Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Is A No. 1 Album—But It’s Not Her Biggest Debut Ever

Topline

Beyoncé’s newly-released album Renaissance debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first woman to have all seven of her solo studio albums debut at the top spot—but it’s one of the smallest debuts of the singer’s career, as streams and sales of new music have been declining through the years.

Beyonce performs onstage during the “On the Run II” Tour at NRG Stadium on September 15, 2018 in … [+] Houston, Texas.

Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment

Key Facts

Renaissance debuted with 332,000 equivalent album units, including sales and streams of the work, in the week ending August 4.

It’s the second biggest debut of the year so far, and was topped only by Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, which debuted with 521,000 equivalent album units.

The album received 179.06 million streams, the largest streaming week of Beyoncé’s career.

In 2021, on-demand streaming of new music declined 19.4%, according to Billboard and MCR’s end of year report on the state of the music industry.

“Break My Soul,” the album’s lead single, also shot to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, up from No. 6 last week.

All 16 songs from Renaissance landed on the Hot 100, with 10 in the top 50.

Beyoncé’s Album Debuts

According to Billboard.

Lemonade (2016): 653,000 units earned
Beyoncé (2013): 617,000 copies sold
B’Day (2006): 541,000 copies sold
I Am … Sasha Fierce (2008): 482,000 copies sold
Renaissance (2022): 332,000 units earned
Dangerously In Love (2003): 317,000 copies sold
4 (2011): 310,000 copies sold

Key Background

The release of Renaissance was a return to traditional release methods for Beyoncé. Both Lemonade and Beyoncé were released by surprise online. Her 2013 self-titled work was released exclusively on iTunes, and physical CDs were not made available when the album was initially released. Lemonade was released after an HBO special presentation of the work, and is considered to be a visual album. Renaissance, which is part of a multi-part project, was announced ahead of time, though its first single “Break My Soul” was released by surprise. The album leaked online days before its premiere, but that didn’t appear to impact sales or streams of its official release. “So, the album leaked and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you could enjoy it together,” Beyoncé wrote in an online statement to fans. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t thank you enough for the love and protection.”

Tangent

Renaissance also topped Spotify’s chart of the top albums in the U.S. in the week ending August 4.

Forbes Valuation

$450 million. That’s Beyoncé’s estimated net worth as of June, earning her the 61st spot on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women.