R. Kelly’s new album Untitled doesn’t appear to be too much of a threat—well, unless you’re worried you might suddenly find yourself in the family way after listening to it.
Billboard is projecting that the battle for the peak position on next week’s Top 200 Albums chart is between the current #1, Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream, and Andrea Bocelli’s encroaching My Christmas, which has been lodged at #2 for the past three weeks. Each is said to possibly sell upwards of 375,000 copies by week’s end.
R. Kelly, on the other hand, is expected to only move about 100,000 copies. Maybe he should have titled his album, after all. More »
Who’d have thought that a “YouTube sensation” would wind up with the best sales week of 2009? When all was said and done, Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream ended up selling 701,000 copies last week, reports Billboard. Needless to say, it debuted at #1 on the trade publication’s Top 200 Albums chart.
The warbling minx not only dethroned John Mayer from the top—his Battle Studies got bumped all the way down to #13. So how did things shake out with Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga and Rihanna? More »
Not only has Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream set a U.K. record for biggest-selling opening week for a debut album, the Scottish vixen may also end up with about 650,000 copies moved when this week’s Billboard Top 200 chart is published. That’s quite a hike up from the 600,000 units initially projected.
Billboard Biz reports that music sales were generally down over Black Friday weekend, but Susan Boyle was “by far the bright spot.” Interestingly, the trade publication notes that I Dreamed A Dream was at first only expected to do about 250,000 copies during its opening week in the States. Guess all the Amazon.com hype earlier this fall played out nicely. Enjoy the pocket change, Simon Cowell!
So how are last week’s other releases holding up so far? More »
What’s wrong with you Brits that you don’t fancy divas from this side of the pond? Rihanna’s Rated-R and Mariah Carey’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel are certified flops in the UK, entering the charts at a lowly #16 and #23, respectively (well, not so respectively). Looks like those X Factor appearances didn’t do a damn thing for either singer’s album (and somewhat to our surprise, Mariah’s seam-popping decolletage didn’t add any chart buoyancy.)
So what do British people like? More »
Lady Gaga swung by The Ellen DeGeneres Show and performed “Speechless” and “Bad Romance” in the episode that airs today. And this being Black Friday, maybe Gaga is hoping to at least boost sales of The Fame Monster enough so that she can remain somewhat competitive with the sales juggernaut that is Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream. More »
Amazon.com sensation Susan Boyle can kiss the days of pre-orders goodbye, as her album I Dreamed A Dream was finally released today. To promote it, the Britain’s Got Talent vixen jetted off to New York—for the first time, apparently—and took to the Today Show stage to perform “I Dreamed A Dream” and “Wild Horses” (video clip after the jump). More »
If an album leaks on the Internet, but everyone’s already pre-ordered it, does it make a sound? The upcoming debut of Britain’s Got Talent winner-turned-America’s-sweetheart Susan Boyle has made its way online. But judging from stealth pre-order sales for I Dreamed A Dream, there may not be many fans left who didn’t already pay for her collection. More »
In a regular check-in with Amazon.com to see how all artists under the watchful eye of Simon Cowell are faring, Kris Allen’s self-titled debut (#31) still appears to be no match for the blue-haired might of Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment (#8). And over on iTunes, the pre-orders have caused an even greater divide—For Your Entertainment is perched at #11, while Kris Allen is lumbering around at #76.
But step aside, boys! Proving that pop truly has “no boundaries,” it’s another of Simon Cowell’s golden-throated artists who’s truly captured the hearts—and wallets—of America: More »
Yesterday on All Things Considered I talked about new albums from a few Simon Cowell-shepherded artists with host Guy Raz: Carrie Underwood’s Play On; Kris Allen’s self-titled debut; Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment; and Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream. (This segment has caused some consternation among the more insane Idol fans out there, especially some who think I was unfairly slamming Kris for being “’90s.” If they only knew how much I loved that decade!) [NPR] More »
This morning a press release went out touting Amazon presales for Britain’s Got Talent-propelled belter Susan Boyle’s debut album; “Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream is Amazon.com Music’s Largest CD Pre-Order,” the headline touted, and once again, many a media outlet eagerly reported this bit of non-news. While the appetite for Boyle’s sorta-brassy voice and up-from-under backstory among the segment of people who still buy CDs—your Streisand fans, your Bubléholics—is probably undeniable, the lack of numbers in the press release is enough to make me get all existential. You know—what does it all mean, man? After the jump, a little bit of number-crunching with the press release’s top 10. More »
