SZA‘s ‘SOS‘ has the competition calling out just that thanks to its domination of the Billboard 200.
Starved music lovers who needed a “new album fix” from the R&B diva were fed December 9 when she dropped the project (which comes as the long-awaited follow-up to her 2017 debut LP ‘Ctrl’).
In addition to opening at #1 on the Billboard 200 with one of the year’s best first-week sales, the effort’s streams helped 20 of its 23 tracks land on the Hot 100 – a feat that sees her join Taylor Swift as the only female acts to boast such feat.
Of those 20 entries, the album’s housed tracks ‘Nobody Gets Me‘ (#10) and ‘Kill Bill‘ (#3) premiered in the top 10, bringing the era’s Hot 100 top 10 count to four following the previous peaks of ‘I Hate U’ (#7) and ‘Good Days’ (#9). It’s worth noting ‘Bill’ serves as the first solo top 5 hit of SZA’s career.
The four top 10 hits also come as a historic high note for the songbird. See how inside.
Thanks to ‘SOS’ hits ‘I Hate U,’ ‘Good Days,’ ‘Kill Bill,’ and ‘Nobody Gets Me,’ SZA joins the ultra exclusive club of female hitmakers who have hoisted at least 4 top 10 hits on the Hot 100 from one album or era.
Among all women, the list includes names like Queen of Pop Madonna, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Paula Abdul, and Fergie. Uniquely, only a handful of Black female acts can boast the win.
See the full list SZA’s now a part of below.
Mariah Carey
Not only does Mariah Carey reign as the solo artist with the most #1 hits (19) over the Hot 100’s 64-year history, she is also the only to have a #1 hit every year of a decade and – thanks to her perennial hit ‘All I Want for Christmas’ – is the only to have a #1 hit across four different decades.
That collection of chart-toppers and records started from her self-titled 1990 debut album, which saw its singles ‘Vision of Love,’ ‘I Don’t Wanna Cry,’ ‘Someday,’ and ‘Love Takes Time’ all peak at the tally’s summit.
Monica
From a Hot 100 perspective, the era that accompanied Monica‘s first album – 1995’s ‘Miss Thang’ – was unprecedented for a female R&B act.
Going from virtually unknown to dominating radio and sales, the Atlantan songstress watched the set spawn 4 top 10 hits: ‘Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days),’ ‘Why I Love You So Much’/’Ain’t Nobody,’ ‘Like This and Like That,’ and ‘Before You Walk Out of My Life.’
Her sophomore LP, 1998’s ‘The Boy is Mine,’ matched its predecessor by hoisting four additional tunes to the hitlist’s top 10 including ‘For You I Will’ and the three #1 hits ‘The Boy is Mine’ (with Brandy), ‘First Night,’ and ‘Angel of Mine.’
Beyonce
Beyonce netted four Hot 100 top 10 hits across 2003-2004 when ‘Naughty Girl,’ ‘Crazy in Love’ (#1), ‘Me, Myself, and I,’ and ‘Baby Boy’ (#1) from her debut solo album, ‘Dangerously In Love,’ peaked in various positions across the chart region.
She repeated the feat across 2008-09 with the double disc, ‘I Am Sasha Fierce,’ which saw its hits ‘Halo,’ ‘If I Were a Boy,’ ‘Single Ladies’ (#1), and ‘Sweet Dreams’ sashay into the Hot 100’s top 10.
Whitney Houston
Pop icon Whitney Houston‘s first album, 1985’s ‘Whitney Houston,’ bore 4 top 10 hits thanks to the gargantuan success of singles ‘You Give Good Love,’ ‘Saving All My Love For You’ (#1), ‘How Will I Know’ (#1), and ‘Greatest Love of All’ (#1). She followed with 1987’s ‘Whitney,’ which delivered 5 top 10 hits including the four chart-toppers ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody,’ ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go,’ ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All,’ and ‘So Emotional.’
The streak made her the first and only artist (to date) to have seven consecutive #1s on the Hot 100.
Rihanna
As one of the most-decorated acts in the history of the Hot 100, Rihanna stands as the first and only Black woman (to date) to boast over 30 top 10 hits.
Of those 32 top 10 hits, five (‘Umbrella,’ ‘Hate That I Love You,’ ‘Don’t Stop the Music,’ ‘Take a Bow,’ and ‘Disturbia’) came across 2007-2008 from the era that supported her tertiary release ‘Good Girl Gone Bad.’
The next Rih era to accumulate at least 4 top 10 hits came courtesy of 2010’s ‘Loud,’ which spawned the smashes ‘Cheers,’ ‘Only Girl in the World,’ ‘S&M,’ and ‘What’s My Name?’
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson is the first artist to boast 5 top 10 hits from three different albums.
Her third LP, 1986’s ‘Control,’ became the first album by a female act to boast 5 top 10 hits when it paraded ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately,’ ‘Nasty,’ ‘Control (its title track),’ ‘Let’s Wait Awhile,’ and ‘When I Think of You’ (her inaugural #1 hit) to various positions in the chart region across 1986-87.
She followed in 1989 when ‘Rhythm Nation 1814‘ marched a whopping 7 top 10 hits (‘Miss You Much,’ ‘Alright,’ ‘Love Will Never Do,’ ‘Escapade,’ ‘Alright,’ ‘Black Cat,’ and ‘Come Back to Me’) to the Hot 100’s top 10 across 1989-90.
Her 1993 eponymous effort, ‘Janet,’ boasted 6 top 10 hits as well including ‘If,’ ‘Again,’ ‘Because of Love,’ ‘Anytime, Any Place, ‘You Want This,’ and ‘That’s the Way Love Goes.’