Billboard 200 Shocker! Megastars Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, & Shawn Mendes Hit Career Lows with New Albums ‘Gratitude,’ ‘Bouquet,’ & ‘Shawn’ [Chart Check]

In a shocking set of events, three of music’s heaviest hitters all struck out with their latest swings at the Billboard bat.

After a four-year absence from the Billboard 200, returned with his Folk-Pop-inspired, fifth studio album ‘Shawn‘ on November 15 after pushing the project back from its original October 18 release date.

Although marching to chart battle with high expectations given the Canadian hitmaker has never had an LP miss the #1 spot upon its debut, Mendes fans were stunned to see the project premiere at #26 on the refreshed all-genre chart.

The opening marks his lowest to date among his studio efforts.

The commercial nonperformance of Gwen Stefani‘s latest singles, ‘Somebody Else’s‘ and ‘Swallow My Tears,’ may have foreshadowed the reception of their parent album – ‘Bouquet‘ (released November 15).

However, the project certainly had its fair share of buzz given that it’s her first traditional offering since topping the Billboard 200 with 2016’s ‘This Is What the Truth Feels Like.’

This time, the truth felt like mixed critical reactions and a soft promotional rollout that led to a #95 premiere on the updated all-genre chart.

Before this week, the No Doubt lead singer never had a traditional solo effort open outside of the Billboard 200’s top 5.

Mary J. Blige has easily one of music history’s most consistent female performers on the commercial tip.

For nearly 30 years (1992 to 2017), the Hip-Hop Soul Queen never had a project open outside the Billboard 200’s top 10. For context, her first miss came with the #14 premiere of 2022’s ‘Good Morning Gorgeous.’

That streak changed this week when her softly promoted new effort, the November 15-released ‘Gratitude,’ missed the Billboard 200 entirely after being led to chart battle by the warmly received singles ‘Breathing,’ ‘You Ain’t the Only One,’ and ‘Here I Am,’

The absence marks a career-first and career-low for the R&B diva.

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See who landed in the chart’s coveted top 10 spots on this week’s Billboard 200 edition of TGJ Chart Check.

Billboard 200 This Week

[photo source: Billboard]