Lorde’s latest album Virgin has debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, marking the New Zealand pop star’s fourth top ten album in the U.S. The new release tallied about 71,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including an impressive 42,000 in actual album sales and over 37 million streams. Those robust sales were boosted by eight different vinyl editions of Virgin, which collectively accounted for roughly 31,000 copies — a testament to Lorde’s dedicated fanbase. The only album outselling Virgin this week was country star Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem, which held onto the No. 1 spot on the chart.
Internationally, Lorde is also celebrating major milestones with Virgin. The introspective album debuted at No. 1 on both the U.K. Albums Chart and Australia’s ARIA chart, giving her a first-ever chart-topper in those countries. Fans and critics have praised Virgin for its artistic evolution and emotional depth. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter described the project as deeply transformational, writing on social media that “this album broke me apart and forged a new creature out of me.” Virgin’s strong reception comes after a mixed response to her previous record Solar Power (2021), and its success sets an encouraging tone as Lorde prepares to embark on her Ultrasound World Tour later this year.
