SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is No. 1 on Billboard 200 for Sixth Week

SZA’s SOS is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Jan. 28) for a sixth consecutive week – the entirety of its chart run. The last album by a woman with six weeks atop the list was Adele’s 30 a little over a year ago, which also spent its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1 (Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 8, 2022-dated charts).

SOS earned 119,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 19 (down 4%), according to Luminate.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multimetric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Jan. 28, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 25 – one day later than usual due to data processing delays. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of SOS’ 119,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Jan. 19, SEA units comprise 118,000 (up/down 3%, equaling 160.1 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise a little over 500 (down 77%) and TEA units comprise 500 units (up 18%).

SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 among R&B/hip-hop albums since Drake’s Views notched 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2016, and the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B album since Usher’s Confessions was tops for nine nonconsecutive weeks in 2004.

SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 among R&B/hip-hop or R&B albums by women since Mariah Carey’s Daydream, which notched six nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in late 1995 and early 1996.

And, the last R&B/hip-hop or R&B album by a woman to spend its first six weeks at No. 1 was Janet Jackson’s janet., which led the list for its first six weeks (June 5-July 10, 1993). Further, SOS is the first R&B album, from any act, to spend its first six weeks at No. 1 since janet. (R&B/hip-hop and R&B albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts, respectively.)

Incredibly, in the last decade-plus, the only albums by women with six or more weeks at No. 1 have been those by Adele, Taylor Swift and SZA. The last album by a woman not named Adele, Swift or SZA to spend at least six weeks at No. 1 was Susan Boyle, who saw her debut effort I Dreamed a Dream top the list for six total weeks (Dec. 12, 2009-Jan. 16, 2010).

Since I Dreamed a Dream, eight albums by women have spent at least six weeks at No. 1, and seven of them are by Adele and Swift. They are Swift’s Speak Now (six weeks, 2010-11), Adele’s 21 (24, 2011-12), Swift’s Red (seven, 2012-13), Swift’s 1989 (11, 2014-15), Adele’s 25 (10, 2015-16), Swift’s Folklore (eight, 2020), Adele’s 30 (six, 2021-22) and SZA’s SOS (six thus far, 2022-23).

Back on the new Billboard 200, the entire top four titles are all former No. 1s and are non-movers as compared to their ranks a week ago. Swift’s Midnights is No. 2 (73,000 equivalent album units; down 10%), followed by Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (56,000; down 2%) and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (47,000; down 7%).

The Weeknd’s compilation album The Highlights jumps back to the top 10, climbing 36-5 with 44,000 equivalent album units earned (up 185%). The best-of effort contains such hits as “Blinding Lights” and the resurgent “Die for You” (from The Weeknd’s studio albums After Hours and Starboy, respectively). On the new chart, the TEA and SEA units for those songs contribute to The Highlights, as a song’s activity is assigned to the artist’s album with the most traditional album sales in a week. (The Highlights sold nearly 1,000 copies in the latest tracking week, while After Hours and Starboy each sold under 1,000.) A week ago, the TEA and SEA for the songs were directed to After Hours and Starboy, respectively, as they outsold The Highlights that week.

Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti falls 5-6 (43,000 equivalent album units; down 5%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album dips 6-7 (41,000; down 4%).

Closing out the new Billboard 200’s top 10 are Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak (falling 7-8 with 32,000 equivalent album units earned, down 5%), Lil Baby’s chart-topping It’s Only Me (8-9 with 29,000 units; down 7%) and Harry Styles’ former leader Harry’s House (holding at No. 10 with 24,000 units; down 7%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.