Lady Gaga album hits No. 1, but sales weaker than past

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Lady Gaga entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number one Wednesday with her new release “Artpop,” though it sold less than its predecessor.

The recording industry trade journal said fans bought 258,000 copies of “Artpop” in its first week, compared to “Born This Way” in 2011 which moved 1.1 million copies in the same time frame.

Fifty-seven percent of those sales were digital downloads, said Billboard, which bases on its charts on Nielsen SoundScan data.

Billboard noted that “Born This Way” ― which also went to number one upon its release ― likely enjoyed stronger sales on account of a limited-time, 99-cent sale on Amazon’s MP3 downloading service.

In the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, New Zealand’s Lorde held on to number one for an eighth week with “Royals,” with Eminem’s “The Monster” featuring Rihanna hard on its heels at number two.

Lady Gaga is one of only three female solo artists this year with albums that sold more than 150,000 albums in the first week, alongside Katy Perry with “Prism” (286,000) and Miley Cyrus (270,000) with “Bangerz.”

“Artpop” signals a return to the pop limelight for the 27-year-old New Yorker after she was forced to tone down her wall-to-wall concert engagements to undergo hip surgery.