Alicia Keys pressed pause on the original March 2020 release date of her self-titled seventh studio album, ‘ALICIA’ (and its accompanying world tour), due to the global health crisis.
After seeing its first rescheduled date quietly come and go (June 2020), Keys surprised fans with the sudden announcement the LP would hit digital shelves September 18.
Like its predecessor, 2016’s ‘Here,’ ‘ALICIA’ may have gone to chart battle with no top 40 singles to support it however the set did boast two Gold certifications courtesy of the Miguel-assisted ‘Show Me Love’ (#90 peak) and ‘Underdog’ (#69 peak) respectively.
Shifting much of the focus of the project’s promotional campaign to social issues like the global health crisis, #BlackLivesMatter, and more (see: ‘Perfect Way to Die,’ ‘Love Looks Better,’ ‘Good Job,’ ‘Underdog,’ and more), Keys pounded the promo pavement with stops including a weeklong residency at ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’ (as we reported here) as well as a number of other high profile television, Web, and print appearances.
Curious to see how her hard work paid off? Look inside:
Alicia Keys’ ‘ALICIA’
First Week Sales (SPS): 62,000
First Week Sales (Pure): 51,000
First Week Chart Placement: #4
Thanks to her promotional onslaught and an album/concert ticket bundle deal for her postponed ‘ALICIA’ tour, Keys bested her previously predicted first-week numbers by over 10,000.
Despite securing her 8th top 10 appearance on the Billboard 200 in the process, the LP’s #4 entry marks her lowest premiere placement to date (among studio albums) . Further, the inaugural sales signal her second lowest ever following the 54,000 first-week units ‘Here’ shifted in late 2016.
I actually like some of the songs off the album.
Actually a solid effort and way better than Here and better than Girl on Fire. Keys really pulled through. Makes Katy Perry’s Smile era look even worse. Smile was better than witness. It also had more bundling and versions that Alicia but got outperformed.
Better than Here and better than Girl on Fire isn’t saying much, both albums FLOPPED heavy. AKEYS only good albums are AS I AM AND SONGS IN A MINOR. Element of Slavery and Diary of BOREDOM were both WACK as a whole.
Element of Slavery chile! 🤣🤣🤣 I agree about Diary of Boredom, that album was not it.
lmaooooo aww you mad cuz she outsold that flopped roach AGAIN, lmaoooo u should be used to it by now lmaoooooo
Actually 50k is pretty solid for R&B. Very few female albums in the R&B / non-rap urban genres sell more than 50-60k. Its a very different landscape to previous times.
Fat sloppy bish
Either OFFkeys should have released the PUT IT IN LOVE SONG video to generate artificial relevance or interest in general OR she should have not tried to SELF TITLE it like the Queen bey… I will say the album cover was a decent idea, too bad it was STOLEN from beys DESTINY FULFILLED album art work
Is Beyonce the first to have a self-titled album? Aaliyah, Janet, Britney, EVEN CIARA, all had self-titled albums before Beyonce. Try again.
No but Bey SELF TITLED had the highest DEBUT of any self titled album in history and also the highest debut if any Black female with 800k sold in first 7 days and 991k in first 10 days
These #s from Offkeys are LAUGHABLE given her fanbase is still solid.
Highest debut? It’s first week it debut at 617k but as I am had over 700k the first week girl gone
lmaooooo wrong again fatso, whitney’s self titled sold almost a million first week, alicia’s as i am sold 700k, we all know that roach doesnt sell albums so stop pulling numbers out of your fat obesed diseased ass lmfaoooooo
FACTS, Alicia Keys “AS I AM” 742,000 copies in its first-week making her the highest-selling Female R&B artist first week sells ever! After Alicia is Mary “The Breakthrough”. Also, Alicia Keys is the top R&B selling artist of the DECADE over Beyonce. Alicia Keys has sold millions. Stop trying to discredit BILLBOARD FACTS!
GATHER HER!!!!!
Congrats, AK — these are excellent numbers.
She did good promo n gained bk enough of her white audience to not be a total flop. Semi decent numbers
Damn. This flop homewrecker sold more than Katy Perry? LOL. 2020 is something…
I love how Alicia recreates herself every time. Nice smooth creation. Congrats Ms Keys!❤️
Well it’s a small upgrade from Here so it’s a win! Congrats Alicia but tbh I didn’t really care to hear it
Oh honey, what would you know? You dance around in hotpants to disco music.
Lame. Wash your stank p**** and have a good night
I found this album to be as boring as the last one.
Amazing album – actually her best work
Solid numbers! Good for Alicia. I’ll check the album out since I’ve been hearing nothing but good things.
Yall are so miserable on here. Alicia will be celebrating 20 years in the business next year, and she’s still doing decently.
There’s nothing more miserable than being a flop.
Then you should be in a psych ward because your life is a flop.
19 years in the game, and still selling more than younger, “hotter” artists. Flop where?
I said what I said. Selling more than younger, “hotter” artists where? She lost her mojo back in 2007. Cry about it b****.
Yes Alicia is the most certified r&b artist of the millennium….flop where sweetie?
That’s not saying much 😂 Still a homewrecker flop.
lmaoooo tell that to the roaches, its their fave that cant even sell 6k albums, alicia is a Main R&B girl, save that flop talk for the likes of flopyonce and ciara lmfaooooooo
Lmaooo she didn’t do half as much hype as that flopped roach, and she sold 3 times more than her, I have to laugh out loud lmfaoooooooo 😂😂😂
^^^^^^
She never did forever be nobody wifey
She may not be pretty but your heart is a mazing Play it like a villain ’cause she caught in a wave
Tonight I am walkin’ away
Lined up my mind, on the grind, yeah, yeah
Tonight I might fall in love, dependin’ on how you hold me
I’m glad that I’m calmin’ down, can’t let no one come control me
Keep dancin’ and call it love, she fightin’ but fallin’ slowly
If ever you are in doubt, remember what mama told me
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
Your back against the world
I never trade you for anybody else, say
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
The best thing in all the world
I never trade you for anybody else, say
Pose like a trophy when Naomi’s walk in
She need an Oscar for that pretty dark skin
Pretty like Lupita when the cameras close in
Drip broke the levy when my killas roll in
I think tonight she might braid her braids
Melanin too dark to throw her shade
She minds her business and winds her waist
Gold like 24k, okay
Tonight I might fall in love, dependin’ on how you hold me
I’m glad that I’m calmin’ down, can’t let no one come control me
Keep dancin’ and call it love, she fightin’ but fallin’ slowly
If ever you are in doubt, remember what mama told me
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
Your back against the world
I never trade you for anybody else, say
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
The best thing about the world
I never trade you for anybody else, say
Oh, have you looked in the mirror lately? (Lately)
Wish you could trade eyes with me (Because)
There’s complexities in complexion
But your skin, it glow like diamonds
Dig me like the earth, you be giving birth
Took everything in life, baby, know your worth
I love everything about you, from your nappy curls
To every single curve, your body natural
Same skin that was broken be the same skin takin’ over
Most things out of focus, view
But when you’re in the room, they notice you (Notice you)
‘Cause you’re beautiful
Yeah, you’re beautiful
Them men, them gon’ fall in love with you and all of your glory
Your skin is not only dark, it shines and it tells your story
Keep dancin’, they can’t control you
They watchin’, they all adore you
If ever you are in doubt
Remember what mama told you
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
Your back against the world
I never trade you for anybody else, say
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
The best thing about the world
I never trade you for anybody else, say
Brown skin girl, ya skin just like pearls
The best thing in all the world
I never trade you for anybody else, singin’
Bish whet??? Alicia released what like 2 or 3 singles and videos? Pushed the album back numerous times and had major promo including performances on main networks and still couldn’t clear 100K. Alicia did way more than Beyonce hun. Facts are facts.
And the fact that she’s is the most certified r&b artist of the millennium…why are you neglecting THOSE FACTS sweetie!?!?
I think it’s also worth noting that she doesn’t need to rely on streaming. Her pure sales seem to outdo a lot of these more popular artist.
Beyonce’s self titled sold that much worldwide first week, where as Alicia sold 742k in the US alone first week.
She won ! She sells more physicals than most ! And has been in the game for 20 years …. also girl on fire was not a flop album it sold over a million. And the single was 7 times platinum