SZA can't be stopped. The singer's hugely successful album, SOS, continues to reign on the Billboard 200, claiming its 12th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the January 11 chart. The album’s resurgence follows the release of its deluxe edition, SOS Deluxe: LANA, which added 15 new tracks on December 20. Originally launched on December 9, 2022, as a 23-track project, SOS previously spent 10 weeks dominating the chart in late 2022 and early 2023. Billboard combines all album versions for tracking, which helps sustain its remarkable run.
In the week ending January 2, SOS earned 130,000 equivalent album units in the United States, a 27% drop from the previous week, according to Luminate. Streaming activity accounted for the bulk of this total, representing 166.31 million on-demand streams. The album also retains its top spot on the Top Streaming Albums chart. With 12 weeks at No. 1, SOS has achieved the longest reign for an R&B or R&B/hip-hop album by a woman since Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut, which led for 14 weeks in 1986. The last R&B/hip-hop album to notch at least 12 weeks at No. 1 was Drake’s Views, which led for 13 nonconsecutive weeks in 2016.
SZA Breaks Whitney Houston's Record With SOS: LANA At #1
Last week, the holiday releases dominated the top 10 and much of the top 100. Now, albums from major artists reclaim their spots, despite slight week-over-week declines in activity. Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, a former No. 1, climbs to No. 2 with 70,000 units, while Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet leaps to No. 3, earning 56,000 units. Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department slips to No. 6 with 44,000 units, while Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess moves to No. 7 with 41,000.
Over the weekend, SZA shared she has two albums left with TDE. Her desire is to create two children's albums with her last two. Her first film, One of Them Days, hits theaters on January 24.
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