Nearly 13 years after first reaching the Billboard 200, Jhené Aiko has finally claimed its top spot. Westside Whimsy debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated Sept. 26, giving the Los Angeles singer the first Billboard 200 chart-topper of her career. According to Billboard, the album earned 74,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the tracking week ending Sept. 17. The accomplishment also makes Westside Whimsy the first R&B album by a woman to lead the Billboard 200 in 2026.
The milestone comes after several close runs at the summit. Aiko made her Billboard 200 debut with Sail Out, which peaked at No. 8 in 2013. Souled Out reached No. 3 the following year, while Trip landed at No. 5 in 2017. Her previous career high belonged to 2020’s Chilombo, which debuted at No. 2 and later earned an Album of the Year nomination at the Grammys. Westside Whimsy is now her sixth Top 10 project.
Read More: Westside Whimsy - Album by Jhené Aiko
Streaming Powered Aiko’s No. 1 Debut
Most of the album’s opening week came from streaming. Billboard reports that 70,000 of its 74,000 units were streaming-equivalent albums, representing 71.33 million official on-demand streams. Traditional album sales contributed another 3,500 units, while track-equivalent activity accounted for the remaining 500. The project also debuted at the top of Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart.
Westside Whimsy arrived Sept. 11 with little runway, having only been formally announced three days earlier. The 20-track album features Kendrick Lamar on “So Good,” Ab-Soul on “Love Bomb,” Tyga on “Like, Whatever,” Larry June on “Neighbors,” and OHMA on the closing track “Golden Coast.”
The album is also Aiko’s first full-length studio release since Chilombo six years ago. She celebrated the new chart peak on Instagram by thanking listeners and later telling fans, “What’s mine is ours.” Check out the album above.
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