Whitney Houston’s 1987 album Whitney became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Released on June 2, 1987, it followed Houston’s hugely successful 1985 debut and immediately confirmed her transformation from rising vocalist into a global superstar.
The album entered the chart at number one on the issue dated June 27, 1987. It remained there for 11 consecutive weeks and became only the fourth album in Billboard history at that point to debut in the top position. The achievement was especially notable because Houston’s first album had reached number one only after a long climb, rather than debuting there.
Whitney also produced four consecutive number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles, beginning with “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).” A common mix-up is confusing the album with Whitney Houston, her 1985 debut, which eventually spent 14 weeks atop the Billboard 200 but did not debut at number one. The album’s success helped make Houston the first female artist to place her first two albums at number one.