Final Numbers Are In: Alicia Keys Collects Her 8th Billboard 200 Top 5 with ‘ALICIA’

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.

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