Selena Gomez & benny blanco’s ‘I Said I Love You First’ Debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart

Selena Gomez and benny blanco’s first collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated April 5). It’s the fourth leader for Gomez and first for blanco. The set sold 71,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate. It’s the best sales week for Gomez since 2015 and blanco’s best sales week ever.

Of the 71,000 sold, vinyl purchases comprise 21,000 – the biggest week on vinyl for either artist. The title – the first album pairing from the real-life couple – also enters at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart.

In total, I Said I Love You First is Gomez’s eighth top 10 on Top Album Sales, and the first for blanco.

Also debuting in the top 10 on the latest Top Album Sales chart: Japanese Breakfast’s For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) and My Morning Jacket’s is.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.

Of the 71,000 copies sold of I Said I Love You First, physical sales comprise 38,000 (21,000 on vinyl and 17,000 on CD) and digital download sales comprise 33,000.

The opening-week sales of I Said I Love You First were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl variants (different color editions, some with alternate covers; including a signed version), three CD versions (a standard CD, a signed edition, and a zine/CD version with expanded packaging), a deluxe box set containing branded merch and a CD, and 10 different digital download iterations.

Of the download editions, firstly, there was a widely available standard set at digital retail. Then, through the album’s opening week, nine additional download variants were issued, all initially exclusively available through Gomez’s webstore, and each sold for $5. All of the variants included the standard album’s 14 songs, plus bonus material. Five of the variants each had one bonus track (“Stained,” “Talk,” “That’s What I’ll Care [Seven Heavens Version],” “Scared of Loving You [Live From Vevo]” and “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten [Live From Vevo],” respectively) and one contained two bonus cuts (an acoustic version and extended version of the album single “Call Me When You Break Up”). There was also an Explained: Narrated by Selena Gomez edition (with 14 bonus tracks with Gomez providing commentary on each of the set’s 14 songs), a Slowed & Reverbed edition (with 14 bonus slowed and reverbed versions of the album’s songs) and an Instrumentals edition (with 14 bonus instrumental versions of the tracklist).

All nine of the variants became available in the iTunes Store on Wednesday (March 26). The variants were only sold in the iTunes Store through March 27, the final day they were also sold in Gomez’s store.

Lady Gaga’s chart-topping MAYHEM is a non-mover at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with a little over 13,000 sold (down 44%).

Japanese Breakfast lands its best sales week ever and highest charting title on Top Album Sales as For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) debuts at No. 3 with 13,000 sold. (It’s the second top 10 for the act.) The album’s sales were aided by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including a signed version), along with a standard download, CD and cassette edition. Vinyl sales tallied up to just over 10,000 – the act’s best week on vinyl, and it yields at No. 2 debut on the Vinyl Albums chart.

Kendrick Lamar’s former No. 1 GNX is steady at No. 4 on Top Album Sales (a little more than 11,000; down 9%) while The Weeknd’s chart-topping Hurry Up Tomorrow jumps 15-5 (11,000; up 92% following the release of a deluxe CD boxed set edition of the album sold in the artist’s webstore).

My Morning Jacket’s latest studio album, titled is, debuts at No. 6 on Top Album Sales with nearly 10,000 sold – with 7,000 of that sum on vinyl. It’s the fifth top 10-charting effort for the act. It also launches at No. 4 on the Vinyl Albums chart. The set was available across five vinyl variants, along with a standard CD and download edition.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 on Top Album Sales: Sabrina Carpenter’s former leader Short n’ Sweet slips 6-7 (nearly 10,000; down 5%), LE SSERAFIM’s HOT falls 1-8 in its second week (8,000; down 80%), Playboi Carti’s MUSIC drops 3-9 (just over 7,000; down 51%) and Chappell Roan’s chart-topping The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dips 9-10 (7,000; down 13%).