Usher‘s 8th opus, ‘Hard II Love,’ may have lived up to its title after all.
Indeed, after gaining mixed review from industry insiders and fans alike (see: thumbs down for “trend-hopping,” “lack of overall theme,” etc.), ‘Hard’ – released September 16th – was predicted to make little impact on the Billboard 200 after a full tracking week.
In fact, analysts projected the project would not only bomb – much like Ush’s ‘Hands of Stone’ movie that preceded it by two weeks – but it would give the Grammy-winning R&B vet the lowest first week sum of his 20 year+ career.
Needless to say, they were right. Tuck in below to find out the official figures Billboard is reporting:
38,000 SPS
28,000 traditional album sales
Chart Position: #5
Via Billboard:
After more than four years since his last release, Usher returns to the Billboard 200 with his new album, Hard II Love. The effort debuts at No. 5 with 38,000 units (28,000 in traditional album sales). It’s his eighth top 10 album, and first set sinceLooking 4 Myself debuted at No. 1 on the June 30, 2012-dated list