Ariana Grande tops Billboard 200 with debut album Yours Truly.
It was a battle between Ariana Grande and Tamar Braxton for the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Grande's debut album hits No. 1 this week, with Tamar at No. 2.
The 20-year-old Nickelodeon star is the first female to top the chart with a debut album since 2010, when Ke$ha took the spot with her album Animal.
It was predicted by industry sources that Grande would sell between 150,000 to 120,000 copies, which would make it a close race with Braxton's Love & War prediction at 110,000 to 115,000. Grande soard above predictions, selling 138,000 copies according to Neilson SoundScan. Braxton sold 114,000 copies, debuting at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
A last minute album promotion gave Grande's sales a boost of about 7,000. Those who purchased Grande's album via her website before the tracking week ended, received a ticket for one of a series of events featuring Grande later this year.
78% of Grande's sales were digital downloads, 108,000 copies. Grande expressed her gratitude via twitter, addressed to her fans:
My 1st album has debuted at #1 & I can't even begin to express my gratitude. Thank you for supporting my music, this really means the world.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) September 10, 2013
In the week prior, the top 10 albums was dominated by male acts. This week two females, Grande and Braxton, take the top spots.
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