Britney Spears reaches a longevity milestone on the U.K.’s albums chart as The Singles Collection reaches 250 weeks as a top performer in the country. Britney Spears in David Dalrymple performing onstage at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards held at Radio City Music Hall on September 7, 2000 Photographer: Scott Gries/Getty Images
Getty Images
It’s been just under a decade since Britney Spears released her most recent album, Glory, and it doesn’t appear that there’s new music on the horizon. While the pop superstar has delivered a handful of tunes since that set, they have all been either standalone cuts, pieces of music attached to other collections that were not promoted heavily (as most of her singles are) or collaborations with other musicians like Elton John and Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am. Spears herself has stated that she is disillusioned with the music industry and does not plan on recording again.
Interest in the Grammy winner’s catalog has not diminished, despite her suggestions that her music career is all but over. In the United Kingdom, one compilation, the simply-named The Singles Collection, continues to find space on multiple albums charts week after week, thanks largely to continued plays on platforms like Spotify of her many hit songs. As that project appears once more, it brings the singer to a chart milestone she’s never seen before.
Britney Spears Manages a Career First
Spears sees one of her albums reach that momentous figure for the first time in her career. The Singles Collection has ranked as her longest-running success for years, and there’s a high likelihood that it will never be matched.
The compilation is one of only two releases by Spears to rack up triple-digit stays on the most competitive albums list in the U.K. Her debut project, …Baby One More Time, which launched in the spring of 1999, held on for 103 frames – just under two years – and it is her second-longest-charting studio effort. Only one other project, Oops!… I Did It Again, her quick follow-up to …Baby One More Time, managed to hold on for a year, as it racked up 53 stints on the rundown.
The Singles Collection Shows an Odd Discrepancy
There’s an odd discrepancy when it comes to The Singles Collection in terms of its longevity versus its peak position. The hits-packed project may be Spears’s longest-running success on the Official Albums chart, but it is also her worst performer in terms of where it stopped climbing.
Britney Spears performs (Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage)
WireImage
The Singles Collection topped out at No. 38. Only Britney Jean, another compilation, came close to matching that figure, as that release peaked at No. 34, though it only held on for two weeks.
The Singles Collection Keeps Racking Up the Streams
The Singles Collection doesn’t manage to find space on any sales rankings in the U.K., but as is often the case, it can be found on the Official Albums Streaming chart. On that tally, the compilation settles at No. 53, up one space from last time around. Spears’ set has loved on the roster for 290 turns.
Britney Spears Has Scored Three Streaming Album Wins
Glory brought Spears to the Official Albums Streaming chart for the first time when it debuted in September 2016, and since then she’s only added another two winners to her catalog, when looking specifically at that roster. The Singles Collection is not her lowest-peaking release, as is the case on the main albums tally. The Singles Collection danced to No. 31, while The Essential debuted at No. 94 in the summer of 2020, and it has not been seen since.