'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful' is Number 1 in the UK and the States at the same time, only the ninth album this decade to do so.
Florence Welch may be recovering from a broken foot, but she’s got even more good news to make her feel better, as the third Florence + The Machine album has entered the American charts at Number One, her first record to reach the summit in the States.
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful sold 137,000 copies in its first week on sale to debut at the top spot in the Billboard 200 albums chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. As a result, Florence is one of the few artists who have managed to top the American and British albums charts at the same time – the ninth act to do so in the 2010s and the first since Ed Sheeran’s X last year.
Florence Welch is celebrating being Number 1 in the US and the UK at the same time
In her native Britain, the new record is her third consecutive chart-topper, following 2009’s Lungs and 2011’s Ceremonials. Those albums peaked at Number 14 and Number 6 respectively in the States, where her reputation has grown at a slower pace than it did in her home country.
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Florence edges out the resurgent Taylor Swift, whose 1989 album is a non-mover at Number 2 with 66,000 sales in the week ending June 7th. Rap superstar A$AP Rocky, who had the Number 1 spot last week, falls two places to Number 3 with At.Long.Last.A$AP, selling 50,000 copies.
Rather appropriately, Jason Derulo enters at Number 4 with his fourth album called Everything Is 4. No, we’re not making that up – he sold 37,000 units. The aforementioned Sheeran climbs back into the Top Five, with 36,000 units at Number 5, and the soundtrack to Pitch Perfect 2 drops a couple to Number 6 (34,000 sales).
It’s a country megastar collaboration that enters at Number 7 – Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson’s Django and Jimmie (a tribute to musicians Django Reinhardt and Jimmie Rodgers) sold 31,000 units. It’s the first time that Haggard has ever been in Billboard’s Top Ten, rather incredibly.
The Top Ten is finished off with Meghan Trainor’s Title at Number 8 (30,000 units); former Number 1 album Jekyll + Hyde by Zac Brown Band climbs eight places to Number 9 (30,000 units); and Maroon 5’s V climbs a place to Number 10.
More: Florence + The Machine land third chart-topping album in the UK