety of his charting efforts.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour falls 1-3 with 28,000 copies sold (down 66%).
OneRepublic’s latest studio effort Human bows at No. 4 on Top Album Sales with 17,000 sold. It’s the third top 10 for the act.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s former No. 1 The Chaos Chapter: Freeze, falls 2-5 with 14,000 sold (down 68%) and Billie Eilish’s chart-topping Happier Than Ever dips 4-6 with 12,000 sold (down 34%).
CHVRCHES lands its third top 10 on Top Album Sales as the band’s new studio album Screen Violence debuts at No. 7 with nearly 12,000 sold. Just over 5,000 of that sum came via vinyl LP sales, enabling its debut at No. 6 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
Rock band Turnstile notches its first top 10 on Top Album Sales as Glow On bows at No. 8 with 11,500 copies sold. It was a strong performer on vinyl, with nearly 8,000 copies sold via the format — landing a debut at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
The Beach Boys’ archival set Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions – 1969-1971 debuts at No. 9 on Top Album Sales with 10,000 sold. It’s just the second top 10 for the band since the Top Album Sales chart launched in 1991. The group previously hit the region with the 2012 studio album That’s Why God Made the Radio, which debuted and peaked at No. 3 (June 23, 2012-dated chart).
Rounding out the top 10 is J. Cole’s former No. 1 The Off-Season, which re-enters the chart at No. 10 with 7,000 sold after its release on vinyl LP on Aug. 27. The album sold 6,000 copies on vinyl in the week ending Sept. 2, and the set bows at No. 5 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
