The singer surprised
her legion of fans two weeks ago by surprise-releasing her new single “Black
Parade,” which came without warning and which, at the moment, doesn’t appear to
be attached to any full-length project. The title debuts on the Hot 100 this
week at No. 37, thanks mostly to very healthy sales, and is all those purchases
that help the woman behind the new hit move up on an all-time ranking.
“Black
Parade” opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart, which ranks the
bestselling individual tunes in the U.S. every week. The cut starts off as high
as a single can climb with just under 18,000 copies (though the real figure was
rounded up to that even number), which is enough to make it the singer’s ninth
champion on the sales-only tally.
With nine
No. 1s on the Digital Song Sales chart to her credit, Beyoncé has broken out of
a tie with Lady Gaga and advanced once more on the list of the musicians who
have controlled that ranking the most. Gaga tied with Queen Bey just a month or
so ago with “Rain on Me,” her collaboration with Ariana Grande that also topped
the Hot 100. Now, just weeks later, they are no longer on the same level as one
another.
Beyoncé stands
alone in fourth place on the list of the women who have landed the most No. 1
smashes on the Digital Song Sales chart, and she still has a long way to go
before moving up once more.
Leading the
way among all females is Taylor Swift, who has charted 19 No. 1s on the Digital
Song Sales list. Behind her comes Rihanna, with 14, and then Katy Perry, who
has snagged 11 major wins.
Looking at
all artists and not just solo females, Beyoncé is actually tied for sixth place
with Bruno Mars, as they have both collected nine chart-toppers. Swift
continues to rule with her 19 champions, and Rihanna is steady in second place,
and nobody is currently making a serious play to top either one of those
powerhouses.
