The world is dancing! 25 years in the game, and Beyonce has reminded us that she is still THAT GIRL!

In The United States

Renaissance has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 332k in sales. Of Renaissance’s 332,000 equivalent album units earned, album sales comprise 190,000; SEA units comprise 138,000 (equaling 179.06 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), and TEA units comprise 4,000.

Renaissance logs the largest streaming week for an album by a woman in 2022 by on-demand official streams earned, with 179.06 million. It’s also the seventh-biggest streaming debut among all albums in 2022, and Beyoncé’s largest streaming week ever. 

In terms of traditional album sales, with 190,000 sold, Renaissance posts the third-largest sales week for an album in 2022, and the biggest by a woman. The only bigger sales weeks so far this year were captured by the opening stanzas of Harry’s House (330,000) and BTS’ Proof (266,000).

Renaissance sold 121,000 copies on CD, 43,000 via digital downloads and 26,000 on vinyl.

Renaissance’s initial album sales figure is largely driven by direct-to-consumer sales of the album through internet retailers, with 72% of its first-week sales coming through web-based sellers (136,000 of 190,000). Those sellers included Beyoncé’s official webstore (where she sold four limited edition deluxe boxed set editions of the album containing a T-shirt and a CD – all of which are sold out).

Beyoncé’s webstore was also the exclusive seller in the tracking week of the album’s vinyl LP, which had a limited pressing and an alternative cover and sold 26,000 copies. That marks the largest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop album on vinyl by a woman in the modern era, since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. The vinyl LP sold out on Beyoncé’s webstore before the album’s release on July 29. On Sept. 16, the album will garner a wide release on vinyl through all retailers, with expanded packaging and its standard album cover.

While Renaissance’s internet-based sales were hefty, the album would have still been No. 1 on the Billboard 200 without any sales from internet sellers. Further, the set would have been No. 1 without selling a single copy, as it still would have perched atop the list from only streaming activity (with streaming equaling 138,000 SEA units).

Finally, as noted earlier, Renaissance is the first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 by a solo woman since Adele’s 30.

International Success

By its second day of release, Renaissance was outselling the rest of the week’s top five best-selling albums combined in the UK. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé fourth album to do so as a solo act, and her fifth including Destiny’s Child. The album also debuted at number one on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. It had outsold its nearest rival Harry Styles’ album Harry’s House by 3:1. In Ireland, Renaissance debuted atop the Irish Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé’s fifth number one album in the country. Simultaneously, “Break My Soul” also peaked at number one on the Irish Singles Chart, allowing Beyoncé to score an Irish Chart Double. In France, Renaissance debuted at number one on the SNEP albums chart, becoming Beyoncé’s first number one album and her fourth top ten album in the country. Previously, 4 was Beyoncé’s highest-charting album in the country, peaking at number two in 2011. Additionally, the album was the first album by a female artist to top the chart in 2022.

#1 Song To Match

Along with a #1 album, Beyonce tops the Billboard Hot 100, with Renaissance’s lead single, “Break My Soul”.

“Break My Soul,” released on Parkwood/Columbia Records, becomes the 1,140th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 64-year history.

Airplay, sales & streams: “Soul” drew 61.7 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%) and 18.9 million streams (up 114%) and sold 13,000 downloads (up 113%) in the July 29-Aug. 4 tracking week, according to Luminate, as the song claims dual top Streaming and Sales Gainer honors on the Hot 100.

The track vaults 25-3 on Streaming Songs and holds at its No. 4 high on the Radio Songs chart.

In addition to its original version on Renaissance, “Soul” was available in six alternate forms during the tracking week: its Honey Dijon, Terry Hunter and will.i.am remixes; its Nita Aviance club mix; and a cappella and instrumental versions. 

As it reaches No. 1 on the Hot 100, “Soul” concurrently climbs to the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts, which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100. Beyoncé adds her 10th No. 1 on the former and her third on the latter (which began in October 2012). The track also tops the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a sixth week. “Soul” makes history as the first song to lead all four lists