Beyoncé’s new project Cowboy Carter debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, bringing the singer back to the highest space on the ranking of the most-consumed albums in the U.S. The set begins its time on the tally with the largest starting sum of 2024.
Cowboy Carter will appear atop the Billboard 200 when the chart company refreshes its lists in a day or so, but the company has already revealed its first-frame figures. The title launches at No. 1 thanks to 407,000 equivalent units shifted.
Beyoncé earns the largest debut on the Billboard 200 so far with Cowboy Carter. Before her new studio effort arrived, that honor belonged to Metro Boomin and Future’s We Don’t Like You. Their joint set started at No. 1 on the tally with 251,000 equivalent units just last week, and it remains on top at this moment.
Cowboy Carter performed incredibly well across all metrics, and it would have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 no matter what. The album sold 168,000 copies, which should easily be enough to make it the bestselling title in the country in addition to the most-consumed project.
The 27 songs featured on Cowboy Carter were all instrumental in the title earning a huge streaming sum in the album’s first week. The lengthy tracklist racked up a total of 300 million streams. Billboard’s methodology translates that into 232,000 equivalent album units.
Beyoncé has now reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 with eight solo albums. She last topped the tally in 2022 with Renaissance, the first act in a string of three full-lengths, which also includes Cowboy Carter. Including her work with Destiny’s Child, which made Beyoncé a household name, the singer has now reached the summit on the Billboard with 10 different projects.
Looking at the entire top 10, her career total rises to 11 placements as a solo superstar. When also taking into account the music she made as part of the girl group that brought her to the top of the charts, as well as the duo she formed with her husband Jay-Z—the short-lived The Carters—Beyoncé has now landed a total of 16 top 10s in the U.S.
In a day or so, Billboard should announce the top 10 on the Hot 100, as well as any debuts on that main songs chart. It’s likely that one or two of the tunes featured on Cowboy Carter will reach the highest tier. Many, if not all, of the tracks on the country set will also probably find their way to the Hot 100 as well.