LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 12: (L-R) Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are seen with FIJI Water … [+]
Billie Eilish’s new album Hit Me Hard And Soft was released just a few days ago, and the title is headed for a huge start on the Billboard charts. Sadly, it seems that the young talent will be blocked from earning another No. 1 in the U.S. by another one of the biggest names in the music industry.
Hit Me Hard And Soft is predicted to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 next week. According to music industry publication HitsDailyDouble, the title will open in the runner-up rung on the ranking of the most-consumed albums in the U.S.
Eilish’s latest could launch with between 250,000 and 300,000 equivalent units. That should be enough for any project to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 during most weeks, but this frame may prove to be too competitive for the singer-songwriter as another recently-released effort is still going strong.
HitsDailyDouble predicts that Taylor Swift will remain at No. 1 on the chart for another frame with her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. That title may move another 350,000 equivalent units–a huge sum for any release in the U.S. these days, but an especially notable number for one that’s not brand new.
The Tortured Poets Department is likely headed for its fifth consecutive turn atop the Billboard 200. It opened in first place a month ago with the second-largest debut in the modern era–more than 2.6 million equivalent units. Since then, no other full-length has been able to best Swift and her latest blockbuster.
If these predictions come true, it will mark the first time that one of Eilish’s albums has failed to hit No. 1. She’s released two full-lengths before, and both of them have taken a turn running the show on the Billboard 200.
Eilish’s debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? opened in first place in April 2019. In August 2021, the Grammy winner returned with Happier Than Ever, which likewise started its time on the Billboard 200 as high as a project can climb. Both spent three frames on top of the tally and have lived on the list for more than 100 frames.
There’s a chance that Hit Me Hard And Soft could rise to the peak position on the Billboard 200 after its debut week, but that doesn’t seem likely. These days, a new album’s best chance of hitting No. 1–or reaching any high point–lies in its first frame. After that, the majority of projects begin to fall, and they usually can’t return to their best showing…or surpass it, either.
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