(Reuters) – Country singer Luke Bryan’s latest record stormed straight to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, while pop singer Katy Perry scored her biggest digital song debut to date with new single “Roar.”
“Crash My Party,” the fourth studio album from Bryan, sold more than 527,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, making it his best debut.
It is also the third-biggest opening for an album this year, behind Jay Z’s “Magna Carta … Holy Grail,” which sold 528,000 in its first week in July, and Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience,” which debuted with 968,000 in March.
Hip-hop artist K. Michelle was the only other new album to enter the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week, landing at No. 2 with her debut album “Rebellious Soul,” selling 71,000 copies.
Pop singer Perry, who released her first single “Roar” from upcoming album “Prism” last week, scored her best sales week as the song sold more than 557,000 downloads and topped the Billboard Digital Songs chart.
The song also notched No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, which measures radio airplay, online streaming and sales, but it was unable to knock off Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” featuring T.I. and Pharrell, which clocked its 11th non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the chart.
“Roar” beat out stiff competition from Lady Gaga, who released her new single “Applause” from upcoming album “ARTPOP,” which reached No. 3 on the digital songs chart with 218,000 downloads and No. 6 on the Hot 100 chart.
