The duel Taylor Swift vs. Billie Eilish leaves her first numbers. In the United States, Taylor Swift remains at number 1 for albums for the fifth consecutive week with 'The Tortured Poets Department', leaving Eilish at number 2 with 'Hit Me Hard and Soft'. Billie, however, achieves the best first week of sales of her entire career.
Swift and Eilish are separated – in the United States – by 40,000 copies. In its fifth week, thanks to the launch of new physical and digital versions, 'The Tortured Poets Department' ships 379,000 equivalent units, compared to 339,000 for 'Hit Me Hard and Soft'.
Billie's sales breakdown reveals that 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' has shipped up to 191,000 physical units in its first week, 90,000 of which have opted for the vinyl format. In digital format, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' has 166,500 streaming points and 1,500 downloads.
Although Billie Eilish's number 1 album in the United States has – for the moment – eluded her, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' has surpassed the sales in its first week in the United States of both her debut, 'When We All Fall Asleep , Where Do We Go?', which reached 313,000 equivalent units, as well as his second album, 'Happier Than Ever', which reached 238,000 units. The merit is enormous both for Taylor, who sells more in her fifth week than Billie in the first, and for Billie, who, even remaining at number 2, achieves the best first week of her career.
The scenario is different in the United Kingdom, where Eilish does place 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' at number 1 albums and leaves Taylor at number 2. Eilish also obtains, in the United Kingdom, the best first week of her career by adding 67,100 units shipped. Of course, number 1 singles has eluded him because of the 'Espresso' phenomenon, and 'Lunch' debuts at number 2.
