SOS by SZA is the first #1 album of 2023. The Top Dawg Entertainment singer’s sophomore studio LP held onto the pole position of the Billboard 200 chart for a third time overall.
SZA’s SOS remained at No. 1 by pulling in another 128,000 units in week three of its release. SOS is the first female R&B album to have an initial three-week run at the top since Beyoncé’s self-titled project in 2013.
Two weeks ago, SOS premiered at No. 1 with 318,000 first-week units. SZA’s latest musical effort set a new record for the largest streaming week (405 million streams) in music history for an R&B album.
SOS continued to lead the Billboard 200 in its second week of release with 180,000 units. Over that seven-day tracking period, the album amassed 237 million streams. The most recent tracking period included 169 million streams.
SZA dropped SOS on December 9, 2022. Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard appear on the album. SOS made the respective Best Albums of 2022 lists published by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
2017’s Ctrl introduced SZA to many members of the mainstream music audience. That TDE/RCA body of work peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart. However, Ctrl went on to earn a 3x-Platinum plaque from the RIAA.
Elsewhere on this week’s Billboard 200, Metro Boomin’s former No. 1 Heroes & Villains sustained a #4 placement. Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss sits at #6 after spending one week in first place. Bad Bunny’s 13-time Billboard 200 leader Un Verano Sin Ti jumped three rungs to #7.