Billboard 200: Bad Bunny holds onto #1 for 6th week, but Lizzo achieves best numbers for women in 2022

Bad Bunny (“Un Verano Sin Ti“) finished number-one for the sixth time on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the tracking week that ended on July 21. With 103,000 equivalent album units based on combined album sales, track sales, and online streams, he was down only two-percent week over week, and he has managed to achieve six-figure album units for all of his first 11 weeks on the chart so far. The last album to do that was Adele’s “25” more than six years ago. Read more about this week’s chart results here at Billboard.com.

Lizzo‘s new album “Special” couldn’t unseat Bad Bunny, but still managed impressive achievements, especially for female artists, who have had a slow year on the Billboard 200. She debuted at number-two with 69,000 equivalent album units. That’s the highest she has ever charted, and it’s the highest any woman has charted with an album that debuted in 2022. It’s also the most album units achieved by a woman for an album released in 2022. Adele‘s “30” started the year at number-one with more units than that, but that album was released in 2021. It’s pretty shocking that no album by a woman has been number-one since then or achieved more units (not counting the “Encanto” soundtrack with its gender-mixed voice cast). Perhaps that will change with the upcoming release of Beyonce‘s “Renaissance” on July 29.

Overall, men made up eight of this week’s top 10 albums. Lizzo was followed by Harry Styles (“Harry’s House”), Morgan Wallen (“Dangerous”), Drake (“Honestly, Nevermind”), Future (“I Never Liked You”), and Steve Lacy (“Gemini Rights”). K-pop girl group Itzy‘s “Checkmate” came in at number-eight as the only other female act among this week’s biggest hits. Brent Faiyaz (“Wasteland”) and Lil Durk (“7220”) rounded out the top 10.

Be sure to make your predictions so that artists can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next tracking week begins every Friday. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our music forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.