What is it called when something surpasses a level of awkwardness where just simply “awkward” becomes an understatement? Saying “that’s so Robin Thicke” may not have a great ring to it, but it’s starting to fit the qualifications pretty perfectly. When Thicke and longtime partner Paula Patton separated this past February, Thicke seemed hellbent on getting back together with her. He dedicated songs to her in concerts, and even debuted his new single, aptly titled ‘Get Her Back,’ live at the Billboard Music Awards back in early May. However, things started getting weird when it was announced that his new album would be titled Paula after his estranged wife. Now that it’s finally released, it’s turning out to be a huge flop commercially, and that’s just adding more sting to the wound.
Robin Thicke’s new album will debut with one of the worst sales weeks of his career
Paula, released on July 1, comes less than a year since Thicke’s last record, Blurred Lines. The album featuring the gigantic single of the same name has gone on to sell nearly 700,000 copies in the United States, but Paula is turning out to be the complete opposite. Billboard reports that the album is expected to sell between 20,000-25,000 copies in its first week. If this holds true, it will mark the lowest debut for Thicke since the release of his second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke, in 2007 where it came in with 20,000 sold. To compare with Blurred Lines: it sold 177,000 copies in the first week and debuted at #1 in July 2013. However, despite the low sales numbers for Paula, it may still be good enough to notch Thicke a spot in the top ten, which is pretty sad if you think about it – but it’s still not as sad as the Paula situation in general.
Continue reading: Why Did Robin Thicke's 'Paula' Flop In Its First Week?