Beyoncé became the first artist to have her first six studio albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200. The streak began with Dangerously in Love in 2003 and continued through B’Day, I Am... Sasha Fierce, 4, Beyoncé, and Lemonade.
The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums and extended plays in the United States using a combination of equivalent album units, including physical sales, digital sales, and streaming activity. A debut at number one means an album enters the chart in its first week at the top position.
Beyoncé’s self-titled album was especially notable because it was released without advance announcement in December 2013. Lemonade also debuted at number one in 2016, extending the sequence to six consecutive opening chart-toppers.
This record concerns studio albums and the Billboard 200, not individual songs. The Billboard Hot 100 is a separate chart for songs, while the UK Albums Chart measures the British market. Later releases continued Beyoncé’s strong U.S. album-chart performance.