As predicted (click here to read more), Pop icon Celine Dion sees her name scribbled atop the Billboard 200 charts this week thanks to her new studio album, ‘Courage.’
Her first globally-released body of work since the passing of her longtime manager and husband Rene Angelil, the Columbia Records set – which comes as the fifth chart-topper of her career – was preceded to chart battle by three songs ‘Lying Down’, ‘Imperfections,’ and its title track.
With its inaugural sales tracking week behind it, Dion not only bested the competition but also sees her name penciled in the tally’s record books for quite the historic achievements. Look inside to see that, just how many units she sold, and more:
Celine Dion’s ‘Courage’
First Week Sales (SPS): 113,000
First Week Sales (Pure): 109,000
Debut Billboard 200 Position: #1
“Courage marks Dion’s fifth No. 1 album, and her first chart-topper in over 17 years. She was last at No. 1 with 2002’s A New Day Has Come. Courage’s first week got a boost from album sales generated by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with Dion’s Courage World Tour. Courage is Dion’s first English-language studio album since 2013’s Loved Me Back to Life, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (dated Nov. 23, 2013).”
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Congratulations are due to Dion for ‘Courage,’ which also sees her included in Billboard 200 history books for two achievements:
- The 17-year gap between her first and most recent #1 albums is the longest span for a woman ever.
- Thanks to ‘Courage,’ Dion is the first solo artist born outside of the U.S. to nab a Billboard 200 #1 album in three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s).
- Added note: She’s just the 14th act, and fourth woman, to achieve the feat of at least one Billboard 200 chart-topper in three or more decades. Backstreet Boys, Garth Brooks, Dave Matthews Band, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Madonna, Nas, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Britney Spears, and U2 are the other artists.