Cynthia Erivo’s Post-‘Wicked’ Music Brings Her To New Career Highs

Most people in America are familiar with Cynthia Erivo’s singing voice thanks to the massive success of the film adaptation of Wicked. In the box office smash, the talented singer and actress portrays Elphaba, the green witch from the famed Wizard of Oz story.

Erivo, of course, had been successful for many years prior to Wicked, with standout roles in Broadway shows like The Color Purple and movies such as Harriet. She also releases music as a solo artist, and her latest project — a full-length album titled I Forgive You — has become her greatest solo success on a number of Billboard charts.

I Forgive You Debuts on Five Charts

I Forgive You benefits from Erivo’s newfound level of fame, which is directly tied to how popular Wicked has been. The album opens in lofty positions on several tallies in America, and most notably, it brings the singer and actress to two rankings for the very first time.

I Forgive You debuts at No. 16 on the Top R&B Albums chart and No. 45 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally. Erivo has never appeared on either of these rankings with any prior release.

Cynthia Erivo Returns to the Billboard 200

I Forgive You also becomes Erivo’s second score under her own name on both the Vinyl Albums chart and the Billboard 200. She first reached those rankings just a few months ago, when the Wicked soundtrack — which is credited not only to the cast, but also separately to Ariana Grande and Erivo — made a splash.

Her latest solo effort opens at No. 10 on the list of the bestselling vinyl collections in the United States and No. 165 on the Billboard 200. While those positions are further down the rankings than Wicked, they still mark a new high point for Erivo on her own.

Cynthia Erivo Earns Her Third Bestseller

Erivo also claims her third placement on the Top Album Sales chart, as her latest solo collection sold 7,600 copies across the U.S. in its debut tracking frame, according to Luminate. Last December, the Wicked soundtrack opened at No. 1, and back in the fall of 2021, Erivo’s debut solo album Ch. 1 Vs. 1 spent a single turn at No. 77 on the list of the bestselling albums in America. Since then, the roster has been shortened to 50 spaces — meaning that earlier project likely wouldn’t even chart if it were released today.