The official first week sales numbers are in for Rihanna’s ‘Talk That Talk’ and Mary J. Blige’s ‘My Life II⦠The Journey Continues (Act I).
For ‘Talk That Talk,’ pop star Rihanna enters the Billboard Top 200 chart at No. 3, selling a total of 197,040 copies in the first week. The album is currently led by the Calvin Harris-produced single “We Found Love,” and serves as a follow-up to her 2010 album ‘LOUD.’
Meanwhile, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul’s ‘My Life II’ debuted on the charts at No. 5 with 164,700 copies, which is slightly higher than predicted after one-day sales. Blige’s last album ‘Stronger with Each Tear’ sold a total of 332,000 units in its first week of sales in December 2009.
On the other hand, Drake’s ‘Take Care’ album dropped to No. 4, after debuting at number one last week, moving only 173,618 copies this past week. British songstress Adele’s ’21’ also continues to set impressive numbers, selling 138,465 units.
It was a disappointing first week for two of music’s biggest stars, Rihanna and Mary J. Blige. After months of anticipation leading up to the release of their respective albums ‘ANTI’ and ‘Strength of a Woman’, both records have failed to make an impact on the charts in terms of sales. It has been almost ten years since either artist released an album with such low numbers, leaving many people wondering what went wrong. This article will look at why these two powerhouse artists are suffering from lackluster sales in their first week despite high expectations.
The releases of Rihanna’s ‘ANTI’ and Mary J. Blige’s ‘Strength Of A Woman’ were highly anticipated by fans who had waited several months for new material from both superstars. With two equally impressive singles backed by major promotion campaigns, it seemed like neither record would be able to miss the mark when it came time for them to hit stores this spring. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case as both albums posted significantly lower opening week sales than expected, which left many industry insiders scratching their heads in disbelief over what could have gone wrong.
Rihanna and MJB may have suffered from not-so-great reviews or having too much competition in the marketplace; however, there is still hope that they can turn things around if they play their cards right. In this article we will explore all the possible factors behind why their opening weeks weren’t nearly as successful as they had hoped while offering some potential solutions that might help get them back on track towards achieving success with their latest projects.
Overview Of Chart Performance
It’s been a disappointing start for Rihanna and Mary J. Blige in the first week of their latest albums’ sales. Both artists released highly anticipated records, but failed to reach expected levels of success on the charts.
Rihanna’s ninth studio album ‘Anti’ debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with 166,000 equivalent units sold. However, this was not enough to match her previous releases which have gone platinum several times over – making it a relatively weak performance for the singer-songwriter.
Mary J. Blige had an even more lackluster showing with her thirteenth studio album ‘Strength Of A Woman’ only debuting at number five on the chart with 46,000 equivalent units sold. This is far below her last two releases which both reached top three positions on the same chart.
Despite the lower than predicted figures from both artists, they still managed to show up strong in other areas such as streaming services where music can be heard without purchasing it outright – indicating that fans are still engaged and supportive of their work.
Analysis Of Album Reception
Although the chart performance from Rihanna and Mary J. Blige in their first week was underwhelming, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the reception of their albums.
Both singers have seen a wave of support on social media, with many praising Anti and Strength Of A Woman for being emotionally charged projects that draw attention to important issues facing women today. Additionally, both releases are nominated for multiple Grammy awards this year – indicating that industry professionals have recognized their artistic achievements as well.
Ultimately, fans should not be discouraged by the low sales numbers but instead focus on the positive aspects of these records. Both artists were able to create meaningful music that resonates with listeners, regardless of how it fared commercially. It’s clear that there is still a dedicated fan base surrounding Rihanna and Mary J. Blige despite less than stellar opening week figures – which bodes well for future success going forward.
In short, while initial sales may not indicate otherwise, both Anti and Strength Of A Woman remain impressive bodies of work made by two talented female musicians deserving recognition beyond just album sales.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Rihanna and Mary J. Blige’s albums have not performed as well as either artist had hoped in their first week of sales. Despite the star power between both artists, neither was able to make a significant impact on the charts. Many believe that this is due to the fact that they released their projects too close together and ended up competing against each other for fans’ attention.
It’s disappointing for us fans who were looking forward to these two powerhouse singers collaborating with one another, but at least we still got some great music from them! With more time apart between releases, hopefully there will be better success when it comes to chart performance next time around. It might also help if they focused on promoting more heavily ahead of release day instead of relying solely on fan anticipation alone.
Overall, though Rihanna and Mary J. Blige haven’t been able to deliver record-breaking numbers this time around, it doesn’t mean that their efforts were unsuccessful or in vain. There are still plenty of people out there listening to their new tunes and appreciating what they put into making them happen.
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