Miley Cyrus’“Bass Persuades”debuted at No. 1 on Sept. 28 with roughly 61,000 total album units, powered by 16 vinyl variants and discounted digital pricing from Atlantic Records. Seven days later, it landed at No. 157 on the Billboard 200. That 156-spot plunge is the biggest second-week fall from the top spot by a female artist in chart history, passing Madonna’s“Madame X,”which dropped to No. 77 in 2019.
The only No. 1 album that has fallen further is Bon Jovi’s“This House Is Not for Sale,”which slid to No. 169 in 2018. The comparison puts the scale of Miley’s drop in perspective, and it also highlights something chart watchers have been saying for a while: modern No. 1 debuts are often engineered by release strategy as much as by demand.
None of this changes what’s next for Miley. She has Hollywood Bowl shows on the calendar and recently teased a residency. As for the chart, it keeps moving whether anyone’s watching or not. So we want to know: does a No. 1 debut still mean anything if it only lasts a week? Sound off in the comments.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
