Olivia Rodrigo managed to generate so much buzz for her debut album Sour that it was just a matter of time before it hit no. 1, yet this album somehow exceeded our wildest expectations. In addition to debuting atop the Billboard 200 chart, Sour had the biggest week of 2021 so far.
With 295,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week following its release, Rodrigo’s debut album easily soared to no. 1. This wasn’t its only achievement, since it also managed to eclipse Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and score the biggest week on the Billboard 200 for any album released in 2021 so far.
Sour also surpassed Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy to earn the biggest streaming week for a debut album released by a female artist. It also happens to be the first debut album by a female performer to hit no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart since Invasion of Privacy was released in 2018.
The triumph of Sour isn’t Rodrigo’s first big achievement on Billboard charts. Her breakout hit “Drivers License” spent eight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, while “Good 4 U” marked her second no. 1 hit on the chart. Sour is currently the first debut album in U.S. history to have two songs debut atop the chart.
