At 74-years-old, music legend Barbra Streisand continues to prove herself a force to be reckoned within the music industry.
Thanks to some high profile promotional spots and ticket/album bundling, as we reported here, the powerhouse diva’s latest album, ‘Encore,’ was set to block Britney Spears’ highly anticipated comeback album, ‘Glory,’ from the top spot. The prediction not only rang true, but also saw Babs collect a few other distinct honors along the way.
Billboard reports, with her latest #1 (the 11th chart-topper of her career), Streisand extends her reign of “most #1 albums of any female in Billboard history” (Madonna trails with 8). In addition, ‘Encore’ cements her previously achieved honor of being the only act – male or female – to nab a #1 album in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, and ’10s. As if that’s not enough, the new project – which features appearances from Jamie Foxx, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and many more – has notched the highest first week sales tally of any album released this year (not to be mistaken with sales equivalence).
Tuck inside to see why that Barbra reign just won’t let up:
Nearly all of Encore’s first-week unit total was comprised of traditional album sales — 148,000. And of that figure, physical album sales (CDs and vinyl LPs) equated to 126,000 — the largest sales week for a physical album in 2016.
Further, Streisand surpasses her own record for the longest span between No. 1s on the Billboard 200. Encore arrives 51 years, 10 months and 17 days after her first No. 1, People, spent its initial week at No. 1 (Oct. 31, 1964).