Madonna’s new studio album, CONFESSIONS II, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated July 18. The project earned 134,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending July 9, according to Luminate. This performance marks the artist’s 10th chart-topping album, making her the first act with a No. 1 album in the 2020s to have also topped the chart in three other decades. The album was announced on April 15 and released on July 3, marking Madonna’s first new studio album since 2019’s No. 1 Madame X.
Chart Milestones and Streaming Records
The arrival of CONFESSIONS II represents a significant milestone in Madonna’s career. According to Luminate, the 134,000 equivalent album units earned represent the largest week for a dance album this year. It also scores Madonna her best week, by units, since the Billboard 200 transitioned to an equivalent album units-ranked list in December 2014. Additionally, the project yields Madonna’s biggest streaming week ever for an album and her largest pure album sales week in more than a decade.
With this debut, Madonna becomes one of only four acts to have achieved at least 10 No. 1s each on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. On the latter, she has 12 leaders. Her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 was 1985’s Like a Virgin, while her first Hot 100 leader was the title track “Like a Virgin” in December 1984; her most recent Hot 100 No. 1 was “Music” in September–October 2000. Internationally, Madonna has claimed her 13th No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, extending her reign as one of the most successful artists of all time on that chart, joining a group that includes Robbie Williams (16), The Beatles (15), Taylor Swift (14), The Rolling Stones (14), and Elvis Presley (13).
Production and Collaborative Direction
CONFESSIONS II serves as a sequel to 2005’s chart-topping Confessions on a Dance Floor and reunites Madonna with her main collaborator from that project, DJ/writer/producer Stuart Price, who largely produced both LPs. The album features a variety of contributors, including Sabrina Carpenter, who appears on the Hot 100 hit “Bring Your Love.” The set also boasts collaborations with Feid, Martin Garrix, Stromae, and Madonna’s daughter, Lola Leon. Additionally, the album houses musical contributions and production from Arca, Cirkut, Mirwais, Tainy, and Watt.
The album was preceded by several tracks, including “Bring Your Love,” which reached No. 74 in May, the Dance Airplay No. 1 “I Feel So Free,” and “Love Sensation,” which recently reached the top 10 of that tally.
Critical Reception and Thematic Scope
The cover of the album features Madonna seated atop a speaker box, wearing a leotard beneath a rippling veil of purple. As described in source reporting, the imagery is “regal, holy, sexual, and funereal—a chic update of her trademark sacred-profane flavor combo.” The record has been marketed with a Grindr Exxxclusive Picture Disc.
While fans have expressed that Madonna has tapped back into her essence, some critics have noted a sense of mystery in the presentation. One report noted: “Mystery isn’t usually Madonna’s thing. From the start, she’s been determined to make the world look at her, all of her.” Another perspective suggested: “Confessions II is, at last, Madonna’s turn to dignified placating.” Stuart Price is credited with touring through a menagerie of dance styles, including swinging house, rushing big beat, and meditative drum and bass.
Competitive Chart Landscape
Madonna’s No. 1 debut leads a competitive week on the Billboard 200. Ken Carson captures his second top 10-charted title as xperiment debuts at No. 7, and Sienna Spiro makes her chart debut with the No. 9 bow of her first full-length studio album, Visitor. In the U.K., Spiro’s The Visitor landed at No. 2, marking the biggest debut album of the year by a British act.
“What Sienna has accomplished already is nothing short of remarkable,” said Tom March, Capitol Music Group chairman & CEO. “These global achievements are just the beginning and speak not only to Sienna’s undeniable talent, but to her exceptional artistry and the genuine authenticity at the heart of everything she creates — qualities that have resonated deeply with fans around the world.”
Other notable activity on the U.K. charts included Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love at No. 3, Michael Jackson’s The Essential at No. 4, and Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving at No. 5. Additionally, Pitbull’s Greatest Hits landed at No. 18, while BTS’ ARIRANG lifted 16 spots to No. 21 following their London shows.
Find more reporting in our Entertainment section.
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