TWICE’s ‘Formula’ Equals Success on Top Album Sales Chart

TWICE collects its second top 10 album on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, and largest sales week yet, as Formula of Love: O+T=<3 debuts at No. 2 on the Nov. 27-dated chart. It sold 58,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 18, marking the biggest sales frame for the South Korean girl group yet, surpassing the 43,000-sales launch of Taste of Love in June (No. 1 debut).

Of Formula of Love: O+T=<3’s 58,000 sold, physical album sales comprise 56,000 (all from its CD editions) and digital album sales comprise 2,000. Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of the new album was issued in multiple collectible packages (six, including two Target-exclusive editions) each with a set of standard internal paper goods (photobook, sticker, photocard set, poster, etc.) and randomized elements. (As an example of the latter, each CD package contains four of 60 different photo cards – effectively trading cards branded to an individual member of the nine-person act).

The South Korean girl group hit the top 10 earlier in 2021 with the No. 1 debut Taste of Love: The 10th Mini Album (June 26 chart).

The new album was preceded by the track “The Feels,” which became the group’s first charting effort on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, spending a week at No. 83 on the Oct. 16-dated list.

Elsewhere on the latest Top Album Sales chart, new albums from Taylor Swift, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak), Jason Aldean and Money Man debut in the top 10, while a deluxe reissue of Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind spurs its re-entry into the top five.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now MRC Data. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) bounds in at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with 369,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 18 – the largest sales week of 2021 for any album up to that point. The set’s sales were bolstered by its simultaneous availability on CD, vinyl LP and digital download, as well as CD hand-signed by Swift that was sold through her webstore and via independent record stores. The album sold 261,000 physical copies (145,000 on CD and 114,000 on vinyl LP) and 108,000 digital downloads.

Silk Sonic, the duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, arrives at No. 3 on Top Album Sales with its first album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. The set sold 42,000 copies, with 24,000 via digital downloads and 18,000 physical copies (all from its CD edition, as well as limited-edition CD boxed sets sold through the act’s webstore).

The 30th-anniversary deluxe reissue of Nirvana’s chart-topping Nevermind album prompts its re-entry at No. 4 with 22,000 copies sold (up 1,867%). The remastered reissue was available in a variety of editions that contain an array of live tracks recorded in 1991 and 1992 during the Nevermind tour. All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and charting purposes. Nevermind reached No. 1 on Top Album Sales dated Jan. 11, 1992 and spent two weeks atop the list.

ABBA’s Voyage drifts from No. 1 to No. 5 in its second week on Top Album Sales (with 19,000 sold; down 75%) while Jason Aldean’s new Macon debuts at No. 6 with just under 19,000 sold. Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain soundtrack vaults 51-7 with 17,000 sold (up 471%) thanks in part to the release of a purple-colored vinyl edition of the album exclusive to Target stores. (All vinyl editions of the album combined accounted for 16,500 of the album’s total sales for the week – up 511%.)

Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) bumps 17-8 with a little over 13,000 sold (up 123%), Money Man’s new Blockchain debuts at No. 9 with 13,000 sold and Ed Sheeran’s former No. 1 = rounds out the top 10, falling 3-10 with 12,000 sold (down 28%).