The critical acclaim that’s come flooding in for SZA‘s long-awaited sophomore album, ‘SOS,’ seems set to be outpaced only by the gargantuan commercial response it’s been afforded.
Preceded to Billboard 200 battle by its housed Hot 100 top 20 hits ‘Shirt‘ (#11 peak), ‘I Hate U‘ (#7 peak), and ‘Good Days‘ (#9 peak), anticipation for the project saw it soar to the top of pre-order lists on many major digital retailers ahead of its official unveiling.
Just a day after being released on December 9, the 23-track effort zoomed to the top of Apple Music tallies in over 50 countries while also dominating real-time iTunes sales charts in nearly a dozen (as we reported here).
Its performance on those outlets, in conjunction with a record-breaking run on Spotify, sees the LP poised to enter the Billboard 200 with the GRAMMY winner’s biggest first-week numbers yet.
Details inside.
SZA’s ‘SOS’
Predicted First-Week Sales (SPS): 275,000-300,000 units
Predicted Billboard 200 Debut: #1
Based on first-day performance, industry analysts predict SZA’s ‘SOS’ will sell nearly 300,000 copies by the end of its inaugural sales tracking week.
If the projection comes true, the figures will not only be the best of the R&B diva’s career to date but will also be the third-largest debut for a female act this year behind Taylor Swift‘s ‘Midnights‘ (1.58 million first week) and Beyonce‘s ‘Renaissance‘ (332,000 first week).
What’s more, if accomplished it will become her first time topping the Billboard 200 as her previous best, 2017’s ‘Ctrl,’ peaked at #3 on the tally at the height of its popularity.
With a full promotional week ahead of her, it’s likely the opening numbers for ‘SOS’ will rise over the coming days.
Until we find out for sure, keep it locked to That Grape Juice for more on this story as it develops.