The Weeknd scores his third straight No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his newest EP, My Dear Melancholy, which earned 169,000 equivalent album units (68,000 traditional) in its first week.
Abel Tesfaye previously topped the chart with his last two projects, 2016’s Starboy (348,000 EAU) and 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness (412,000 EAU).
My Dear Melancholy, also marks the biggest sales week for an R&B album since Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman, which moved 72,000 copies in May of last year. Streaming played a huge role in its final tally, as it earned 94,000 streaming equivalent album units. That’s also the third largest SEA units of the year behind Migos’ Culture II (150,000 SEA) and XXXTentacion’s ? (106,000 SEA).
The EP is also the shortest project to hit No. 1 since 2010’s Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals soundtrack, which also opened with six songs. But there could be more on the way. Over the weekend, The Weeknd posted a simple comma on Twitter, prompting speculation about a second part of the EP. A rumor claims he has three installments in the series.
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— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) April 8, 2018
