On the Charts: Carrie Underwood Makes Country Music History as ‘Cry Pretty’ Hits Number One

Carrie Underwood made history as the first female country artist to score four Number One albums as the singer’s Cry Pretty debuted atop the Billboard 200.

Cry Pretty also established 2018’s best-selling week for a female artist in any genre as the album sold 266,000 total copies in its first week of release, besting the mark set earlier this year by Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy.

Additionally, Cry Pretty also opened with the best-selling week for any country release in 2018, Billboard reports, and the best opening week since Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights debuted with over 320,000 copies in August 2015.

6lack notched the only other debut in the Top 10 this week as the emerging rapper’s second LP East Atlanta Love Letter bowed in at Number Three and 77,000 total copies, an improvement over the Number 34 peak of 2016’s Free 6lack.

Eminem’s Kamikaze remained at Number Two, followed by Drake’s Scorpion (Number Four), Travis Scott’s Astroworld (Number Five), Post Malone’s Beerbongs and Bentleys (Number Six) and Ariana Grande’s Sweetener (Number Seven).

Paul McCartney’s Egypt Station, last week’s Number One and the Beatle’s first Billboard 200 topper in 36 years, dipped to Number Eight and 37,000 total copies, with Nicki Minaj’s Queen on its heels at Number Nine and Juice WRLD’s Goodbye & Good Riddance wrapped up the Top 10 at Number 10.

Next week’s Number One contenders include Prince’s unearthed Piano & a Microphone 1983, Machine Gun Kelly’s Binge and Josh Groban’s Bridges.