Madonna becomes the third woman to score 10 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 as Confessions II arrives, joining Taylor Swift and Barbra Streisand and tying Elvis Presley. LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 15: (Exclusive Coverage) Madonna performs during The Celebration Tour at The O2 Arena on October 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation)
WireImage for Live Nation
More than 40 years after she released her first album, Madonna is back on top of the Billboard 200. The tally, published weekly by Billboard, ranks the most-consumed full-lengths and EPs in the United States. For a long time, only sales were included, as that’s how the masses consumed albums, but these days, streaming activity also affects where a title appears.
Madonna scores a milestone champion thanks Confessions II’s large sales sum. As she returns to the summit on the most competitive albums roster in the nation, she ties a rock and roll legend and joins a highly exclusive club of some of the most successful female musicians of all time.
Confessions II Earns Madonna Her Tenth No. 1 Album
Confessions II earns Madonna her tenth No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor arrives with 134,000 equivalent units shifted. A little more than 114,000 of those are actual purchases via CD, vinyl, and digital download, according to Luminate.
Madonna Returns to No. 1 After Seven Years
Madonna first reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1985 with her sophomore set, Like a Virgin. It’s been just over seven years since Madame X, her most recent leader before Confessions II, managed its one frame atop the ranking. Madame X only spent two weeks on the Billboard 200, arriving with a sizable sales figure, thanks to the singer’s massive fan base, and then dropping away almost immediately.
Here are all of Madonna’s No. 1s on the Billboard 200.
- American Life
- Confessions II
- Confessions on a Dance Floor
- Hard Candy
- Like a Prayer
- Like a Virgin
- Madame X
- MDNA
- Music
- True Blue
Madonna Becomes the Third Woman With 10 Leaders
TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 14: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO STANDALONE PUBLICATION USE (NO SPECIAL INTEREST OR SINGLE ARTIST PUBLICATION USE; NO BOOK USE). Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Rogers Centre on November 14, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Madonna is only the third female artist to rack up double-digit No. 1s on the Billboard 200. Taylor Swift leads the way with an impressive 15 rulers. She hit that figure less than a year ago with The Life of a Showgirl. Barbra Streisand ranks just one winner ahead of Madonna.
Madonna Ties Elvis Presley With 10 No. 1 Albums
Among all acts, Madonna is now tied for the tenth-most No. 1s in the more than half-century-long history of the Billboard 200. With a tenth leader now included in her discography, she matches Elvis Presley’s run.
For her part, Streisand is tied with Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – and Future. The latter hip-hop superstar will almost certainly add to his collection in a few days, as The Real Me is sure to become his twelfth ruler.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 05: Jay-Z attends the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures’ “The Book Of Clarence” at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on January 05, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/WireImage)
WireImage
Swift sits side-by-side with Drake, and the two jointly claim the second-most No. 1s of all time. They both beat Jay-Z by just one top-performing album. The Beatles continue to lead all acts with 19 chart-toppers on the Billboard 200. It may be years before either Drake or Swift matches and then potentially beats the Fab Four, but it seems like it will only be a matter of time before the band is bested.
Confessions II Leads Four of Five Billboard Rankings
This week, Confessions II launches on five rankings published by Billboard, and it leads all but one of them. The full-length misses the top spot on the Top Streaming Albums chart, which looks only at plays on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and others. Madonna does appear on the tally for the first time in her career as Confessions II arrives at No. 32. The highly-anticipated project does start its time at the summit on not only the Billboard 200, but also the Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums, and Top Dance Albums charts.
Confessions II Gives Madonna Another Sales Champion
Madonna has not earned double-digit rulers on any of those four rosters, except for the Billboard 200. Confessions II is her ninth leader on the Top Album Sales list. She’s now conquered the Top Dance Albums chart, formerly known as the Top Dance/Electronic Albums roster, four times. The pop icon doubles her total number of winners on the Vinyl Albums rundown as Confessions II kicks off its time at No. 1.